Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death and disability in the United States – and according to new projections, it will become even more common over the next thirty years.
In a report released Tuesday, the American Heart Association says that by 2050, more than six in 10 American adults (61%) will have some form of cardiovascular disease. This is mainly caused by the expected 184 million people with hypertension, or high bloodpressurewhich is expected to increase from 51.2% in 2020 to 61% in 2025.
“Clinically, cardiovascular disease is identified as a number of specific conditions, including coronary artery disease (including heart attack), arrhythmias (including atrial fibrillation), valvular heart disease, congenital heart disease, heart failure, stroke and hypertension,” the association defines in its report. “However, high blood pressure is also known to be a major risk factor contributing to both heart disease and stroke.”
Where are other increases expected?
The total number of CVD diagnoses, including figures for stroke but not high blood pressure, will rise from 11.3% to 15% or from 28 million to 45 million adults over the same period.
According to the report, stroke specifically will see the largest increase, from 3.9% to 6.4%, with the “total prevalence rate almost doubling from 10 million to almost 20 million adults.”
Increases were also expected for coronary heart disease (from 7.8% to 9.2%) and heart failure (from 2.7% to 3.8%).
And while there is an expected decrease in high cholesterol diagnoses, there are other risk factors as well obesity And diabetes will also increase, from 43.1% to 60.6% and 16.3% to 26.8% respectively.
Prevalence also varies by racial and ethnic groups, the report found. For example, increases in the total expected number of people with cardiovascular disease and poor health behaviors have increased most among Hispanic adults and Asian populations, while black adults are expected to have the highest prevalence of hypertension, diabetes, and obesity.
These disparities can be attributed to “individual, structural and systemic racism, as well as socioeconomic factors and access to care,” the report said.
