February is American Heart Month. During the month, the CDC-funded
New York State Department of Health cardiovascular health program and
other organizations are sponsoring the Regional Cardiovascular Health Summit,
which will focus on improving the quality of prevention activities in health-care
systems. An estimated 12 million persons residing in the United States have coronary
heart disease (CHD) (1), which includes myocardial infarction, angina pectoris
(chest pain), or both. During 1998, approximately 460,000 persons died of CHD; 44%
of these deaths were attributed to acute myocardial infarction. CHD can be
prevented by reducing or controlling high cholesterol, high blood pressure, and diabetes,
by abstaining from smoking, adopting a healthy diet, and engaging in
moderate physical activity and weight management. Many deaths and much disability
also can be prevented by early recognition of heart attack symptoms, prompt
response from and transportation to an emergency department, and timely,
appropriate treatment (2).
Many of the 25 CDC-funded state programs work with their American
Heart Association affiliate and state peer review organizations to promote health
system policy changes related to improving risk-reduction counseling,
appropriate treatment of patients with CHD, and other prevention measures. Information
about CHD warning signs, risk factors, and treatments and scientific statements
on health-care quality initiatives are available on the World-Wide Web from
the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov, the Health
Care Financing Administration, http://www.hcfa.gov/quality/3y.htm, and the
American Heart Association, http://www.americanheart.org*. Information about
CDC-supported state cardio-vascular health programs is available at
http://www.cdc.gov/nccdphp
References
Cooper R, Cutler J, Desvigne-Nickens P, et al. Trends and disparities in coronary
heart disease, stroke, and other cardiovascular diseases in the United States.
Circulation 2000;102:3137--47.
National Heart Attack Alert Program Coordinating Committee. Educational
strategies to prevent prehospital delay in patients at high risk for acute myocardial
infarction. Bethesda, Maryland: National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, September 1997
(National Institutes of Health publication no. 97-3787).
* References to sites of non-CDC organizations on the Internet are provided as
a service to MMWR readers and do not constitute or imply endorsement of
these organizations or their programs by CDC or the U.S. Department of Health and
Human Services. CDC is not responsible for the content of pages found at these sites.
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