by
Stepy —
August 29, 2014
- One important aspect of healthy living is paying attention to the latest health news, so you can be encouraged and can maintain the knowledge to keep you and your loved ones safe.
- The American Heart Association has recently reported some very encouraging news concerning heart health in Americans.
- United States hospitalizations and deaths from heart disease and stroke have dropped significantly in the last decade, according to new research published in the American Heart Association journal Circulation.
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- “Interestingly, these improvements happened in a period when there were no real ‘miracle’ clinical advancements,” explained Harlan Krumholz, M.D., S.M., lead author of the “most comprehensive report card to-date” on America’s latest progress in heart disease and stroke prevention and treatment. “Rather, we saw consistent improvements in the use of evidence-based treatments and medications and an increase in quality improvement initiatives using registries and other data to track performance and support improvement efforts — as well as a strong emphasis on heart-healthy lifestyles and behaviors.”
- Researchers gathered data on almost 34 million Medicare Fee-For-Service recipients in 1999-2011. They analyzed trends in hospitalization rates, death within a month of being admitted, being admitted again within a month and dying the following year. The researchers considered many risk factors, including age, sex, other illnesses, race, and geography.
- They found that by the end of 2011, hospitalization among all factors dropped by the following:
- 38 percent for heart attack;
- 83.8 percent for unstable angina, sudden chest pain often leading to heart attack;
- 30.5 percent for heart failure; and
- 33.6 percent for ischemic stroke.
- Also, risk of death for patients who were admitted to the hospital within a year decreased about 21 percent for unstable angina, 23 percent for heart attacks, and 13 percent for heart failure and stroke.
- “Huge strides in lifestyle, quality of care and prevention strategies for cardiovascular health have seemed to have a ripple effect on saving lives,” said Krumholz, who is also the director of the Center of Outcomes Research and Evaluation at Yale-New Haven Hospital in New Haven, Conn. “As a result, our country has undergone remarkable changes, which has reduced suffering and costs.”
- Other significant improvements included better results in identifying and treating high blood pressure, a rise in the use of statins, significant declines in smoking, and more timely and effective treatments for heart attack patients.
- “There is still more work to do as heart disease and stroke combined remain the leading cause of death and disability, but this study documents astonishing progress and national achievement,” Krumholz said.
- Take a healthy living step and share this study with your friends and loved ones, and continue to live a heart healthy life.
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- Note: None of the information in our website is intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any illness or disease. The content on our website is for educational purposes only.
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- Tomato extract pill may treat heart disease.
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- REFERENCES:
- 1. “Hospitalizations, Deaths from Heart Disease, Stroke Drop in Last Decade.” American Heart Association Newsroom. American Heart Association, 18 Aug. 2014. Web. 25 Aug. 2014.
- 2. “Trends in Hospitalizations and Outcomes for Acute Cardiovascular Disease and Stroke: 1999-2011.” Circulation. American Heart Association, Aug. 2014. Web. 25 Aug. 2014.
- 3. “Hospitalizations, Deaths from Heart Disease, Stroke Drop in Last Decade.” ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 18 Aug. 2014. Web. 25 Aug. 2014.
