Maverick County Heart Disease Rate among highest in Texas

By: Jose G. Landa, Eagle Pass Business Journal, Inc., Copyright 2015

In light of the recent revelation by Maverick County Hospital District Chief Executive Officer Terri Contreras-Patlan at its Board meeting on October 6, 2015, that the local hospital district had lost a comprehensive Cardiology services agreement with Methodist Healthcare Services of San Antonio, Texas due to the Fort Duncan Regional Medical Center Medical Committee’s denial of hospital privileges to Methodist Healthcare Services, the Eagle Pass Business Journal researched the rate of heart disease in Maverick County, Texas.

Heart disease is the number one killer of Americans in the United States, according to the American Heart Association. Over 611,105 Americans died of Heart disease in 2013.

The Eagle Pass Business Journal research found that the Heart disease rate in Maverick County is among the highest in Texas and surrounding area. The Eagle Pass Business Journal researched the Texas Department of Health and Human Services for Maverick County’s Heart disease rate from 2003 through 2013.

According to the Texas Department of Health Services, 86 people died from Heart disease in Maverick County, including six people died from Heart failure, one person died from Hypertensive Heart disease, 37 people died from Acute Myocardial Infarction (heart attack), one person died from Arteriosclerotic Cardiovascular disease, 21 people died from other forms of Chronic Ischemic Heart disease, 15 people died from Conduction Disorders and Cardiac Dysrhythmias, three people died from Cardiomyopathy, and one person died from other defined forms of Heart disease.

Records show that of the 86 people who died from Heart disease in Maverick County in 2013, 18 of them were 85 years and older, 28 of them were between 75 to 84 years old, 22 of them were between 65 to 74 years old , 11 of them were between 55 to 64 years old, 4 of them were between 45 to 54 years old, and 3 of them were between 35 to 44 years old.

Of these 86 people in 2013, 47 of them were male and 39 were females.

TDHS data further shows that 359 people died in Maverick County in 2013, in which Heart Disease Deaths represented 24% of all total deaths. In 2012, Heart Disease Deaths again accounted for 24% (83) of all 340 total deaths reported in Maverick County while in 2011 heart disease deaths accounted for 15% (54) of the 364 deaths reported.

Val Verde County had 73 people who died from of Heart disease in 2013, of which 29 people died from Acute Myocardial Infarction. Kinney County reported 12 people who died from heart disease in 2013; Dimmit County had 16 people die from Heart Disease in 2013; Uvalde County had 55 people die from heart disease in 2013; Presidio County reported 16 deaths from Heart disease in 2013; Edwards County reported 5 deaths from heart disease in 2013; Frio County had 35 deaths from Heart disease; Zavala County reported 22 deaths from heart disease in 2013; Terrell County had 3 deaths in 2013; Brewster County reported 22 heart disease related deaths in 2013; Pecos County had 23 deaths from Heart disease in 2013; Zapata County reported 18 deaths from Heart disease in 2013; Bandera County reported 59 deaths from Heart disease in 2013; and Webb County (Laredo) had 252 people die from heart disease in 2013. Webb County has a population of over 270,000, more than four times the size of Maverick County.

Heart disease caused 86 deaths in Maverick County in 2013 compared to Diabetes Mellitus which claimed 11 deaths in Maverick County and 17 in Val Verde County during 2013.

The TDHS 2012 reports show that 83 people died from some form of heart disease in Maverick County. Val Verde County reported 63 heart disease related deaths during the same year, Dimmit County had 16 deaths, Kinney County 5, Uvalde County had 55 deaths from heart disease and Webb County had   deaths from heart disease in 2012.

During 2011 there were 54 people in Maverick County who succumbed to heart disease. In 2010, reports show that there were 53 deaths from heart disease in Maverick County; there were 79 deaths from heart disease in Maverick County reported in 2009; 108 heart disease deaths in Maverick County in 2008; 88 deaths from heart disease in Maverick County in 2007; 71 deaths from heart disease in Maverick County in 2006; 74 deaths from heart disease in Maverick County in 2005; 64 deaths from heart disease in Maverick County in 2004; and 69 heart disease related deaths in Maverick County in 2003.

The information provided in this article is derived from the Texas Department of State Health Services yearly reports from 2003 through 2013. Information and statistics reported on are for deaths that were accounted to Maverick County and do not include people from Maverick County that passed away in other Counties such as Bexar (San Antonio) and others.

From 2003 to 2013, there have been a total of 829 heart disease related deaths reported in Maverick County, accounting for 24.3% of all deaths reported to DSHS from Maverick County, which had 3,404 total deaths in that same amount of time.

Malignant Neoplasms deaths accounted for 20% (700) of all deaths reported from 2003 to 2013 in Maverick County.

The amount of deaths are only for deaths reported in Maverick County and do not account for Maverick Countians whom passed away in another County other than Maverick such as in Bexar County (San Antonio). Thus, the total number of deaths related to heart disease of Maverick Countians is not precisely known because many local residents seek and obtain medical treatment out of town, such as San Antonio or in Mexico. The exact number is unknown because most people obtain medical services out of town. Nonetheless, the total of 829 heart disease deaths in Maverick County during 2003 through 2013 shows a high number of almost 25% or 1 in 4 persons whom died in Maverick County can be attributed to heart disease. More than likely, these number is considerably higher since it does not include Maverick Countians whom passed away in out of county medical facilities of heart disease such as in Bexar County or Mexico.

A local physician advised the Eagle Pass Business Journal that a probable percentage of Maverick Countians who die from heart disease may be as high as twice the number of 829 since most go out of town for Cardiology services since there was limited cardiology services in the community during this 2003-2013 period.

Without a doubt, Cardiology services are much needed in Maverick County as there are no Cardiologists who can operate a patient suffering a heart attack or needing open heart surgery. All healthcare providers and the community need to come together and devise a strategy in recruiting more Cardiology services as well as other specialists to Maverick County.