Environmental Public Health Tracking: Heart Disease and Stroke Data

In the U.S., the most common type of heart disease is coronary artery disease (CAD, or ischemic heart disease), which can lead to heart attack.

A heart attack is a brief and severe health event in which the heart does not get enough oxygen. This decrease in oxygen is caused by blocked blood flow to the heart muscle. A heart attack is also called myocardial infarction (MI).

Nearly one million people in the US have heart attacks every year. Learn more about heart attack risk factors and prevention tips on the heart disease webpage.

A stroke happens when a blood vessel carrying oxygen and nutrients to the brain is either blocked by a clot or bursts. When that happens, part of the brain cannot get the blood (and oxygen) it needs, and brain cells die. Strokes are the number five cause of death in the U.S. 80% of strokes are preventable. Learn more about how to prevent a stroke (opens external link).

Exposure to small particles in the air, called particulate matter, is a risk factor for heart disease and stroke.

A number of studies reported associations between some air pollutants and hospitalizations for heart attacks and stroke.

The Tracking data allow public health professionals to monitor trends over time. These data may also help with program planning, policy, and evaluation efforts.

Tracking heart disease, heart attack, and stroke will help public health professionals identify:

• Heart attack and stroke hospitalization changes over time.
• Seasonal variations.
• Geographic differences in prevalence, hospitalizations, and mortality.
• Differences in heart attack and stroke mortality by age, gender, and race/ethnicity.
• Disparities in heart attack and stroke mortality by factors such as age, race/ethnicity, and gender.
• Populations in need of targeted interventions.

CDC uses a variety of sources to create these maps.

Click the "About Data" button in the upper right corner of the map to see each map's sources.

• Crude rate of hospitalizations for heart attack among people >=35 years of age per 10,000 population
• Crude prevalence of stroke among adults >=18 years of age (model-based; by census tract)

Heart attack

• Hospitalizations:
  • Because these data are based on hospital admissions, some people who experience symptoms are not included, such as those who do not receive medical care, those whose care does not result in hospitalization, and people who die in settings such as ambulances, nursing homes, or at home.
  • Data from year 2000 to the present include hospitalizations among Wisconsin residents who were treated in Minnesota hospitals. In addition, data from year 2005 to the present include hospitalizations among Wisconsin residents who were treated in Iowa hospitals. These data do not include hospitalizations among residents of Wisconsin who were treated in border states of Michigan and Illinois.
  • These data do not include inpatient admissions at hospitals owned by the federal government, such as Veterans Administration hospitals

Stroke

• Hospitalizations
  • Because these data are based on hospital admissions, some people who experience symptoms are not included, such as those who do not receive medical care, those whose care does not result in hospitalization, and people who die in settings such as ambulances, nursing homes, or at home.
  • This measure is restricted to Medicare beneficiaries aged 65 and older with fee-for-service coverage only.

Overall considerations

• Data users should keep in mind that many factors contribute to a disease. These factors should be considered when interpreting the data. Factors include:
  • Demographics (race, gender, age)
  • Socioeconomic status (income level, education)
  • Geography (rural, urban)
  • Changes in the medical field (diagnosis patterns, reporting requirements)
  • Individual behavior (diet, smoking)
• The COVID-19 pandemic impacted the counts and rates of hospitalizations beginning in 2020. Counts and rates of hospitalizations for many diseases and conditions decreased during the COVID-19 pandemic due to disruptions in health care, like reduced access to care, postponed or deferred health care visits, and delayed reporting due to disruptions in hospital operations. This should be considered when comparing post-2020 data to pre-2020 data. The extent of these disruptions to hospitalization and emergency department visit data is being analyzed.

• Wisconsin Heart Disease and Stroke Prevention Program – Cardiovascular Health
• CDC – Division for Heart Disease and Stroke Prevention (opens external link)
• National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (opens external link)