Canadian Heart/Stroke Deaths Down
June 23, 2009 by Marijke Durning, RN
Filed under Diseases & Conditions
Amid the bad news that seems be everywhere around us, there’s some good news north of the American border: Canadian heart and stroke deaths have dropped by 30% – a significant drop over the past 10 years.
There isn’t one particular issue that helped drop the death rate, but a combination. People are taking the healthy life message more seriously, exercising and eating well. New medications, such as those that lower cholesterol, and treatments immediately after heart attacks and strokes have also helped decrease the death rate.
This study appears in the most recent edition of the Canadian Medical Association Journal .
The death rate for people hospitalized after suffering a cardiovascular incident showed more modest declines. Post-stroke mortality fell only 8.9 per cent, while heart disease deaths dropped 8.1 per cent.- Heart attacks dropped 38.1%
- Heart attack deaths dropped 33%
- Strokes dropped 28.2%
- Deaths from heart failure dropped 23.5%
- 4,000 few deaths from heart disease between 1994 and 2004, despite a 14% increase in population
The researchers caution, however, that any gains in heart health may be wiped out by the growing problem of obesity and type 2 diabetes – another major health issue to affect North Americans in general.
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Image: Courtesy of PhotoXpress.com
