CDC Grand Rounds: The Million Hearts Initiative

Cardiovascular disease, including heart disease and stroke, is the leading cause of death and disability in the United States. Every year, approximately 2 million persons in the United States have a heart attack or stroke and, as a result of these conditions, approximately 800,000 die from cardiovascular disease. For those persons who do survive a heart attack or stroke, many are faced with serious illness, disability, and decreased quality of life. The ongoing complications that result from cardiovascular disease greatly contribute to the economic burden on the health-care system and to society as a whole. In 2010, the cost in health-care expenditures and lost productivity in the United States from cardiovascular disease amounted to nearly $444 billion, and these costs are increasing every year. This is especially alarming because the primary risk factors for cardiovascular disease (i.e., high blood pressure, high cholesterol, smoking, type 2 diabetes, inactivity, and obesity) are largely preventable and have effective, low-cost treatments. If these risk factors were well-controlled through behavioral modification and/or treatment, the risk for death from heart attack and stroke could be reduced by more than half.