Just in time for American Heart Month, the American Heart Association (AHA) published the 2018 heart disease and stroke statistics report. Check out some of the most eye-opening numbers below.

1 million – People who will have a heart attack or die from coronary heart disease this year.

16.5 million – Americans age 20 and older who are living withcoronary heart disease.

795,000 – People who will have a stroke this year.

356,000 – Cardiac arrests that occur outside a hospital each year.

103 million – Adults with high blood pressure.

6.5 million – Americans age 20 and older who are living with heart failure.

38 percent – Rise in the number of high blood pressure deaths between 2005 and 2015.

23 million – Adults with Type 2 diabetes.

15 percent – Adults who smoked in 2015.

38 percent – Adults who were obese as of 2014.

Perhaps one of the most staggering stats in this list is that 103 million adults in the U.S. have high blood pressure. That means that nearly half of the entire adult population in our country is affected. Even scarier is the fact that high blood pressure is the most common cause of cardiovascular disease-related deaths in the world.  

And while there is no cure for high blood pressure, you can help reduce your risk of heart disease and enhance your quality of life by making positive lifestyle changes. In addition to working with your doctor and taking your medications properly, the AHA suggests the following tips:

• Eat a well-balanced, low-salt diet.
• Limit alcohol.
• Enjoy regular physical activity.
• Manage stress.
• Maintain a healthy weight.
• Quit smoking.

If you want to create a lasting change in your health and in your life, join the AHA’s revolutionary movement, Healthy for Good. This simple approach incorporates four steps to a healthier you: Eat smart. Add color. Move more. Be well. Learn more about being Healthy for Good by visiting https://healthyforgood.heart.org/.