The Us Has Lagged Behind Comparable Countries In Improving On A Score Of Mortality Amenable To Health Care
The Healthcare Access and Quality Index is based on age-standardized, risk-standardized mortality rates for 32 causes amenable to health care. Based on data from the Global Burden of Disease Study, the HAQ Index is scaled from 0 to 100: lower scores indicate high mortality rates for these causes, while higher scores indicate lower mortality rates and thus better quality of and access to health care. Researchers report that both the U.S. and comparable countries improved rates of mortality amenable to health care from 1990 to 2016. Though both have improved mortality amenable to health care, the gap between the U.S. and similar countries has widened. On average, comparable countries saw a 15% increase in the HAQ Index during that time, while the U.S. saw a 10% increase.
Mortality Rates For Diseases Of The Circulatory System Have Fallen Dramatically Over The Last 30 Years
The U.S. and other countries have made dramatic progress in lowering mortality from diseases of the circulatory system. In the U.S., the mortality rate has fallen from 629 deaths per 100,000 population in 1980 to 257 in 2015. Comparable countries have seen a drop from 607 deaths per 100,000 to 215 over the same time period.
How Does Heart Disease Affect Women
Despite increases in awareness over the past decades, only about half of women recognize that heart disease is their number 1 killer.1
Learn more facts about women and heart disease:
- Heart disease is the leading cause of death for women in the United States, killing 314,186 women in 2020or about 1 in every 5 female deaths.2
- Heart disease is the leading cause of death for African American and white women in the United States. Among American Indian and Alaska Native women, heart disease and cancer cause roughly the same number of deaths each year. For Hispanic and Asian or Pacific Islander women, heart disease is second only to cancer as a cause of death.3
- About 1 in 16 women age 20 and older have coronary heart disease, the most common type of heart disease:4
- About 1 in 16 white women , black women , and Hispanic women
- About 1 in 30 Asian women
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Good Genes Are Nice But Joy Is Better
The best way to treat acute myocardial infarctions, commonly known as heart attacks, has been long established by international consensus. The types of treatments and recommended procedures are well-defined, widely known, and readily available in modern hospitals.
Yet, a newly published analysis of heart attack care and outcomes across six high-income nations has found baffling variations in the kind of treatment patients receive and in how well patients fare.
The study, published online in BMJ on May 5, was led by researchers at Harvard Medical School and The University of Texas Medical Branch as part of the International Health System Research Collaborative, an effort dedicated to understanding the tradeoffs inherent in different nations approaches to delivering health care.
It turns out there is a lot that different health care systems can learn from one another about how to deliver the best possible care, even for common, well-understood medical conditions like heart attack, said Bruce Landon, professor of health care policy at HMS, a professor of medicine at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, and co-principal investigator of the collaborative. This approach also allows us to better understand differences in outcomes that stem directly from health systems as opposed to other country-specific factors that might influence health outcomes.
What Are The Risk Factors For Cardiovascular Disease
The most important behavioural risk factors of heart disease and stroke are unhealthy diet, physical inactivity, tobacco use and harmful use of alcohol. The effects of behavioural risk factors may show up in individuals as raised blood pressure, raisedblood glucose, raised blood lipids, and overweight and obesity. These intermediate risks factors can be measured in primary care facilities and indicate an increased risk of heart attack, stroke, heart failure and other complications.
Cessation of tobacco use, reduction of salt in the diet, eating more fruit and vegetables, regular physical activity and avoiding harmful use of alcohol have been shown to reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease. Health policies that create conduciveenvironments for making healthy choices affordable and available are essential for motivating people to adopt and sustain healthy behaviours.
There are also a number of underlying determinants of CVDs. These are a reflection of the major forces driving social, economic and cultural change globalization, urbanization and population ageing. Other determinants of CVDs include poverty,stress and hereditary factors.
In addition, drug treatment of hypertension, diabetes and high blood lipids are necessary to reduce cardiovascular risk and prevent heart attacks and strokes among people with these conditions.
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Over The Past Decade Males Were Nearly Twice As Likely As Females To Die Of Heart Disease
NOTE: APC is annual percent change.SOURCE: National Center for Health Statistics, National Vital Statistics System, Mortality. See and Health, United States, 20202021Table SlctMort.
- From 2009 to 2019, the age-adjusted heart disease death rate was higher for males than for females.
- Among males, the age-adjusted heart disease death rate decreased from 229.4 per 100,000 in 2009 to 214.7 in 2012, and then decreased at a slower rate to 204.8 in 2019.
- Among females, the age-adjusted heart disease death rate decreased from 146.6 in 2009 to 135.5 in 2012, and then decreased at a slower rate to 126.2 in 2019.
- Estimates are based on the U.S. resident population. See .
- Age-adjusted estimates are presented to eliminate differences that result from changes in the distribution of age in the population over time. Some estimates are shown by a specific age group because of the strong effect of age on most health outcomes. See .
- For information on the methods used to assess trends, see .
Although Heart Disease Death Rates Generally Decreased For All Race And Hispanic
NOTES: NH is non-Hispanic origin. NHOPI is Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander. AIAN is American Indian or Alaska Native. API is Asian or Pacific Islander. APC is annual percent change. Stable refers to no statistically significant trend during the period.SOURCE: National Center for Health Statistics, National Vital Statistics System, Mortality. See and Health, United States, 20202021Table SlctMort.
- Estimates are based on the U.S. resident population. See .
- Age-adjusted estimates are presented to eliminate differences that result from changes in the distribution of age in the population over time. Some estimates are shown by a specific age group because of the strong effect of age on most health outcomes. See .
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Deaths From Cardiovascular Diseases
There were 1.71 million deaths in the EU from diseases of the circulatory system
Diseases of the circulatory system place a considerable burden on healthcare systems and government budgets. Indeed, in 2017 there were 1.71 million deaths in the EU resulting from diseases of the circulatory system, which was equivalent to 36.7 % of all deaths. The percentage is considerably higher than the second most prevalent cause of death, cancer .
Diseases of the circulatory system are one of the main causes of mortality in each of the EU Member States : they accounted for 5060 % of all deaths in the Baltic Member States and Romania, while this share was close to two thirds in Bulgaria. By contrast, less than one quarter of all deaths in France and Denmark were caused by diseases of the circulatory system.
The largest gaps between the sexes were recorded in the Baltic Member States, Slovenia and Romania, where the proportions of females dying from diseases of the circulatory system in 2019 were between 12.3 and 15.1 percentage points higher than those for males the gender imbalance was also relatively large in Croatia and Bulgaria . There were five EU Member States where a higher proportion of males died from diseases of the circulatory system: in Denmark, the share of male deaths was 1.5 percentage points higher than that for females smaller differences were observed in Finland, Cyprus, Ireland and Sweden.
The Mortality Rate For Diseases Of The Nervous System Is Higher In The Us Than In Comparably Wealthy Countries
In recent years, mortality rates for diseases of the nervous system have been both increasing and consistently higher in the U.S. than in comparable countries. In the U.S., the age-adjusted mortality rate for Alzheimers disease has increased from just under 12 deaths per 100,000 population in 1980 to over 33 in 2015. The sharp increase in mortality in 1999 for the United States coincides with a change in ICD coding.
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Heart Attack Deaths Jumped Sharply Among Young Us Adults In 2nd Year Of Pandemic
These excessively higher rates of heart attack-related death have persisted throughout the pandemic, including the possibility that COVID-19 could trigger or accelerate coronary artery disease.
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As the number of COVID-19 infection surged during the pandemic, deaths from heart attacks rose sharply as well, with adults ages 25-44 experiencing the most significant increases, according to new research from scientists at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles.
The dramatic rise in heart attacks during the pandemic has reversed what was a prior decadelong steady improvement in cardiac deaths, said Dr. Yee Hui Yeo, first author of the study and a Cedars-Sinai physician-scientist. We are still learning the many ways by which COVID-19 affects the body, regardless of age, gender, ethnicity or race.
Scientists around the nation and world continue to release findings that show SARS-CoV-2 infections increase risk of other serious conditions such as stroke, nerve damage and some autoimmune diseases.
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The United States Has A Much Higher Rate Of Maternal Mortality Than Comparable Countries
Women in the United States are more than four times as likely to die due to complications from childbirth than women in comparable countries. Additionally, the maternal mortality rate in the United States has risen 113% since 1990. For context, Canada was the only other country during this period to experience an increase in maternal mortality over the same time period, growing just over 60% . Researchers point to multiple factors that contribute to the alarming maternal mortality rate in the United States, including: Racial disparities a lack of continuity between, or access to, primary care and maternal care services a need for standardized and evidence-based protocols for child birth and clinical care and poor data collection on maternal death and patterns of risk.
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The Mortality Rate For External Causes Is Higher In The Us Than In Comparably Wealthy Countries
The average mortality rate among comparable OECD countries for external causes has fallen much more over the last 30 years than in the U.S., where rates initially fell but then started to climb in recent years. Overall, since 1980, the US saw a 9% decrease in mortality from external causes, compared to a 43% decrease in comparable countries.
Health Cost In America
- From 2016 to 2017, the direct and indirect costs associated with cardiovascular disease were $363.4 billion. That includes $216 billion in direct costs and $147.4 billion in lost productivity and mortality.
- Cardiovascular disease and stroke accounted for 13% of all healthcare expenditures from 2014 to 2015, more than any other diagnostic group.
- Heart attacks and coronary heart disease were two of the 10 most costly conditions that were treated in U.S. hospitals in 2013, tallying a respective $12.1 billion and $9 billion.
- The National Institutes of Health is projected to spend $1.6 billion on heart disease research in 2022, with an additional $430 million focused specifically on coronary heart disease.
- Nearly one in six U.S. healthcare dollars is spent on cardiovascular care.
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Risk Factors And Prevention
Many risk factors that can raise your chances for heart disease are within your control. These include:
- Being overweight or obese
- Eating an unhealthy diet
The strongest risk factors for heart disease are high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and smoking, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Forty-seven percent of Americans have one or more of these factors.
Risk factors for heart disease and heart attacks that are out of your control include:
- Being male: Males are at a higher risk, although the risk difference narrows once females are post-menopausal.
- Genetics: If you have parents with heart disease, youre more likely to develop it as well.
- Increasing age: Most people who die from heart disease are over age 65. The risk for a heart attack and heart problems goes up with age because your heart may not work as well as it once did.
- Race and ethnicity: Certain types of heart disease are more prevalent in people of certain races or ethnicities. For instance, Blacks have a higher risk of severe high blood pressure and heart disease than Whites. Heart disease risk is higher among Mexican Americans, American Indians, native Hawaiians, and some Asian Americans, partially because of more obesity and diabetes.
Even if you have factors for heart disease that are out of your control, you can still make changes to lower your chance of developing heart disease. Here are some tips to help prevent heart disease:
Where Are Trends Likely To Reverse Or Are Already Rising
Comparison of trends in CHD mortality decline at the international level is complex because challenges in definitions of metrics used, differences in data quality and methods of acquisition, and consistency in cause of death recording and certification. Additionally, information from countries undergoing social and political change can show results due to process rather than cause of death. Nevertheless, data from countries that exhibit unusual changes can be informative in understanding the dynamics of mortality changes.
Using data from vital statistics and from risk factor survey data, Critchley et al.39 described trends in CVD mortality for Syria, Tunisia, occupied Palestinian territories , and Turkey. In the periods from the late 1990âs to the late 2000âs, age standardized rates of CHD rose by 20% in Tunisia and 62% in Syria, but declined by 17% in oPt and 29% in Turkey. BMI and diabetes increased in all of these areas over this time period, though cholesterol and blood pressure increased only in Tunisia and Syria, the countries where the CHD mortality rates increased.39 Cigarette smoking declined substantially in Turkey and oPt, the countries where the CHD mortality rates decreased. Thus, these findings are suggestive but somewhat inconsistent regarding risk factor explanations for the CHD mortality rate changes.
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When Deciding Who To Vote For How Important Is The Candidate’s Health
COVID-19 death rates in 2020 were lower in smaller metropolitan areas than in both inner cities and rural counties, according to government data released Tuesday.
In 2020, the age-adjusted death rate for COVID-19 was highest in large central metropolitan areas, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported. In those counties, where more than 1 million residents live within the same city limits, 97.7 out of every 100,000 people died from COVID.
That was 30% higher than medium-sized metropolitan counties with 250,000 to 999,000 residents, where the rate of 75 deaths was the lowest, according to a data brief from the CDCs National Center for Health Statistics.
The CDC breakdown offers a more precise analysis of COVID death rates than a broad comparison of rural and urban areas, according to a summary of the findings.
For both males and females, death rates were lowest in smaller urban areas, such as the large fringe metropolitan and small or medium metropolitan areas, the data brief states.
The CDC found Americans of all ages and genders living in rural counties were more likely to die of COVID than those in most metropolitan areas.
In large fringe metro counties where more than 1 million people live in suburbs, the death rate was 79.9. It was 78.2 in smaller metro areas with populations under 250,000.
COVID vaccination rates have also been substantially lower in rural areas than in urban areas, he added.
Heart Disease: Facts Statistics And You
Heart disease refers to a variety of conditions that affect the heart from infections to genetic defects and blood-vessel diseases.
Most heart disease can be prevented with healthy lifestyle choices, yet its still the number one health threat in the world.
See the numbers behind this condition, learn the risk factors, and find out how to prevent heart disease.
Heart disease is responsible for most deaths worldwide for both men and women of all races.
As of 2018,
, approximately every 40 seconds an American will have a heart attack. Every year, 805,000 Americans have a heart attack, 605,000 of them for the first time.
About 12 percent of people who have a heart attack will die from it.
Coronary artery disease, a blockage of the arteries that supply blood to the heart, is the most common type of heart disease. Coronary heart disease affects about 18.2 million Americans age 20 and older, and it killed nearly 366,000 in 2017.
Heart disease is the number one cause of death for most racial and ethnic groups. In 2015, it was responsible for of deaths in white people and 23.5 percent in Black people.
In 2017, death rates from heart disease in Black men were 202.8 deaths per 100,000 people . That compared to 274.5 deaths per 100,000 for white males. The death rates for Black women were 165.5 per 100,000, and for white women they were 231.4 per 100,000.
Follow these six simple tips to keep your ticker ticking:
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