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→Mortality
==Mortality==
==Mortality==
By far the leading killer in the United States, accounting for 918,000 deaths in 2002 (37% of all deaths), is heart disease.
By far the leading killer in the United States, accounting for 918,000 deaths in 2002 (37% of all deaths), is heart disease and stroke.
==Atherosclerosis==
==Atherosclerosis==
The major cause of death is hardening of the arteries, or '''atherosclerosis''' (pronounced ath-uh-roh-skluh-ROH-sis). Layers of plaque build up on the inside of coronary arteries. The plaque is comprised of cholesterol, lipids, and cellular debris. Too much plaque will reduce the flow of blood to the heart muscle, which eventually gives out in a heart attack (myocardial infarction).
The major cause of death is hardening of the arteries, or '''atherosclerosis''' (pronounced ath-uh-roh-skluh-ROH-sis). Layers of plaque build up on the inside of coronary arteries. The plaque is comprised of cholesterol, lipids, and cellular debris. Too much plaque will reduce the flow of blood to the heart muscle, which eventually gives out in a heart attack (myocardial infarction).