Alabama Among States With Most Heart Disease Fatalities

A recent study reveals that states in the South among those with the most heart disease fatalities, and Alabama ranks close to the top of the list.

The study by Lending tree and ValuePenguin lists Alabama at no. 2 behind Mississippi for states with the most heart-related deaths. ValuePenguin analyzed data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on heart disease in the United States and found that the population's susceptibility to heart disease varies wildly depending on state and county.

People living in the South are disproportionately affected by fatal heart conditions, including heart attacks, hypertension, coronary artery disease and strokes, according to the study. Of the 20 states that had higher-than-average rates of deaths from heart disease, 13 are in the South.

On average, nationally 218 fatal cases of heart disease occurred per 100,000 people from 2016 to 2018, with most deaths stemming from hypertension. Compared to this number, the number of deaths from heart disease in the area the Census Bureau designates as the South was 247 per 100,000 people. The rate of cardiovascular deaths in the South was higher than in the nation's other areas.

Top 5 states with high heart disease fatalities:

1. Mississippi (301 deaths per 100,000)
2. Alabama (291 deaths per 100,000)
3. Oklahoma (289 deaths per 100,000)
4. Arkansas (283 deaths per 100,000)
5. Louisiana (273 deaths per 100,000)

The study found that one correlation between death from heart disease and location is that the communities most at risk of fatal heart conditions tend to lack access to adequate health care. People who are most at risk of heart disease come from socioeconomically underprivileged communities: The poverty rate among the communities that have the highest rates of fatal cases of heart disease is greater than 25 percent on average.

The Alabama Hospital Association said earlier this year that 17 privately run hospitals have closed in the state over the last decade, and only one of those reopened. Rural hospitals are particularly at risk, the group said, with about 90 percent of them operating in the red.