The number of hospitalizations and deaths related to heart disease and stroke have dropped significantly over the past decade.

According to a new study published in the American Heart Association journal Circulation, rates of hospitalization across all races and areas in the U.S. dropped.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), approximately 600,000 people die from heart disease in the U.S. each year, accounting for one in every four deaths. It’s the leading cause of death in both men and women.

Researchers analyzed data from almost 34 million Medicare Fee-For-Service recipients from 1999 to 2011. They discovered that hospitalizations dropped by 38 percent for heart attacks, 83.8 percent for angina, 30.5 percent for heart failure, and 33.6 percent for stroke. In addition, the risk of dying from such medical events also dropped significantly.

Lead study author Harlan Krumholz, M.D., S.M., director of the Center of Outcomes Research and Evaluation at Yale-New Haven Hospital in New Haven, Conn., believes that improvements in lifestyle habits and methods of dealing with heart disease have largely contributed to the reduction in rates of hospitalization and deaths from heart disease and stroke.

“Huge strides in lifestyle, quality of care and prevention strategies for cardiovascular health have seemed to have a ripple effect on saving lives. As a result, our country has undergone remarkable changes, which has reduced suffering and costs,” said Krumholz in a statement.

More work still needs to be done, but the results of this study show great progress in efforts to reduce these rates.