• High blood pressure - 65 million
• Coronary heart disease - 13 million
• Angina pectoris - chest pain or discomfort caused by reduced blood supply to the heart muscle - 6.4 million
• Stroke - 5.4 million

Coronary heart disease
Coronary heart disease is caused by atherosclerosis, the narrowing of the coronary arteries due to fatty build ups of plaque. It's likely to produce angina pectoris (chest pain), heart attack or both.
Coronary heart disease caused 494,382 deaths in 2002 and is the single leading cause of death in America today.

The above statistics can serve a two-fold purpose:

• Make you aware that someone you are close to may have coronary heart disease (CHD)
• Understand that if they do nothing they too may become a statistic.

The traditional approach to CHD is reactionary, that means the treatment of symptoms follows a diagnosis. However, according to the American Heart Association, prevention should be the highest priority in CHD. Rather than being frightened by the statistics we can be empowered by the fact that we have a choice in the matter, if we take action.