Statistics related to heart disease:
Each year, heart disease is at the top of the list of the country's most serious health problems. In fact, statistics show that cardiovascular disease is America's leading health problem, and the leading cause of death. Consider these statistics released by the American Heart Association (AHA):

• At least 58,800,000 people in this country suffer from some form of heart disease.

• One person in four suffers from some form of cardiovascular disease, including:
  
  
  • high blood pressure - 50,000,000
  • coronary heart disease - 12,000,000
    
    
    • angina pectoris - 6,200,000
    • myocardial infarction (heart attack) - 7,000,000
      
      
  • stroke - 4,400,000
  • rheumatic heart disease / rheumatic fever - 1,800,000
  • congenital cardiovascular defects - 1,000,000
  • congestive heart failure - 4,600,000

• Almost 1 out of every 2.4 deaths result from cardiovascular disease.

• Since 1900, cardiovascular disease has been the leading cause of death in every year but one - 1918.

• About every 29 seconds an American will suffer a coronary event, and about every minute someone will die from one.

• Cardiovascular disease is the cause of more deaths than the next 7 causes of death combined.

• It is a myth that heart disease is a man's disease. In fact, cardiovascular diseases are the number one killer of women (and men). These diseases currently claim the lives of more than a half a million females every year -- more than the next 16 causes of death combined.

• In 57 percent of men and 64 percent of women who died suddenly from cardiovascular disease, there were no previous symptoms of the disease.

• The cost of cardiovascular disease in 1999 is estimated at $286.5 billion -- an increase of about $12 billion from 1998.

• Stroke killed 159,942 people in 1996 -- on average, someone in the US suffers a stroke every 53 seconds; someone dies every 3.3 minutes from stroke.

• Stroke is a leading cause of serious, long-term disability that accounts for more than half of all patients hospitalized for a neurological disease. Stroke deaths have been increasing in recent years.