Mortality rates from heart disease and stroke rose 4.3 percent and 6.4 percent respectively in 2020, The Wall Street Journal reported March 23.
"I think it is likely true that 2020 was not a one-year blip," Stephen Sidney, MD, director of research clinics at the Kaiser Permanente Northern California Division of Research, told WSJ.
Dr. Sidney led a study analyzing data from the CDC's Wide-Ranging Online Data for Epidemiologic Research database between 2011 and 2020. The findings were published March 23 in JAMA Network Open.
Key findings:
- The U.S. mortality rate jumped 15.9 percent in 2020 overall.
- From 2011-19, the number of heart disease deaths increased from 596,577 to 659,041 deaths, and stroke deaths increased from 128,932 to 150,005 deaths.
- From 2019-20, heart disease and stroke deaths increased by 37,934 deaths and 10,262 deaths, respectively.