Heart disease prevalence down in U.S.

Heart disease prevalence in the U.S. has declined over the last five years, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported Thursday.

The agency mined results from a large national telephone survey called the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System to figure out how many people 18 years or older said they had coronary heart disease. The CDC researchers analyzed the data by age, sex, education, state and race/ethnicity and published their results in the Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.

Over the period in question, 2006 to 2010, the prevalence of heart disease declined overall from 6.7% to 6.0%. According to the report, there were also declines within age groups, sex and groups with similar levels of education. Whites and Hispanics had declines as well.

But between groups, disparities remain. More men reported having a diagnosis of heart disease than women -- 7.8% versus 4.6%. People without a high school education had higher prevalence of heart disease -- 9.2% -- than people with diplomas (6.7%), some college education (6.2%) and some graduate education (4.6%).

American Indians and native Alaskans had the highest prevalence of heart disease among racial and ethnic groups, at 11.6%. Asians and Pacific Islanders had the lowest, at 3.9%.

The states with the most of heart disease in 2010 were Kentucky, with 8.2% reporting a diagnosis; West Virginia, with 8.0%; and Louisiana, with 7.8%. Places with the lowest incidence were Hawaii with 3.7% and Washington, D.C., with 3.8%.

In California, 5.4% of respondents said they had heart disease.

Visit the CDC website to review the heart disease data.