Heart disease death rates among middle-aged adults in the US have risen while cancer deaths have fallen, according to a US government report. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said that while heart disease-related deaths fell 22% between 1999 and 2011, they rose 4% in the subsequent six years. Meanwhile, cancer deaths among those aged 45-65 had fallen 19% in the same period. White women accounted for the largest increase in deaths from heart disease, at 12%, while Hispanic women saw a fall in mortality. “Cancer is one of our biggest killers,” CDC director Dr Thomas Frieden told reporters on Wednesday.
Heart disease death rates among middle-aged adults in the US have risen while cancer deaths have fallen, according to a US government report. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said that while heart disease-related deaths fell 22% between 1999 and 2011, they rose 4% in the subsequent six years. Meanwhile, cancer deaths among those aged 45-65 had fallen 19% in the same period. White women accounted for the largest increase in deaths from heart disease, at 12%, while Hispanic women saw a fall in mortality. The highest death rates were among black men and women.