Add thelocalreport.in As A Trusted Source
quantity Americans die from heart disease and Stroke It fell for the first time in five years, according to new national data, a shift that researchers said reflected the economy’s gradual recovery from economic disruption. COVID-19 pandemic.
However, despite improvements, heart disease Still the leading cause of death in the countryStroke has climbed to fourth place.
Research results come from American Heart AssociationThe 2026 Heart Disease and Stroke Statistical Update reports that the two diseases combined accounted for more than a quarter of all U.S. deaths in 2023, the most recent year for which complete data are available.
The report found that cardiovascular deaths fell from 941,652 in 2022 to 915,973 in 2023.
Deaths from coronary heart disease, the most common cardiovascular disease, fell to 349,470 in 2023 from 371,506 the previous year. Meanwhile, stroke deaths fell to 162,639, compared with 165,393 in 2022.
The decrease in heart disease deaths ends a five-year surge in deaths, the team said, which they linked to the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic and the various impacts the disease has had on Americans.
“The decline in overall deaths from heart disease and stroke is encouraging,” said Stacey E. Rosen, MD, FACP, volunteer president of the American Heart Association.
“Given the enormous impact the pandemic has had on everyone’s health, the past five years seem an anomaly.”
She added: “The fact remains that heart disease and stroke continue to claim the lives of many of our loved ones every day. Together they still kill more people than the second and third leading causes of death, including all types of cancer and accidents.”
In 1970, 41% of U.S. deaths attributed to heart problemsbut since that peak, deaths from heart disease have dropped by nearly 90%; as a result, deaths from heart problems have now fallen to 22% of total deaths.
Ziad Mallat, professor of cardiovascular medicine at the University of Cambridge, UK independent The American Heart Association’s statistical update this year had “mixed results.”
While he said it was “encouraging to see the decline compared to previous years in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic… we have an aging population but the prevalence of risk factors remains high.”
He also pointed to reports showing an increase in stroke mortality in certain age groups.
Overall, he said, heart disease remains a major cause of death because there remains a “high prevalence of risk factors,” including “a high prevalence of cardiometabolic syndrome, including obesity, risk of diabetes, persistently high prevalence of hypertension, poorly controlled LDL cholesterol levels and, of course, an aging population.”
Asked what people could do to improve their heart health, he said: “It’s important to remember that heart disease and stroke occur later in life, but they are determined by exposure to risk factors throughout life.”
Citing AHA’s Necessities of life 8 Healthy Lifestyle Guidance, he says, “Lifestyle changes are critical.”
The American Heart Association says recent research shows adopt this guide Can help prevent heart disease and stroke and also help improve brain health.
“The good news is that overall, fewer people are dying from any cause, and as life expectancy continues to rebound in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, mortality rates are improving,” said Latha P. Palaniappan of the American Heart Association (AHA), who is also a professor of cardiovascular medicine at Stanford University.
She added, “However, approximately half of U.S. adults still have some form of cardiovascular disease. These rates remain higher than pre-pandemic levels, and continued increases in common conditions such as hypertension, diabetes, and obesity continue to increase this risk.”
Commenting on the adoption of the Life’s Essential 8 guidelines, Professor Palaniappan said: “There is growing scientific evidence that following these eight measures can significantly reduce the overall burden of cardiovascular disease.”