Cardiovascular Diseases
Heart Disease
Heart disease is the number one cause of death among both women and men across all racial/ethnic groups in South Carolina. The most common type of heart disease is coronary heart disease (CHD), which refers to a range of diseases that reduce the blood supply to the heart muscle. Although men are more likely to die of heart disease, women are greatly impacted by the disease, as well. Each year, heart disease claims the lives of more women than all cancers combined.
Racial and ethnic minorities in SC, particularly African Americans, are more likely to die of heart disease than whites. This difference or disparity is most prominent among African American women, who,in year 2000, were 1.3 times more likely to die of heart disease than white women.
Stroke
The loss or altering of the body's ability to function due to insufficient blood supply to the brain is called a stroke. Stroke is the third leading cause of death in both the nation and the state. In addition to being located in the Stroke Belt, a region along the southeast portion of the United States noted for a high rate of stroke deaths, South Carolina also has the highest rate of stroke deaths in the nation.
Racial and ethnic minorities are at an increased risk of dying of stroke in South Carolina. Minorities are approximately 1.5 times more likely to die of stroke in the state than are whites.
Follow these links to see trends in Heart Disease and Stroke death rates.
Quick Facts
- In 1998, South Carolina ranked tenth (10th) in the nation for deaths due to heart disease.
- South Carolina is first in the nation for rate of deaths due to stroke.
- African Americans are nearly twice as likely to die of stroke than are whites. However, with increasing age, this disparity increases.
- African Americans are more than twice as likely to visit the ER due to complications from CVD than are whites.