Heart Disease and Stroke Statistics - 2011 Update
Prevalence and Control of Traditional Risk Factors Remains an Issue for Many Americans
Data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) 2005–2008 indicate that 33.5% of US adults ≥20 years of age have hypertension. This amounts to an estimated 76 400 000 US adults with hypertension. The prevalence of hypertension is nearly equal between men and women. African American adults have among the highest rates of hypertension in the world, at 44%. Among hypertensive adults, ≈80% are aware of their condition, 71% are using antihypertensive medication, and only 48% of those aware that they have hypertension have their condition controlled.
Despite 4 decades of progress, in 2008, among Americans ≥18 years of age, 23.1% of men and 18.3% of women continued to be cigarette smokers. In 2009, 19.5% of students in grades 9 through 12 reported current tobacco use. The percentage of the nonsmoking population with detectable serum cotinine (indicating exposure to secondhand smoke) was 46.4% in 1999 to 2004, with declines occurring, and was highest for those 4 to 11 years of age (60.5%) and those 12 to 19 years of age (55.4%).
An estimated 33 600 000 adults ≥20 years of age have total serum cholesterol levels ≥240 mg/dL, with a prevalence of 15.0%.
What are the symptoms of a heart attack?
Chest discomfort, mild pain
Coughing
Crushing chest pain
Dizziness
Dyspnea (shortness of breath)
Face seems gray
A feeling of terror that your life is coming to its end
Feeling really awful (general feeling)
Nausea
Restlessness
The person is clammy and sweaty
Vomiting
If you experience these symptoms, or witness another person with them, call the emergency services immediately. In the United Kingdom the telephone number is 999, in the USA and Canada it is 911, Australia 000, and New Zealand 111. Many cell phones’ emergency number is 112.
A person who is having a heart attack usually feels the pain in his/her chest first. This pain then spreads to the neck, jaw, ears, arms, and wrists. With some patients, the pain also makes its way into the shoulder blades, the back, and the abdomen.
The pain does not feel any better if the patient changes position, rests, or lies down. Often it is a constant pain, but it can come and go. Patients describe the pain as one of pressure, something squeezing. The pain can last from a few minutes to many hours.
People with diabetes, and/or those over the age of 75 may experience a “silent heart attack”. This is one that occurs with no pain at all.
Studies indicate that about one fifth of mild heart attacks are not diagnosed. If this is the case, there are many people who are suffering progressive heart muscle damage because it is not being treated.
In 2008, an estimated 18 300 000 Americans had diagnosed diabetes mellitus, representing 8.0% of the adult population. An additional 7 100 000 had undiagnosed diabetes mellitus, and 36.8% had prediabetes, with abnormal fasting glucose levels. African Americans, Mexican Americans, Hispanic/Latino individuals, and other ethnic minorities bear a strikingly disproportionate burden of diabetes mellitus in the United States.