Philip, 44, worked out, played golf, and died suddenly of a massive heart attack. Fifty-seven-year-old Pat didn’t know she had high blood pressure and diabetes — until they led to her heart attack. Robin, 42, knew that an inherited form of high cholesterol put her at risk, but the first of multiple heart attacks caught her by surprise. These and other stories are told in The Hidden Epidemic: Heart Disease in America, a cautionary two-hour title that pulls back the covers on one of the nation’s greatest health challenges in the 21st century and beyond.

We all, it seems, know someone who has been touched by cancer. While that threat, in the broadest strokes, isn’t yet significantly abated, funding and education have helped launch many advance screening programs, and a whole handful of leading cancer indicators are on the wane. Heart disease, meanwhile, is now the number one killer in America and it shows no signs of slowing, especially given our increasingly sedentary lifestyles. Still, it’s not only a problem for the obese. More than half of all people who die of heart disease succumb without warning.

While there is no cure, doctors are learning remarkable new things about the disease, including where it starts, how it occurs, and what that means for us. Interesting and informative, The Hidden Epidemic showcases these stunning scientific advances, research that is helping to transform the field of cardiology, and how it impacts us. The documentary also covers the history of the emergence of heart disease as a major problem for Americans, dating to the post-World War II period of prosperity, widespread smoking among adults through the 1950s and ’60s, and the resulting effect on the nation’s diet and exercise habits.

DVD bonus features of this letterboxed-presented title include special printable fact sheets about heart disease, heart-healthy recipes from chef and television host Ming Tsai, and an extracted selection from Reader’s Digest Magazine entitled “10 Easy Steps to a Healthier Heart.” Following the documentary, CNN’s Larry King hosts a half-hour discussion featuring some of the country’s top medical experts and physicians, all of whom present important strategies and practical tactics for improving the health of your heart. There’s also an interview with King about his own heart disease experiences. While more personal testimonials like these would have amped up The Hidden Epidemic’s television news-mag quotient of tugged heartstrings, practicality is the chief concern here, and in that regard the above mentioned supplemental extras are certainly worthy and appreciated. To order this or any DVD release from WGBH Boston Video, phone (800) 949-8670 or visit their eponymous Web site’s shop by clicking here. B+ (Movie) B+ (Disc)