Facts on Heart Disease in Men

  • In 2005, 322,841 men died from heart disease, the leading cause of death for men in the United States.1
     
  • The age-adjusted death rate for heart disease in men was 260 per 100,000 population in 2005.1
     
  • About 9.4% of all white men, 7.1% of black men, and 5.6% of Mexican American men live with coronary heart disease.2
     
  • The average age of a first heart attack for men is 66 years.7
     
  • Almost half of men who have a heart attack under age 65 die within 8 years.4
     
  • Results from the Framingham Heart Study suggest that men have a 49% lifetime risk of developing coronary heart disease after the age of 40.4
     
  • Between 70% and 89% of sudden cardiac events occur in men.4
     
  • Major risk factors for heart disease include high blood pressure, high blood cholesterol, tobacco use, diabetes, physical inactivity, and poor nutrition.5
     
  • In a large study of blood pressure treatment and control, an average reduction of 12 to 13 mm Hg in systolic blood pressure over 4 years of follow-up was associated with a 21% reduction in coronary heart disease, 37% reduction in stroke, and 13% reduction in all-cause mortality rates.6
     
  • Studies suggest that a 10% decrease in total cholesterol levels may reduce the development of coronary heart disease by as much as 30%.3

For this fact sheet, the term "heart disease" refers to the broadest category of "disease of the heart" as defined by the International Classification of Diseases and used by CDC's National Center for Health Statistics. This category includes acute rheumatic fever, chronic rheumatic heart disease, hypertensive heart disease, coronary heart disease, pulmonary heart disease, congestive heart failure, and any other heart condition or disease.

http://www.cdc.gov/DHDSP/library/fs_men_heart.htm


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