A Public Health Action Plan to Prevent Heart Disease and Stroke

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Section 1. Heart Disease and Stroke Prevention: Time for Action

Myths and Misconceptions

Although data show us the hard facts, the disease burden also can be expressed in more visual ways to dramatize its magnitude. For example, the number of annual deaths from heart attacks alone exceeds the number of deaths that would occur if two fully occupied 747 aircraft crashed every day of the year with no survivors. Yet, CVD has not aroused a level of public concern commensurate with its relative importance.¹ Why? 

Among the reasons are several myths or misconceptions about heart disease and stroke that must be addressed as this plan gains the needed support of the public and policy makers. These include the beliefs that heart attacks only affect the elderly, that heart attack death is quick and easy ("the best way to go"), that a heart attack can be "fixed" with modern medical and surgical technology, and that heart attacks and strokes occur when "your time has come." 

The truth is very different. Of the 945,836 people who died of CVD in 2000, 32% were younger than age 75.¹ Currently, the average expected age at death in the United States is 76.9 years.¹⁷ As noted previously, 250,000 coronary heart disease deaths occur each year without the victim reaching a hospital. For one–half to two–thirds of those who die suddenly of CHD, there was no previous recognition of the disease.¹ Many people who died under these conditions had no opportunity for treatment and could only have been saved by preventive measures that reach the population as a whole. The more common outcome, however, is to survive for days, weeks, months, or years. Those who survive may experience disability, job loss, or dependency, often with long–term consequences. Survivors also have a greatly increased risk of having another heart attack or stroke. Modern medicine and surgery can offer great benefit to those who survive long enough to receive treatment, but are no help to those who die suddenly following their first CVD event. There is no complete "cure" once a heart attack or stroke has occurred, as survivors continue to be at increased risk for another attack.¹ Finally, "your time" has not yet come if readily available preventive measures can still increase quality and years of healthy life. 

These and other myths about heart disease and stroke must be dispelled through effective communication and education. They are significant barriers to understanding the urgency of the CVD epidemic and the potential for preventing these conditions.

Next Section: The Knowledge Base for Intervention

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Date last reviewed: 05/12/2006
Content source: Division for Heart Disease and Stroke Prevention, National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion