The American Heart Association says the cost of cardiovascular disease and stroke will increase by nearly 6 percent in the United States…
By Militza Richard
The new figure, published by the American Heart Association online in the journal Circulation, includes both health care costs and lost productivity due to death and disease.
The association says in many cases heart disease can be prevented. Risk factors such as obesity, too little exercise and poor diet are fueling the rise in heart disease and the associated costs.
"Current statistical data show Americans to be on average overweight, physically inactive and eating a diet that is too high in calories, sodium, fat and sugar," said Dr. Donald Lloyd-Jones, head of the American Heart Association Statistics Committee.
According to a 2008 national survey, 59 percent of adults consider themselves physically inactive.
Additionally, Lloyd-Jones, a cardiologist at Northwestern University in Chicago, said too many people do not take cholesterol-lowering medicines that could lower their risk. In fact, of those with heart disease symptoms, fewer than half are taking cholesterol-lowering drugs, such as statins.
"One reason it will cost us more to treat tomorrow's patients is because there will be more of them if current trends continue," Lloyd-Jones said.
Heart disease is currently the number one killer of both men and women in the United States and in most industrialized nations. Cardiovascular diseases and diabetes accounted for 32 percent of all deaths globally in 2005, according to the World Health Organization.
The number of inpatient cardiovascular operations and procedures has grown significantly over the past ten years, jumping 33 percent from 1996 to 2006, from 5.4 million to 7.2 million.
The American Heart Association hopes to reduce U.S. deaths from cardiovascular diseases and stroke by 20 percent by 2020. However, in order for this goal to be achieved, Americans will have to commit to the healthier lifestyle.
Edited by Gabe Perna