Deaths from coronary heart disease have declined by 68 percent in females and 64 percent in the last three decades, according to new research published in the American Heart Journal.
In addition to the significant improvements in mortality rates due to the disease, researchers found that eliminating risk factors that further contribute to its severity like alcohol, smoking and obesity could have prevented half of all deaths — up to 1,726,022 females and 2,897,767 males between 1990 and 2019, the timeframe researchers examined.
Researchers analyzed cause of death records by gender between 1990 and 2019 to draw these conclusions. They also identified a pattern indicating "a slowing of the decline" in mortality rates among younger populations with coronary heart disease.
"The decline in [coronary heart disease] mortality is slowing among younger cohorts," they wrote of their findings. "The complex dynamics of risk factors appear to shape mortality rates, underscoring the importance of targeted strategies to reduce modifiable risk factors that contribute to [coronary heart disease] mortality."