America’s Number One Killer: Heart Disease

In the United States, the month of February is synonymous with things such as Groundhog’s Day, Valentine’s Day, and President’s Day. Additionally, since Lyndon B. Johnson first established American Heart Month in 1964 Americans have also recognized February as American Heart Month.

America’s Number One Killer: Heart Disease

    In the United States, the month of February is synonymous with things such as Groundhog’s Day, Valentine’s Day, and President’s Day. Additionally, since Lyndon B. Johnson first established American Heart Month in 1964 Americans have also recognized February as American Heart Month. Now more than ever is an important time for Americans to pay close attention to their heart health. According to the CDC, heart disease is the number one killer amongst men, women, people of most racial and ethnic groups in America.1 The problem is not solely an American issue, however it is something as a country that needs to be addressed and taken seriously before our actions are irreversible.

    A 2021 report from the American Heart Association states that 659,000 people die from heart disease every year in America.2 That equates to an astonishing statistic of one in every four American deaths being attributed to heart disease.2 The most common form of heart disease is coronary artery disease which affects blood flow to the heart. So why is it that a quarter of our population dies from a non-communicable disease? Non-communicable diseases are diseases that cannot be spread from one person to another. In communicable diseases like Covid-19 and the flu, there are high infectivity rates which result in large numbers of people contracting and suffering from illnesses spread from human to human. In theory, non-communicable diseases such as heart disease should be less prevalent in society for the simple fact that it’s within our control to help prevent these diseases. However, that is not the case as you see from the statistics presented above.

    What exactly are some of the risk factors that make Americans vulnerable to dying from heart disease? Three of the main risk factors that severely increase the risk of complications or death from heart disease are high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and smoking. Each of these three risk factors uniquely contributes to negative effects on the body that ultimately can exacerbate the issues caused by heart disease. High blood pressure runs rampant in American adults. Just under 50% of adult Americans suffer from hypertension, also known as high blood pressure.3 Of the 47% of American adults with hypertension, just one in four of them are taking medications to keep their blood pressure under control.3 This is problematic because excessively high blood pressure causes damage to the heart and when untreated, the damage grows stronger. The next risk factor, high cholesterol can cause a buildup of fatty deposits on blood vessels.4 These fatty deposits can eventually cause narrowing of the arteries which would reduce blood flow to the heart or even cause a clot that could cause a heart attack or stroke.4 The third risk factor we’re going to talk about today is smoking. At this point in time, the negative health effects of smoking are well documented ranging from respiratory issues to cardiovascular issues. When somebody is a smoker, chemicals from the tobacco smoke causes the cells that line the blood vessels to become inflamed and swollen.5 Much like the complications caused by high cholesterol, this swelling can result in decreased blood flow to the heart, heart attacks, and or strokes.5 While these three issues are not the only possible risk factors that contribute to heart disease, they are three of the most commonly found risk factors. In fact, 47% of adult Americans suffer from at least one of these three conditions.1 

    So what can we do to prevent these issues from occurring? We need to address these issues at a population level. That begins with improved access to primary health care. Despite being the world’s largest spender in terms of health care, many Americans are under or uninsured all together. This leads to folks forgoing regular visits to a primary care physician for an annual physical and in turn living with untreated conditions such as high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and diabetes that can ultimately lead to a heart disease related death. Making healthcare more affordable and more accessible should reduce the number of preventable deaths in America. Another tactic that could be utilized to help reduce the burden of heart disease in America is to promote greater exercise and nutrition among children from a young age. Studies show that exercise and a healthy body weight have a protective effect against heart disease.1 By instilling these beliefs and a healthy mindset in America’s youth, they would be more well-equipped to make more health-conscious choices when they become adults. 

    The heart disease epidemic in the United States isn’t something that can be solved overnight, however the first step in ensuring a healthier America is by bringing awareness to the issue at hand, especially for those who need the information the most. So do your part, share this article with somebody you think would benefit from learning about heart disease and what they can do to help prevent serious complications from it. While February is coming to a close, our fight against heart disease and promoting positive heart health is an ongoing mission.   

References

1. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Underlying Cause of Death, 1999–2018. CDC WONDER Online Database. Atlanta, GA: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; 2018. Accessed March 12, 2020.

2. Virani SS, Alonso A, Aparicio HJ, Benjamin EJ, Bittencourt MS, Callaway CW, et al. Heart disease and stroke statistics—2021 update: a report from the American Heart Association Circulation. 2021;143:e254–e743.

3. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Hypertension Cascade: Hypertension Prevalence, Treatment and Control Estimates Among U.S. Adults Aged 18 Years and Older Applying the Criteria from the American College of Cardiology and American Heart Association’s 2017 Hypertension Guideline—NHANES 2015–2018. Atlanta, GA: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services; 2021. Accessed March 12, 2021.

4. https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/high-blood-cholesterol/symptoms-causes/syc-20350800#:~:text=Your%20body%20needs%20cholesterol%20to,to%20flow%20through%20your%20arteries.

5. https://www.cdc.gov/tobacco/data_statistics/sgr/50th-anniversary/pdfs/fs_smoking_CVD_508.pdf