Heart Disease Awareness Month is celebrated every February to raise awareness of heart disease and its devastating effects. Heart disease continues to be the leading cause of death in the United States.
According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Heart Disease Awareness Month is an essential time for medical professionals, school administrators, teachers, and community leaders to encourage individuals and families, through education and training, to make significant lifestyle and diet changes to prevent heart disease.
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The following 14 facts were the most shocking heart disease statistics reported by the Heart Foundation and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
- 1. Heart disease is the No.1 leading cause of death in the U.S. among men and women.
- 2. Heart disease is responsible for 1 in every 4 deaths every year in the U.S.
- 3. Heart attacks claim a life every 60 seconds in the U.S.
- 4. Coronary heart disease kills more than 370,000 people each year in the U.S.
- 5. Heart attack symptoms often go untreated, with only 27 percent of survey respondents reporting they were aware of all heart attack symptoms. This may indicate that most people don’t seek treatment when they experience early warning signs of an impending heart attack.
- 6. Half of Americans have at least 1 of 3 heart disease risk factors: high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and smoking.
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- 7. Heart disease costs more than $320.1 billion each year due to healthcare costs and loss of work due to illness.
- 8. Heart disease is the No. 1 cause of death in women.
- 9. Heart disease kills 1 in 3 every minute.
- 10. Heart disease is deadlier than cancer.
- 11. Ninety percent of women have at least one risk factor for developing heart disease.
- 12. Heart disease has killed more women than men each year since 1984.
- 13. Heart disease symptoms are different in men and women.
- 14. Heart disease does not discriminate between ethnicities.
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