From the American Heart Association:
• The severity of first heart attacks dropped significantly over 15 years among 10,285 hospitalized Americans which may help to explain the decline in death from coronary heart disease.
• Prevention efforts as well as improvements in hospital care appear to have contributed to the decline in severity.
“This landmark study suggests that better prevention and better management in the hospital have contributed to the reduction in deaths,” said Merle Myerson, M.D., Ed.D., lead author of the study. “The reduction in severity of first-time heart attacks, along with other factors, has impacted on the declining number of deaths from coronary heart disease” Myerson said. “This tells us that better primary prevention as well as better care for those with acute heart attacks is working. Attributing the reduction in severity to specific causes will be an important next step so effective strategies can be reinforced and public health policies can be better directed.”
