AED123 Blog

Jan 16, 2020

Heart Disease Grows in Texas

Deaths from Heart Disease are up 10% in Houston

In an eye-opening article yesterday, The Wall Street Journal published statistics showcasing a dramatic increase in middle-aged deaths from heart disease. Their study didn’t include data from Texas’s biggest cities, so we reached out to the Journal to ask for their sources.

The statistician behind the study, Paul Overberg, directed us to the CDC Wonder database, where we recreated their study for Harris County (Houston), Dallas County (Dallas), and Bexar County (San Antonio).

Across the last decade, each of Texas' three largest cities experienced a significant increase in annual deaths per population from heart disease in individuals 45 to 64 years of age. In Houston, deaths from Heart Disease rose 10%; in San Antonio, they rose 9%, and in Dallas they rose 5%.

While a 5-10% increase isn't as scary as the 26% increase in Corpus Christi or the 24% increase in Beaumont (both of which were highlighted in the Journal's article), a 5% increase (the statewide average) means that thousands of additional Texans are dying of heart disease every year. That's cause for action.