Heart Attacks Plunge in Calif. Group

Heart attacks and deaths from heart disease dropped sharply in the last decade, researchers report based on one population. Better use of medicines was credited with much of the change. The study looked at hospital stays in northern California since 1999. It focused on patients of the Kaiser Permanente health system. Kaiser researchers found a 24% drop in the overall heart attack rate. The most severe type of heart attacks fell even more — 62%. The death rate in the 30 days after a heart attack also shrank, from 10.5% to 7.8%. Across the United States, heart disease is the No. 1 cause of death. But a Kaiser official said it has dropped to second place, behind cancer, as a cause of death for this patient group. Researchers said drug treatment had helped patients to control their blood pressure and cholesterol. Smoking also declined.