Cardiovascular Diseases

Cardiovascular Diseases

Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of the death in the United States, accounting for 1 in every 2.5 deaths. According to the American hearth Association approximately 60.8 million Americans were experiencing some form of cardiovascular disease and it accounted for about a million deaths a year. There were also 62.6 million physician office visits, and 5.3 million outpatient department visits, with a primary diagnosis of cardiovascular disease. These high prevalence and medical care utilization rates suggest that a significant percentage of patients in a primary care setting will have some form of cardiovascular disease, and psychologists working in primary care should have a solid understanding of the cardiovascular disease condition.