Heart Disease Incidence May be on the Rise: Study

“Decades of decline in the incidence of heart disease may have come to an end, according to results of a long-term autopsy study conducted at the Mayo Clinic College of Medicine in Rochester, Minnesota. In fact, coronary artery disease (CAD) rates may even be climbing among young adults, the study investigators report in the Archives of Internal Medicine for February 11th. Since the mid-1960s, declines in heart disease mortality have been accompanied by reductions in the incidence of CAD and improved survival among persons with CAD. However, there are few data regarding trends in CAD over the last decade, when rates of obesity and diabetes have increased dramatically, Dr. Cynthia L. Leibson and colleagues note.”