Data published by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has revealed the states with the highest rates of deaths caused by heart disease.
In Newsweek’s visualization, below, one can see in dark red that the states of Alabama, Mississippi and Oklahoma came top of the list with incidence rates, respectively, of around 234, 248, and 257 deaths per 100,000 total population.
Shown in orange, the states of Arkansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Michigan, Missouri, Nevada, Ohio, Tennessee and West Virginia, followed closely with rate between 191.5 to 229.8 per 100,000 people.
The states with the lowest death rate caused by heart disease include Minnesota, Hawaii, Alaska, Florida, Colorado and New Jersey, among others.
What Is Heart Disease?
As the CDC explains, “heart disease” is an umbrella term that includes several types of heart conditions, with the most common one in America being coronary artery disease. This condition reduces blood flow to the heart, which in turn reduces circulation, leading to a heart attack if left untreated.
In some cases, heart disease doesn’t show any warning signs until something serious happens, including heart attacks, arrhythmia and heart failure.
A heart attack may cause chest discomfort, pain in the neck or upper back, nausea, dizziness, shortness of breath or extreme tiredness. Irregular heart rhythms, called arrhythmias, might feel like fluttering or racing in the chest. Heart failure can cause breathing difficulty, tiredness, and swelling in the legs, ankles, stomach, and neck veins.
Who Is at Risk of Heart Disease?
The three key risk factors for heart disease include high blood pressure, high blood cholesterol, and smoking. According to the CDC almost half of Americans have at least one of these three risk factors.
Other medical conditions and lifestyle choices that can also increase the risk of heart disease include, having diabetes, being overweight or obese, having an unhealthy diet, being physically inactive and drinking too much alcohol.
How To Prevent Heart Disease?
To prevent heart disease, healthy lifestyle choices are crucial. These may include balanced eating, regular exercise, and avoiding harmful habits, like smoking or drinking alcohol.
Meals that are rich in fruits, vegetables and fiber, should be preferred over those with saturated fats, trans fats, salt and sugar. Maintaining a healthy weight is also very important, as obesity increases strain on the heart and blood vessels.
Regular physical activity also helps. Adults should aim for two and half hours of moderate exercise weekly, while children need one hour daily.
It is also important to manage pre-existing conditions like high blood pressure, cholesterol, and diabetes through regular check-ups, lifestyle changes and prescribed medications.
