In the United States, heart diease is the leading cause of death killing 695,000 people each year. Coronary heart disease (CHD) is the most common type of heart diease, killing 375,476 people each year. One person dies every 33 seconds from cardiovascular disease. Smoking, poor diet, and lack of exercise are major causes of heart disease. Heart disease is the leading cause of death for men, women, and people of most racial and ethnic groups. These are just a few statistics to help you understand the importance of heart health. Some statistics are hard to read. For more information visit the CDC Heart Disease website. (listed below)