In honor of American Heart Month, it is important to note that almost 600,000 people die of heart disease in the United States every year–that’s 1 in every 4 deaths. Heart disease is the leading cause of death in the United States for both men and women, accounting for approximately 307,000 deaths for men and 290,000 deaths for women in 2010.
During 2000–2001 through 2010–2011, the prevalence of lifetime respondent-reported heart disease among adults aged 18–54 was similar for men and women. Among adults aged 55 and over, heart disease prevalence was higher for men than for of men aged 75 and over reported having ever been told by a physician they had heart disease, compared with nearly one-third (31%) of women in the same age group.
Links
http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/nvsr/nvsr61/nvsr61_04.pdf
NCHStats 