Differences Between Coronary Heart Disease And Stroke

Coronary heart disease and stroke are the two most common forms of cardiovascular diseases. In 2007, research showed that Mississippi (MS) “ranked seventh in the nation in death rates from coronary heart disease and sixth in death rates from stroke” (“Mississippi State Plan”, n.d.). The Mississippi State Health Department (MSHD) published a report in 2011 that discussed the burden of chronic diseases in MS. Of those diseases, coronary heart disease, held one of the top positions. The cause behind coronary heart disease risks being higher in MS, than in other states, is contributed to “behaviors, health status, and public health policies” in MS (Short, 2014). Mississippians, on average, use more tobacco (26%), are less likely to participate
in exercise (40%), are overweight (68.9%), and have poor health overall (“Mississippi State”, n.d.). These areas are main contributors to heart disease.
In discussing the association of coronary heart disease as it relates to age, the risk increases once a person reaches the age of 45 (“Mississippi State Plan”, n.d.). More specifically, “one in five cardiovascular disease deaths occurred in Mississippians under 65 years old” (“Mississippi State Plan”, n.d.). When linking coronary artery disease to race or ethnicity, “Black males have the highest death rate due to heart disease” (Short, 2014). Because of the high population of African Americans in the state of MS, the ratio increases significantly for MS.