Heart Disease Rates Dropping in America

Americans may be getting fatter, but their hearts are getting healthier, according to a new report from the CDC.

The percentage of Americans with heart disease is still sliding downward, dropping to 6 percent in 2010 from 6.7 percent in 2006. Researchers point to better treatments for high blood pressure and high cholesterol as one reason for the decline.

Yet additional effort is needed, says Gregg Fonarow, M.D., at the University of California-Los Angeles, and a spokesman for the American Heart Association.

Some groups still hard hit

For instance, the CDC report points out that heart disease among African-Americans increased from 6.4 percent to 6.5 percent between 2006 and 2010. American Indians/Alaska Natives had the highest prevalence of heart disease, at 11.6 percent.

Compare those figures with the statistics on two other groups: Whites had the greatest drop in heart disease, from 6.4 percent in 2006 to 5.8 percent in 2010. Hispanic-Americans also had a significant drop, from 6.9 percent to 6.1 percent over the same time span.

Geography is also a big factor. People who live in the South reported higher rates of heart disease than the rest of the country, with Kentucky and West Virginia leading the way (8 percent or more). Hawaii reported the lowest rates (3.7 percent).

Men (7.8 percent) had higher rates than women (4.6 percent). And heart disease was more prevalent among people without a high school education (9.2 percent).

Age is a factor

Not surprisingly, the rate of heart disease rose with increasing age. In 2010, almost 20 percent of those ages 65 and older had heart disease, compared with about 7 percent for those ages 45 to 64, and just over 1 percent of those ages 18 to 44.

Dr. Fonarow credits improved detection and treatment of high blood pressure and high cholesterol, as well as smoking-prevention efforts for the improvement of heart health among Americans.

Always talk with your health care provider to find out more information.