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Hospitalizations
for Heart Disease, Heart Attack and Stroke
down significantly
Newswise — The number of Americans admitted
to hospitals for treatment of coronary heart
disease declined by 31 percent between 1997
and 2007, according to the latest News and
Numbers from the Agency for Healthcare
Research and Quality. As a result of this
decrease, coronary heart disease no longer
ranks as the leading disease treated in
hospitals. It is now ranked number 3.
In people with coronary heart disease (also
known as coronary artery disease), fatty
deposits clog heart arteries, restricting
the flow of blood to the heart and
increasing the risk of a heart attack.
According to the federal agency’s analysis
from 1997 to 2007:
• Hospitalizations for heart attacks
declined by 15 percent, falling from 732,000
to 625,000. Heart attacks are now ranked
number 10 on the list of diseases treated in
hospitals, down from number 4.
• Hospitalizations for stroke fell 14
percent, going from 616,000 to 527,000 and a
drop in rank from number 6 to number 15.
• In contrast, hospitalizations for
irregular heart beat, such as atrial
fibrillation or tachycardia rose by 28
percent from 572,000 to 731,000. Its rank
stayed at number 7.
• Hospitalizations for congestive heart
failure rose by 3 percent, going from
991,000 to just over 1 million. Its rank
moved from number 3 to number 2, behind
pneumonia, the most common disease treated
in hospitals in 2007.
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