Recently I discussed the irresponsible theatrics from
federal officials about slight increases in e-cigarette use by teenagers (here). That report appeared in the CDC’s
September 6 issue of Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (here). It turns out that this issue
contained another grossly exaggerated CDC study that was tailor-made for major
media treatment, and it succeeded.
The study, which examined death statistics from 2001 to
2010, claimed that 200,000 out of the 800,000 deaths each year among Americans from
heart disease, stroke and hypertension are avoidable.
As usual, CDC Director Dr. Tom Frieden was the
scaremonger-in-chief: “These findings are really striking. We're talking about hundreds of thousands of
deaths that don't have to happen. It's
possible for us to make rapid and substantial progress in reducing these
deaths.” (here).
Here is what the CDC didn’t tell Americans about these scary
statistics.
First, the CDC used a completely unrealistic definition to
define these deaths as avoidable: anyone dying from heart disease, stroke or
hypertension before the age of 75.
Hoping for a world where no one dies prematurely from any disease is
admirable, but badgering Americans about “improving health-care systems and
supporting healthy behaviors” as a way to eliminate ALL deaths from heart
disease, strokes and high blood pressure up to age 75 is preposterous.
The biggest problem with the CDC report is that it
cherry-picked a relatively flat period (2001-2010) of decline in these
deaths. Never mind that the decline over
the period was 28% in men and 31% in women!
It completely ignored what has happened over the entire 45-year period
for which data is available (here). Look at the chart to see the
astounding decline in these deaths since 1968, 78% in both men and women!
The decline in cardiovascular deaths among Americans is
nothing short of astonishing and breathtaking.
Of course, there’s always room for improvement. But the CDC should be ashamed to create
health care crises using isolated and exaggerated statistics.
