Although more people are quitting smoking, unfortunately, a large number of people still become smokers. In the United States, smoking is responsible for 440,000 deaths each year. Since 1996, state-specific smoking rates have not declined significantly.
It should also be noted that mortality continues to be substantially high in smokers who reduce their daily tobacco but do not quit entirely.
You must stop smoking completely to reduce mortality.
Women who smoke and take birth control pills are 39 times more likely to have a heart attack and 20 times more likely to suffer from a stroke.
In the United States, $80 billion per year are spent on health costs related to smoking.
How does others' smoking affect non-smokers?
Passive smoking (second-hand smoke) continues to increase the risk of coronary artery disease substantially in both men and women.
What is congenital heart disease?
Congenital heart disease represents more than 35 different types of heart defects that persist after birth. Various defects involve abnormal connections between the chambers of the heart or abnormalities in the great blood vessels or valvular structure of the heart. Less frequently occurring defects involve the actual chambers of the heart.
What are the statistics on congenital heart defects in the United States?
According to the American Heart Association, about 1 million Americans live with congenital heart defects. About 4,000 Americans died from those defects in 2001. These defects are described in a separate chapter of this book.
The death rates for heart defects in 2001 per 100,000 people were 1.6 for white men, 1.4 for white women, 2 for black men, and 1.6 for black women.
The death rate from heart defects in the United States has substantially declined—by about 28%—in the past 10 years.
A large proportion of congenital heart defects can be corrected either by minimally invasive surgery or by a full surgical procedure. Survival depends significantly on the type of the defect and the time between its diagnosis and correction.
Making changes to improve your heart health
While these statistics are sobering, there are positive steps we all can take to improve our heart health. It is never too late to make positive changes in your life. In this book, we address the most frequently asked questions about heart disease and provide you with unbiased answers. We hope these answers will help you change your life in a positive way to improve your heart health and to live a fuller, longer, and more satisfying life.
