Heart Disease, Stroke Are Top U.S. Killers, Report Says

Key TakeawaysHeart disease and stroke combined are America’s top killersThey accounted for more than a quarter of all deaths in 2023However, deaths from heart disease and stroke fell for the first time in five years.THURSDAY, Jan. 22, 2026 (HealthDay News) — Heart disease and stroke are America’s top killers, a new American Heart Association (AHA) report says.Together, heart disease and stroke accounted for more than a quarter of all deaths in the United States in 2023, according to the 2026 Heart Disease and Stroke Statistics report.Heart disease was linked to 22% of U.S. deaths and stroke more than 5%, making them the nation’s No. 1 and No. 4 causes of death, the report said.“The fact remains that heart disease and stroke continue to take the lives of too many of our loved ones each and every day,” Dr. Stacey Rosen, volunteer president of the AHA, said in a news release.“Together, they still kill more people than the No. 2 and No. 3 causes of death, which include all types of cancer and accidents combined,” she added.However, the report also found that overall number of deaths from heart-related causes declined in 2023 for the first time in five years.Heart disease deaths fell from 371,506 in 2022 to 349,470 in 2023, the report found. Likewise, stroke caused 162,639 deaths in 2023, down from 165,393 deaths in 2022.“It’s encouraging to see that total deaths from heart disease and stroke declined. The past five years appear to have been an anomaly given the huge impact the pandemic had on all health during that time,” said Rosen, who is senior vice president of women’s health and executive director of the Katz Institute for Women’s Health of Northwell Health in New York City.On average, an American died due to a heart-related health problem every 34 seconds in 2023, according to the report.That translates to about two people dying of heart disease every three minutes, and one stroke death every three minutes and 14 seconds.Even though deaths from heart disease and stroke declined, the report found that health problems that contribute heart problems continued to rise. It compared numbers from 2017-2020 to data from 2021-2023.The report said about 125.9 million U.S. adults now have high blood pressure, up from 122.4 million over the period. Likewise, about 29.5 million adults have diabetes and about 50% are obese.“About half of all U.S. adults continue to have some form of cardiovascular disease. Those rates are still higher than they were before the pandemic and persistent increases in common conditions like high blood pressure, diabetes and obesity continue to drive the risk,” report co-author Dr. Latha Palaniappan, a professor of cardiovascular medicine at Stanford University, said in a news release.The report also pointed to troublingly high levels of cardiovascular-kidney-metabolic (CKM) syndrome, a health disorder made up of connections between heart disease, kidney disease, diabetes and obesity.Nearly 90% of adults have some level of CKM syndrome, which is characterized by high blood pressure, abnormal cholesterol levels, elevated blood sugar, impaired kidney function and excess weight or obesity.Troublingly, more than 80% of young and middle-aged adults show early risk of CKM syndrome, according to the report.“These numbers should ring alarm bells, particularly among young adults because that’s a snapshot into our future,” said Dr. Sadiya Khan, an associate professor of cardiology and preventive medicine at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine in Chicago.“Overall projections for these health conditions show increases expected on nearly every level in the next few decades,” Khan said in a news release. “Even though these rising numbers can feel discouraging, the advances in our diagnostic and therapeutic arsenal provide hope. We can detect warning signs before events occur and we now have many tools to prevent events. Prevention is our most powerful way to have the greatest impact and the more we use it, and the sooner we use it, the more lives we can save.”The report also evaluated the potential impact of Life’s Essential 8, a set of healthy lifestyle guidelines from the AHA.These guidelines include four health behaviors (eat better, be more active, quit tobacco and get healthy sleep) and four health factors (manage weight, control cholesterol, manage blood sugar and manage blood pressure) that are key to improving and maintaining heart health.Following Life’s Essential 8 can reduce risk of heart attack and stroke by 74%, according to a review of 59 studies from 2010 to 2022. Better heart health also was associated with better brain health.“There is a growing body of scientific evidence that shows following these eight measures can dramatically reduce the overall burden of cardiovascular disease,” co-author Palaniappan said.Unfortunately, data also show that few people have adopted the principles behind Life’s Essential 8, the report said.For example, only a quarter of U.S. adults meet national physical activity guidelines, and less than half (44%) of people with type 2 diabetes have their condition under control, according to the report.“We know that as much as 80% of heart disease and stroke is preventable with lifestyle changes and many chronic health conditions that contribute to poor cardiovascular health are manageable,” Rosen said. “Improving your cardiovascular health is possible. However, it will take a concerted effort.”Rosen said the statistics go beyond numbers."To the American Heart Association, they are lives on the line," she said. “We hope this information provides an impetus and our programs and resources serve as a guide for communities to unite for change and for individuals to take personal action.”More informationThe American Heart Association has more on Life’s Essential 8.SOURCE: American Heart Association, news release, Jan. 21, 2026 .What This Means For YouPeople can protect their heart health through lifestyle guidelines listed in Life’s Essential 8..Sign up for our weekly HealthDay newsletter