* Data for 2008 and 2009 are preliminary.
The figure above shows age-adjusted death rates for heart disease and cancer in the United States from 1999-2009. During 1999--2009, age-adjusted death rates for heart disease and cancer declined significantly by 32.5% and 13.5%, respectively. The mortality rate for heart disease decreased at a faster pace than the cancer death rate during that period. The risk for death from heart disease was 32.7% higher than from cancer in 1999, whereas it was 3.6% higher from heart disease than from cancer in 2009.
Source: National Vital Statistics System. Mortality public use data files for 1999--2007, and preliminary data for 2008 and 2009. http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm6021a6.htm?s_cid=mm6021a6_x
