Epidemiology

Heart disease is the leading cause of death in the United States (Heat Attack, 2013). There are many different types of conditions related to heart disease, all of which can lead to heart attack.  Coronary Artery Disease is both the most common type of heart disease and the main cause of heart attack (Heat Attack, 2013). Heart disease accounts for every 1 out of 4 deaths, which equals 600,000 people a year (Heat Attack, 2013).

Heart disease is the leading cause of death for most ethnicities, percentages as follows from 2008 (Heat Attack, 2013):

Race of Ethnic Group                         % of Deaths

African Americans                              24.5

American Indians or Alaska Natives  18.0

Asians or Pacific islanders                  23.2

Hispanics                                             20.8

Whites                                                 25.1

All                                                        25

 As shown in the graph, heart disease death rates are concentrated more in the southern states. In terms of gender, woman account for slightly over half of the death rates (Heart Disease Facts, (2015). The number of women who die from heart attacks is six times more than the number who dies from breast cancer (Heart Disease Facts, 2015).

In the United States 1.2 million people have a heart attack each year, of these roughly 785,000 people have an initial heart attack while nearly 500,000 experience recurring heart attacks (Heat Attack, 2013).  

In the United States, every 34 seconds someone has a heart attack, while every minute someone dies due to heart attack (Heat Attack, 2013). 4 out of 10 people suffering from a heart attack will die (cite). Both men and women share similar statistics on heart disease-related deaths (Heat Attack, 2013).

Heart Attack. (2013, March 12). Retrieved January 18, 2015, from http://www.cdc.gov/heartdisease/heart_attack.htm

Heart Disease Facts. (2015). Retrieved January 18, 2015, from http://www.theheartfoundation.org/heart-disease-facts/heart-disease-statistics/