Cardiovascular disease it's the leading cause of death and disability in the United States, and new projections show it may become even more common in the next 30 years.
In a report released Tuesday, the American Heart Association says more than 6 in 10 American adults (61 percent) will have some form of cardiovascular disease, or CVD, by 2050. This is determined especially by about 184 millions of people with hypertension. high blood pressurewhich 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 disease, congenital heart disease, heart failure, stroke and hypertension,” defines the association in its report. “However, high blood pressure is also known to be a major risk factor that contributes to both heart disease and stroke.”
Where are other increases expected?
Total CVD diagnoses, which include numbers of strokes but not high blood pressure, will increase from 11.3% to 15%, or from 28 million to 45 million adults, over the same time.
According to the report, stroke will see the biggest increase, from 3.9% to 6.4%, with “the total prevalence figure nearly doubling from 10 million to almost 20 million adults.”
Increases in coronary heart disease (from 7.8% to 9.2%) and heart failure (from 2.7% to 3.8%) are also projected.
And while there is a predicted decrease in high cholesterol diagnoses, other risk factors like obesity i diabetes will also increase, from 43.1% to 60.6% and from 16.3% to 26.8%, respectively.
Prevalence also varies by racial and ethnic group, according to the report. For example, the total predicted increase in CVD and poor health behaviors increased most among Hispanic adults and Asian populations, while black adults are predicted 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 notes.
