CHD Statistics

About Heart Disease

• Heart disease is caused by the development of plaques (fatty substances) that build up in the walls of arteries over time, leading to cardiovascular complications later in life.
• While most people believe heart attacks are caused by plaque buildup, it is the rupture of inflamed, unstable plaque—and the subsequent formation of blood clots that block the coronary arteries—that causes most coronary events.  In fact, highly significant stenosis (plaque buildup in the arteries greater than 70 percent) causes only 15 percent of heart attacks.
• Heart disease is the single leading cause of death in the United States (responsible for one of every five deaths in 2003).
• Nearly 500,000 deaths in the United States in 2003 were due to some form of heart disease. 
• Every 26 seconds, an American will suffer a coronary event, and about every minute someone will die from one.
• An estimated 50 percent of men and 64 percent of women who die suddenly from heart disease have no previous warning signs of the disease.
• Approximately 40 percent of people who experience a heart attack in a given year will die from it.
• There are 1.2 million new and recurrent coronary attacks each year.  More than 41 percent of these are fatal.

Risk Factors

• There are numerous genetic, environmental, and hereditary risk factors for heart disease, including ethnicity, age, high cholesterol, high blood pressure, tobacco use, diabetes, obesity, inactivity, poor nutrition, and menopause.
• Many people with heart disease do not display traditional risk factors such as elevated cholesterol.  Conversely, people with risk factors do not always go on to develop heart disease.
• Approximately 50 percent of all coronary events strike people with low-to-moderate cholesterol levels, and about 20 percent occur in individuals with none of the four major risk factors (high cholesterol, high blood pressure, smoking, or diabetes). 
• Studies have shown that most heart attacks are triggered by inflammation.  Arterial plaque can become inflamed, making it unstable and prone to rupture.  Inflamed plaques can suddenly break open, causing a blood clot to form, impeding or completely blocking the flow of blood to the heart. 

Heart Disease in Women & Minorities

• Heart disease has killed more women than men every year since 1984.
• Heart disease kills more than 230,000 women each year.
• Within one year of an initial heart attack, 38 percent of women will die, compared with 25 percent of men.  This higher death rate may be due to the differences in care women receive, as well as the fact that women develop heart disease later in life.  Diagnosis and treatment often are delayed because of a lack of awareness about heart disease in women.
• Coronary heart disease caused the deaths of approximately 24,000 black males and 25,000 black females in 2003.
• In 2002, the age-adjusted mortality (by coronary heart disease) rate for Hispanics was 138.3 per 100,000.

Costs of Heart Disease

• The estimated direct and indirect cost of heart disease in 2006 is $142.5 billion.
• Heart disease was ranked the No. 1 most costly medical condition in the United States in 2000.
• Heart disease is the leading cause of premature, permanent disability in the U.S. work force, accounting for 19 percent of disability allowance by the Social Security Administration.

About Lp-PLA2

• Lp-PLA2 is an enzyme involved in the formation of vulnerable, rupture-prone plaque within the arteries.  The enzyme activates an inflammatory response within artery walls, promoting atherosclerosis. 
• Numerous large epidemiological studies have shown that elevated levels of Lp-PLA2 increase the risk of coronary heart disease and stroke.
• Elevated Lp-PLA2 doubles an individual’s risk of a heart attack or stroke.
• Lp-PLA2 is statistically independent of traditional heart disease and stroke risk factors, as well as markers of systemic inflammation, such as C-reactive protein (CRP) and fibrinogen.
• Individuals identified as being at high risk for heart disease or stroke based on elevated Lp-PLA2 levels may benefit from more aggressive treatment programs, such as lifestyle modification or therapeutic intervention, including statins and daily aspirin. 
• Currently, there are no marketed treatments that directly target Lp-PLA2; however GlaxoSmithKline is developing small molecule inhibitors directly targeting Lp-PLA2 as potential anti-atherosclerotic treatments.

The PLAC Test

• The PLAC test, marketed by diaDexus, Inc., is a simple blood test ordered by physicians that measures levels of Lp-PLA2, a novel risk factor for coronary heart disease and ischemic stroke.
• Used in conjunction with the clinical evaluation of traditional risk factors, the PLAC test identifies people at high risk for heart disease and stroke associated with atherosclerosis, who may not be identified by traditional risk factors and who may benefit from more aggressive treatment programs.
• The PLAC test is cleared for marketing by the U.S. Food & Drug Administration as an aid in predicting an individual’s risk for coronary heart disease and ischemic stroke associated with atherosclerosis.
• The PLAC test is available through clinical laboratories nationwide, including LabCorp, Quest Diagnostics Incorporated, Mayo Medical Laboratories, ARUP Laboratories, and Berkeley HeartLab.
• diaDexus is a privately held biotechnology company focused on the discovery, development, and commercialization of novel, patent-protected diagnostic products with high clinical value. 
• For more information, visit www.diaDexus.com or www.plactest.com.

Note to editors: Heart disease and stroke statistics are from the American Heart Association and the American Stroke Association, Heart Disease and Stroke Statistics–2006 Update.

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