Stroke, heart attack kill fewer locally

COUNTY: Better health care, less smoking may be the cause; growing obesity rates threaten gains.

Heart disease and stroke are claiming far fewer lives in Los Angeles County than a decade ago, but worsening obesity rates could sabotage progress, health officials said Thursday.

The county

Department of Public Health
said deaths caused by heart disease plunged 41 percent - from 239 deaths per 100,000 people in 1996, to 141 deaths per 100,000 people in 2007.

That translates to about 9,000 lives saved annually, according to the report. Nevertheless, the mortality rate from heart disease remains 12 percent higher than the national average.

Deaths caused by stroke, meanwhile, fell 39 percent throughout the county in 1997-2007, which translates to about 2,000 lives saved annually. That mortality rate of 36 deaths per 100,000 people is 14 percent lower than the national average.

Dr.

Jonathan Fielding
, the county's public health director, said the decline could be attributed to advances in health care, increased knowledge among the public about risk factors, and a significant drop in tobacco use - from 18.2 percent in 1997 to 14.3 percent in 2007.

"Of the reduction (in mortality rates), we think about 50 percent is due to better medical and surgical care, and much of the other 50 percent is due to the reduction in smoking," Fielding said.

Obesity

rates, however, are on the rise, and Dr. Kathy Magliato, board president of the American Heart Association's Greater Los Angeles Division
, said there is much more to do.

"Heart disease and stroke remain the No. 1 and No. 3 killers in the country and several major risk factors for these diseases have not seen the same decline as death rates - in fact, several are on the rise and are appearing at earlier ages than ever before," she said.

"If this trend continues, death rates could begin to rise again in the years ahead, and we will see our children developing heart disease at a young age, dying early or requiring medical care sooner."

Fielding warned obesity could lead to high blood pressure, high cholesterol, diabetes - all risk factors for heart disease and stroke.

"Certainly the increase in overweight and obesity works against the things we're trying to do to improve health, including cardiovascular disease," he said. "We would have had a greater impact (in the mortality rates) if we hadn't seen this increase in overweight and obesity."

Sheila Cobo, a 36-year-old mother of two, became an advocate for healthy living after a 90 percent blockage was found in her coronary artery. Since then, she has lost about 30 pounds.

"I think that everyone feels that they're immortal and nothing can happen... but people drop dead of this every day," she said. "I don't want my children to get cheated out of extra time with their mother."

Fielding urged policymakers to increase physical activity at schools; facilitate the sale of fruits and vegetables in low-income areas with few supermarkets; and provide more opportunities for the public to take walks and ride bikes safely.

Alessandra Ambrosio Georgina Grenville Charlize Theron Lacey Chabert Aisha Tyler