Heart Attacks on the Decline According to New Study

A new study reveals that the number of heart attacks has declined over the past nine years. Heart attack survival rates are also increasing. These numbers are based on people living in California but many experts believe they are reflective of the majority of the United States population.

Kaiser Permanente conducted the study based on their north California enrollee statistics. The study was conducted between 2000 and 2008 and involved more than 3 million enrollees. Lead author of the study Dr. Alan S. Go, reported the rate of heart attacks decreased by 24 percent during the study time frame. He also noted that the rate of STEMI heart attacks, considered the most dangerous, declined by 62 percent. Kaiser reported that the number of people suffering from a heart attack dropped from 287 to 208 per 100,000. STEMI heart attacks dropped from 133 to 50 per 100,000 people.

Heart attacks or heart disease have held the number one position for top killer in America, but in this north California community, it is now in second place behind cancer. Dr. Go attributes the decline to the level of care the Kaiser enrollees received. Preventative cholesterol screenings and medications also add to the heart disease decline. Kaiser uses an electronic record system to store an enrollee’s information which is easily accessed upon admittance and can help an emergency physician determine the best course of action and potentially save a person’s life.

The study has been published in the June 10 issue of New England Journal of Medicine.