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200,000 Heart-Related Deaths Could Have Been Prevented in 2010

By Cheri Cheng | Update Date: Sep 04, 2013 04:02 PM EDT

When it comes to certain diseases, preventing the onset might be almost impossible. Due to genetics and other factors involved, certain people have a greater risk of developing certain health conditions. For other people, however, there are several preventable measures that can be taken to reduce one's risk of diseases or health conditions. Now, based on a new report by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), teaching the public about these preventable measures needs to be a priority in the health care field. The new report found that in 2010, there were 200,007 deaths related to cardiovascular diseases that could have been prevented.

In this new report, Linda J. Schieb, M.S.P.H, with the CDC in Atlanta and colleagues worked together to examine the mortality data gathered from 2001 to 2010. The data was provided from the National Vital Statistics System. The data they looked at were centered in on avoidable deaths that were caused by cardiovascular diseases. The team discovered that the 200,007 avoidable deaths were due to heart disease, stroke, and hypertensive disease.

"Nearly one-fourth of all cardiovascular disease deaths are avoidable," Schieb and colleagues concluded. "National, state, and local initiatives aimed at improving health-care systems and supporting healthy behaviors are essential to reducing avoidable heart disease, stroke, and hypertensive disease deaths."

The researchers also looked into age ranges and ethnicities in relation to these preventable deaths. They reported that the highest mortality rates were seen in people between 65 and 74-years-old. Despite this, the researchers found that 56 percent of the deaths occurred in people who were younger than 65. The researchers also found that avoidable deaths affected men more so than women. These deaths also affected non-Hispanic blacks living in the south more so than other groups. Throughout the study, the researchers noted that the overall percentage of preventable deaths did decrease by 29 percent. This reduction was slower in people under 65.

The report was published in the CDC's Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report

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