At least 200,000 Americans die needlessly each year due to heart disease, stroke and high blood pressure, and more than half of these deaths occur in people younger than 65, according to a new report from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. 
 
 All of these premature deaths could be prevented by quitting smoking, controlling blood pressure, keeping cholesterol levels in check and taking aspirin when recommended by a physician, public health experts said. 
 
 "These findings are really striking. We're talking about hundreds of thousands of deaths that don't have to happen," said Dr. Tom Frieden, director of the CDC. "It's possible for us to make rapid and substantial progress in reducing these deaths." 
 
 In the United States, about 800,000 people die of cardiovascular disease each year, according to the study published Tuesday in the CDC's Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report. Heart disease is the No. 1 cause of death, and stroke is No. 4; along with hypertensive disease, they account for nearly 30% of all U.S. deaths, the CDC says. 
 
 Overall, the avoidable death rate for cardiovascular disease dropped 29% between 2001 and 2010, CDC researchers found. But that improvement was not shared equally by Americans of all ages, racial and ethnic backgrounds and states of residence. 
 
 For instance, the rate of avoidable deaths dropped 25% for people ages 65 to 74, yet it remained largely unchanged for people younger than 65, epidemiologist Linda Schieb and her colleagues discovered. 
 
 Also, the avoidable death rate among African Americans was 107 per 100,000 people — nearly twice the rate of 58 per 100,000 for whites and more than triple the rate of 34 per 100,000 for Asians and Pacific Islanders. The rate for Latinos was 45 per 100,000. The study's authors cautioned, however, that avoidable death rates for nonwhites and nonblacks may be underestimated due to inaccurate reporting on death certificates. 
 
 Across all races and ethnic groups, men had the highest risk of death, roughly double that of women. 
 
 The counties with the highest avoidable death rates were concentrated in the nation's Southern states, in a region that has long been described by health officials as the nation's "stroke belt." In 2010, states with the highest avoidable death rates included Mississippi, Oklahoma, Tennessee and Louisiana. The study's authors cited high-sodium diets, lack of sidewalks and bike lanes and poor accessibility to quality healthcare as contributing factors. 
 
 "It's unfortunate, but your longevity may be more likely to be influenced by your ZIP Code than by your genetic code," Frieden said. 
 
 The study's authors speculated that some of the disparities were the result of uneven access to health insurance. The fact that Medicare eligibility begins at the age of 65 may help explain why people in the 65-74 age group were able to reduce premature deaths caused by heart disease and stroke while younger Americans did not. (The study excluded people older than 75 in its analysis of preventable deaths because average life expectancy in the U.S. is 78.7 years.) 
 
 Smoking, lack of exercise, poor diet and excessive use of alcohol increased the risk of cardiovascular disease in all individuals, regardless of race, age and location, study authors noted. 
 
 "Many heart disease and stroke deaths could be avoided through improvements in lifestyle behaviors," they wrote. 
 
 monte.morin@latimes.com ||||| Nearly 1 in 3 deaths in the US each year is caused by heart disease and stroke. At least 200,000 of these deaths could have been prevented through changes in health habits, such as stopping smoking, more physical activity, and less salt in the diet; community changes to create healthier living spaces, such as safe places to exercise and smoke-free areas; and managing high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and diabetes. 
 
 More people will have access to health care coverage and preventive care through the Affordable Care Act. Health care providers should talk with their patients about healthy habits at every visit and follow patients’ progress. 
 
 Health care systems and providers can also: 
 
 Use electronic health records to identify and support patients who need help quitting smoking or who have high blood pressure or high cholesterol. 
 
 Refer patients to community resources, such as smoking quitlines and blood pressure selfmanagement programs. 
 
 Track patient progress on the ABCS of heart health—Aspirin when appropriate, Blood pressure control, Cholesterol management, and Smoking cessation. 
 
 *Preventable (avoidable) deaths are defined as those from ischemic heart disease, stroke, chronic rheumatic heart disease, and hypertensive disease in people under age 75, although changes in health habits and the health care system can reduce death among all ages. ||||| Important progress has been made, but more is needed to continue to save lives, particularly for people under 65 years 
 
 Year 
 
 Under 65 years 65- 74 years 2001 110,299 117,662 2002 113,094 113,777 2003 114,280 107,822 2004 112,377 101,139 2005 113,714 97,110 2006 114,353 92,916 2007 112,918 89,080 2008 113,993 90,091 2009 117,139 90,996 2010 112,329 87,741 
 
 
 
 Black men are at highest risk of dying early from heart disease and stroke. 
 
 Preventable deaths per 100,000 people: 
 
 Men: 
 
 Black: 143 
 
 American Indian/Alaska Native: 90 
 
 White: 81 
 
 Hispanic: 63 
 
 Asian Pacific Islander: 47 
 
 Women: 
 
 Black: 78 
 
 American Indian/Alaska Native: 46 
 
 White: 36 
 
 Hispanic: 30 
 
 Asian Pacific Islander: 22 
 
 
 
 Counties with the highest risk of preventable heart disease and stroke deaths from 2008-2010 are located primarily in the southern Appalachian region and much of Tennessee, Arkansas, Mississippi, Louisiana, and Oklahoma, whereas the lowest risk counties are located in the West, Midwest, and Northeast census regions. States with the greatest difference in county rates include Colorado, Virginia, Kentucky, and Maryland. 
 
 SOURCE: National Vital Statistics System, US Census Bureau, 2008-2010. 
 
 View more maps at the Interactive Atlas for Heart Disease and Stroke. 
 
 
 
 
 
 Nearly 800,000 Americans die each year from heart disease and stroke. Most of the major risk factors can be managed or prevented 
 
 Risk factors and solutions for managing them
– Quitting smoking, keeping blood pressure and cholesterol levels down, and popping the odd aspirin could stop hundreds of thousands of Americans from dying unnecessarily every year. That's according to a new report by the CDC, which says 200,000 heart disease and stroke deaths each year are preventable, the LA Times reports. "These findings are really striking. We're talking about hundreds of thousands of deaths that don't have to happen," says the CDC's director. "It's possible for us to make rapid and substantial progress in reducing these deaths." The good news from the report is that the number of these preventable deaths decreased by 29% between 2001 and 2010. The bad news is that was mostly for people aged 65-74—the percentage remains virtually unchanged for people under 65, who accounted for more than half of these deaths last year. Men were twice as likely to die of these causes as women, blacks almost twice as likely as whites, and victims are disproportionately likely to live in Tennessee, Arkansas, Mississippi, Louisiana, and Oklahoma (the CDC has an informative but depressing map on this).