The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recently reported that while the number of deaths from cardiovascular disease continues to fall, the rate at which it is falling has slowed significantly. The rate has dropped only 4 percent since 2011, when for the previous 60 years rates of cardiovascular disease-related deaths had fallen more than 70 percent. For middle-aged Americans, the death rate from CVD is even rising. Why? The Wall Street Journal points to a shift in the “classic” patients with cardiovascular disease. Newer CVD patients are younger, with higher obesity rates, not likely to smoke (as opposed to years past) and are more likely to be women. 

Obesity is now a bigger problem in the U.S. than smoking, largely because smoking cessation programs have been successful in recent decades, while obesity is on the rise. Heart experts are calling for new educational tools, much like CardioVisual, in order to reach patients while they’re young and educate them about heart risk before developing obesity and diabetes. CardioVisual hosts significant heart health information for patients and families. Simply click on the “Heart Health and Diabetes” icon on the lower left side of the app.