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Health Disparities Statistics
HEART DISEASE AND STROKE
GOAL
Improve cardiovascular health and quality of life through the prevention, detection and
treatment of risk factors; early identification and treatment of heart attacks and strokes;
and prevention of recurrent cardiovascular events.
OVERVIEW
The term "cardiovascular disease" includes ischemic heart disease (also know as
coronary artery disease or coronary heart disease), cerebrovascular disease or stroke,
heart failure, hypertensive heart disease and diseases of the arteries, veins and
circulatory system. Among men and women, and across all racial and ethnic groups,
cardiovascular disease is our nation's leading killer and a leading cause of disability.
More than 950,000 Americans die of cardiovascular disease each year, accounting for
more than 40 percent of all deaths. Over half were estimated to cost our nation $274
billion. This amount includes expenditures and lost productivity resulting from illness and
death. The use of expensive treatment, although effective in delaying death from
cardiovascular disease, is likely to increase financially.
ISSUES AND TRENDS
As with the United States, cardiovascular diseases are the leading causes of death in the
Virgin Islands. According to the V.I. Bureau of Vital Statistics, during 1998, the latest year
for which data was available, cardiovascular diseases accounted for approximately 34%
of all deaths in the Virgin Islands, a rate of 191.5 deaths per 100,000 population. Fifty-six
percent of the cardiovascular disease deaths were to males, 73% were to Black persons,
95% were to non-Hispanic persons, and 94% were to persons aged 45 years and older
(24% were to persons aged 65 to 74 years and 40% to persons aged 75 years and over).
Heart disease is the number one leading cause of death to Virgin Islanders. During 1998,
heart disease accounted for 23% of all deaths. Fifty-seven percent of heart disease
deaths were to males, 67% were to Black persons, 95% were to non-Hispanic persons,
and 96% were to persons aged 45 years and older (23% to persons aged 65 to 74 years
and 43% to persons age 75 years and over).
During 1998, hypertension accounted for 4% of all deaths. Seventy-three percent of
deaths due to hypertension were to males, 81% were to Black persons, 96% were to non-
Hispanic persons, and 92% were to persons aged 45 years and older (27% to persons
aged 65 to 74 years and 31% to persons age 75 years and over).
Cardiovascular diseases are common and their risk factors are widespread in the Virgin
Islands. Although most of the major risk factors for heart disease and stroke are
modifiable or entirely preventable, over 80 percent of Virgin Islanders report having at
least one major risk factor. These include tobacco use, physical inactivity, poor diet, high
blood pressure, high blood cholesterol, obesity, and diabetes.
DISPARITIES
The proportion of Virgin Islanders having been told that they had high blood pressure, as
indicated by the Virgin Islands Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance Survey (VIBRFSS),
was higher than 42 of the 51 States responding to the USBRFSS. Slightly more than onefourth
of Virgin Islands adults (26%) were ever told that they had high blood pressure.
Source: United States Virgin Islands Healthy Virgin Islands 2010
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