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Deaths From Heart Attacks Are Way Down. Here's What's Killing Us Instead

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In today's Health Alert, some surprising new data about heart disease in America. A long‑term study shows heart attack deaths are plummeting while other cardiovascular issues are surging.

(WXYZ) — In today's Health Alert, some surprising new data about heart disease in America. A long‑term study shows heart attack deaths are plummeting while other cardiovascular issues are surging.

This study was published in the Journal of the American Heart Association. It looked at over 50 years of data on heart disease, and here's what the researchers found. Since 1970, deaths from heart attacks have dropped dramatically by almost 90%. Plus, overall heart disease deaths fell by 66%. That's pretty incredible.

But, unfortunately, there's bad news too. Deaths from other heart problems like hypertensive heart disease, heart failure, and arrhythmias have increased by 81%. I'll break down these three key conditions.

First, hypertensive heart disease is caused by high blood pressure that isn't well managed over time. It adds a lot of stress on the heart. Deaths from that rose 106%.

Next, heart failure means your heart isn't pumping blood well enough. That can leave you feeling tired and short of breath. Deaths from heart failure rose 146% from 1970 to 2022.

Finally, arrhythmias are irregular heartbeats. They can lead to blood clots and strokes, especially a type called atrial fibrillation, or A-fib. Back in the 70s, deaths from arrhythmias were rare. But by 2022, they had skyrocketed by 450%.

Why have heart attack numbers dropped so dramatically, and what's behind the rise in these other heart conditions?

Over the past five decades, we've made huge progress. We're better at recognizing the signs of heart attacks early and getting faster medical help. Plus, we have treatments that save lives, like clot-busting drugs, stents, and bypass surgery.

However, at the same time, we've seen a huge jump in risk factors. Obesity has risen from 15% of adults in the 1970s to 40% today. Diabetes and prediabetes now affect nearly half of U.S. Adults. And high blood pressure, or hypertension, has climbed from about 30% in 1978 to nearly 50% in 2022.

Plus, many people aren't getting enough exercise. And Baby Boomers are getting older, which increases the risk for heart disease.

So while we're winning one battle, we're seeing more people with ongoing heart issues. That's why prevention is so important. People need to take steps early to protect their hearts and keep them strong for life. That means eating healthy, staying active, keeping a healthy weight, and not smoking. It also means staying on top of your blood pressure, managing diabetes, and taking your medications as directed.

Fewer Americans Are Dying Of Heart Attacks, But Other Heart Disease Fatalities Have Surged

Heart attack deaths have plummeted in the last five decades, but deaths from all other heart disease issues have spiked, a new study shows.

Heart disease has been the leading cause of death in the United States for more than a century, but overall heart disease deaths fell 66% between 1970 and 2022, according to an analysis of Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data published Wednesday. That drop was spurned by a nearly 90% decline in heart attack fatalities during that time.

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"(T)here have been great strides made in helping people survive initial acute cardiac events that were once considered a death sentence," Dr. Sara King, the study's lead author and a resident at Stanford School of Medicine, said in a statement.

But deaths from all other heart disease issues increased by 81%, presenting a mixed picture of strides in cardiovascular treatment. There are significant challenges that still need to be addressed, King said.

Heart disease accounted for nearly one-third of all deaths during the 52-year study period. In 1970, heart disease represented 41% of total deaths. By 2022, it only accounted for 24%.

Improved cardiac imaging, the invention of coronary artery bypass grafting, the advent of cholesterol-lowering statins and other medical advances contributed to the decrease in heart disease deaths – as did public health measures, such as smoke-free policies.

In 1970, more than half of people who died from heart disease-related causes died from heart attacks. In 2022, heart attacks only accounted for one-third of heart disease deaths. The increased use of CPR and automated external defibrillators outside hospital settings has contributed to the reduction in heart attack deaths.

On the other hand, heart disease deaths from heart failure, hypertensive heart disease and arrhythmia rose from 9% in 1970 to 47% in 2022. Significant increases in obesity, type 2 diabetes and hypertension since 1970 are contributing factors.

The death rate from arrhythmias rose 450% during the time period – but still only accounted for 4% of all heart disease deaths. The death rates from heart failure and hypertensive disease increased by 146% and 106%, respectively.

Types of heart disease

Here is more information about the cause of several types of heart disease and their symptoms:

Heart attacks are caused when arteries delivering blood and oxygen to the heart become clogged by fatty deposits that have built up. Symptoms vary but may include chest pain and tightness, shortness of breath and pain that spreads to the shoulder, arm, back, neck and jaw.

Arrhythmias occur when electrical signals that regulate heartbeats are disrupted, causing the heart to beat too fast, too slow or irregularly. Symptoms may include a fluttering, pounding or racing in the chest, slow or fast heartbeat, chest pain, shortness of breath, lightheadedness and fainting.

Heart failure happens when the heart cannot pump enough blood, causing blood and fluids to build up in other parts of the body including the lungs, legs and feet. Symptoms may include shortness of breath and waking up short of breath at night, swelling in the ankles, legs and abdomen, weight gain and heart palpitations.

Hypertensive disease, or high blood pressure, occurs when the force of blood flow through arteries is too high, making the heart work harder. High blood pressure over time can damage arteries and the heart. Hypertension is called the "silent killer" because most of the time there are no clear symptoms.

Study Reveals 90% Drop In Heart Attack Deaths Over 50 Years

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Research shows age-adjusted heart attack deaths down 90% in fifty years, though heart disease persists as a top U.S. Cause of death. (Scripps News)

New research published Wednesday in the Journal of the American Heart Association indicated there has been a drop in heart disease-related deaths over the last 50 years, but it remains a leading cause of death throughout the U.S.

According to the American Heart Association, when adjusted for age, deaths attributed to heart attacks dropped a whopping 90% in the last 50 years in the U.S., while deaths caused by heart disease fell by about 66%.

In 1970, heart disease was responsible for about 41% of overall deaths. By 2022, that figure dropped to about 22%. At the time, over half of heart disease-related deaths were caused by heart attacks. In 2022, that proportion dropped to 29%.

The report indicated that deaths caused by heart failure, hypertensive heart disease and arrhythmia accounted for 47% of heart disease-related deaths in 2022, up from 9% in 1970.

"This distribution shift in the types of heart disease people were dying from the most was very interesting to us," said the study's first author, Dr. Sara King, a second-year internal medicine resident in the department of medicine at Stanford School of Medicine in Stanford, California. "This evolution over the past 50 years reflects incredible successes in the way heart attacks and other types of ischemic heart disease are managed."

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The American Heart Association said technologies, including the invention in the 1960s of coronary artery bypass grafting and the formation of coronary care units, improved in-hospital and long-term heart disease death rates.

Heart disease death rates improved despite a rising obesity rate, which has also caused hypertension rates to increase.

"All of these risk factors contribute to an ongoing burden of heart disease, especially as related to heart failure, hypertensive heart disease and arrhythmias," said the senior author of the paper, Dr. Latha Palaniappan. "While heart attack deaths are down by 90% since 1970, heart disease hasn't gone away. Now that people are surviving heart attacks, we are seeing a rise in other forms of heart disease like heart failure."

The study's authors note that there are likely substantial differences in these reductions in heart disease deaths by age, sex, race, ethnicity, region and urbanization. The authors also encourage people to take steps to improve heart health, including diet, exercise and avoiding tobacco and alcohol.

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