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The article discusses efforts of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to reduce heart disease and stroke. Topics discussed include the Million Hearts Initiative which is charged with preventing one million heart attacks and strokes from 2012 through 2016, the association between hypertension and decreased cognitive functions in a wide range of age groups including children and young adults and the role of controlling hypertension in promoting healthy brain aging.

Worldwide, stroke is the second leading cause of death and a leading cause of serious long-term disability. In the United States, nearly 800,000 strokes occur each year; thus stroke is the fifth leading cause of death overall and the fourth leading cause of death among women (1). Major advances in stroke prevention through treatment of known risk factors has led to stroke being considered largely preventable. For example, in the United States, stroke mortality rates have declined 70% over the past 50 years, in large part because of important reductions in hypertension, tobacco smoking, and more recently, increased use of anticoagulation for atrial fibrillation (2,3). Although the reduction in stroke mortality is recognized as one of the 10 great public health achievements of the 20th century (4), gains can still be made. Approximately 80% of strokes could be prevented by screening for and addressing known risks with measures such as improving hypertension control, smoking cessation, diabetes prevention, cholesterol management, increasing use of anticoagulation for atrial fibrillation, and eliminating excessive alcohol consumption (5,6). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article discusses a report on the strategies to reduce the prevalence of leading risk factors of cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) in the U.S. in 2011. Released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the report identified hypertension, high levels of low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) and smoking as among the risk factors. It compared the cases of CVDs in terms of sex, age group and ethnicity.

The article discusses a report from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, according to which the prevelance of stroke in the U.S. has increased during a time period of 2006-2010. The report analyzed 2006-2010 data from the organization Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS). After analyzing the data it found that during this period, overall self-reported stroke prevalence did not change. Data analyses were conducted using statistical software and the number of participants ranged from 347,790 in 2006 to 444,927 in 2010. It found that age-adjusted prevalence of stroke was 2.7 percent in 2006 and 2.6 percent in 2010.