Half of US Has Major Heart Disease Risk

Nearly 50% of Americans have either high blood pressure, high cholesterol, or diabetes, putting them at significant risk of heart disease, and many don't even know it, according to a new CDC report. Among those with only one risk factor, 15% are undiagnosed. “That's a huge wake-up call,” the American Heart Association tells the LA Times. There are lots of people “who think they are healthy... but are working under a terrible misconception.”

He adds that the problem appears so bad that it “could stress and potentially defeat any health care system we could come up with.” The data came from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, which releases its findings bi-yearly. The blood pressure issue was worst among African Americans, while white people were most likely to have high cholesterol, and Mexican Americans were the most apt to suffer from diabetes. (More heart disease stories.)