Cardiovascular Disease and the Environment
To learn more about heart attack data from 2000 to 2013 in Tennessee, click the link below. Our interactive data dashboard will visualize the data you select. Choose data from different options like:
- Rate by county
- Rate by year
- Rate by gender
- Rate by race
- Rate by age group
What is cardiovascular disease?
A heart attack, or acute myocardial infarction, happens when the blood supply to part of the heart muscle is severely reduced or stopped. The loss of blood or oxygen causes damage and potential death of heart tissue. Coronary artery disease is the main cause of heart attack. A less common cause is a severe spasm of a coronary artery which also can prevent blood supply from reaching the heart.
According to the American Heart Association, about 785,000 Americans have an initial heart attack and another 470,000 have a recurrent heart attack each year.
Why is tracking cardiovascular disease important?
The United States does not have a single surveillance system for either heart attacks or general coronary heart disease. Death is the most common descriptor for national data. Tracking heart attacks will help to examine trends in hospital admissions; identify seasonal patterns; evaluate heart attacks by age, gender, and race/ethnicity; and identify populations in need of targeted interventions.