Over 200,000 People Die of Avoidable Heart Disease and Stroke, CDC Says

In 2010, over 200,000 people died due to heart problems that could be easily avoided, according to data released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. About half of these deaths occurred in people younger than 65 years.

Heart disease is the leading cause of death in men and women in the U.S. as well with about 600,000 people dying of heart related complications every year.  

CDC found that many of these deaths could have been avoided by adopting a better lifestyle or medical care. The latest CDC report shows that cardiovascular diseases can be prevented or at least better managed by identifying and managing the risk factors.

The number of avoidable deaths has declined 29 percent in the last one decade. However, CDC said that better medical care and good lifestyle can further lower the rates of preventable deaths linked with heart disease and stroke.

"Despite progress against heart disease and stroke, hundreds of thousands of Americans die each year from these preventable causes of death," said CDC Director Tom Frieden, M.D., according to a news release.  "Many of the heart attacks and strokes that will kill people in the coming year could be prevented by reducing blood pressure and cholesterol and stopping smoking."

The report was published Tuesday in the CDC's Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.

Giving up smoking can lower heart disease risk. According to a study from the European Union, number of deaths due to heart diseases has come down despite an increase in obesity rates. The researchers attributed the decline to people giving-up smoking. Previous research had shown that smoking increases risk of cardiovascular disease and stroke by five-fold in people who are under 50 years of age. According to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, smokers are two to four times more likely to develop coronary heart disease than non-smokers. Cigarette smoking narrows blood vessels, reducing blood circulation.