Progress against Heart Disease

In the last 35 years, declining deaths from heart disease have translated into 13 million lives saved and extended. Medical treatments and lifestyle changes have dealt successfully with the serious heart problems of Vice President Richard Cheney, talk show host David Letterman, Disney-ABC CEO Michael Eisner, and countless other less famous people. In the past, those with serious heart disease would have died young, but today can live long and active lives. Few families have not benefited from improvements in the way we treat and prevent heart problems, yet we often hear that poor lifestyles and the limitations of modern medicine threaten our health and well-being. Although room for improvement always remains, this book provides evidence to the contrary: we have made and continue to make tremendous progress in dealing with heart disease. In reviewing the progress being made in this crucially important area of health, Pampel and Pauley offer an optimistic view of the potential for continued improvement and for longer, healthier lives. Despite the prevalence of heart disease, deaths from this cause have declined greatly in past decades. From its peak in 1968, the heart disease mortality rate has fallen by 52% for men and 48% for women. That translates into over 13 million lives saved and extended. The lives saved are not limited to the very old. To the contrary, heart disease mortality has fallen faster among the young and middle aged.

Table of Contents:
Changes Counting the Lives Saved Medicine Emergency Lifesaving Techniques Diagnosing Heart Disease Surgical Treatments Lifestyle Tobacco Use Diet and Exercise Stress and Psychological Factors Women and Heart Disease Past and Future 20th Century Trends Looking Ahead Glossary Notes

About the Author :
FRED C. PAMPEL is Professor of Sociology and Epidemiology Research Associate at the University of Colorado Institute of Behavioral Science Population Program. He has authored eight earlier books, including the International Handbook of Old-Age Insurance (Praeger, 1991). SETH PAULEY is a copywriter for Facts on File in New York City and a freelance writer.

Review :
?[A]nyone reading this book could gain an insight into the sociological and epidemiological implications of heart disease in the American population.?-Dietetics Today ?In Progress against Heart Disease, Fred Pampel and Seth Pauley informatively review the progress made over the last 35 years, providing readers with both a methodical history of past efforts and a documented prognosis for future battle against heart disease.?-MBR Internet Bookwatch/The Bookwatch ?The glossary of medical terms and abbreviations is invaluable. The book can be recommended highly, not only to medical historians and physicians in general but also to workers in allied fields and the general public.?-Journal of the History of Medicine "ÝA¨nyone reading this book could gain an insight into the sociological and epidemiological implications of heart disease in the American population."-Dietetics Today "[A]nyone reading this book could gain an insight into the sociological and epidemiological implications of heart disease in the American population."-Dietetics Today "The glossary of medical terms and abbreviations is invaluable. The book can be recommended highly, not only to medical historians and physicians in general but also to workers in allied fields and the general public."-Journal of the History of Medicine "In Progress against Heart Disease, Fred Pampel and Seth Pauley informatively review the progress made over the last 35 years, providing readers with both a methodical history of past efforts and a documented prognosis for future battle against heart disease."-MBR Internet Bookwatch/The Bookwatch