A new statement from the American Heart Association published in the journal Circulation has forecasted that the prevalence of heart disease and cardiovascular risk factors in women may rise dramatically over the next 30 years.
The statement used historical trends from two national health surveys in the United States between 2015 and 2020 and well as census estimates for population growth over the next 25 to 30 years. These data were used to project the rates of cardiovascular risk factors and heart disease into the future for American women and girls.
The results showed that rates of hypertension, type 2 diabetes, and obesity are expected to rise substantially by 2050, with nearly 60% of women expected to have high blood pressure and over 60% of women expected to develop diabetes by 2050. Rates of inadequate exercise, poor diet, and smoking are expected to decline, but rates of inadequate sleep are expected to increase. Alarmingly, rates of multiple types of cardiovascular disease are expected to rise substantially, including heart failure, stroke, atrial fibrillation, and coronary disease. Overall, nearly one third of women between ages 22 and 44 are expected to have some form of heart disease by 2050. Trends in risk factors were similar for girls ages 2 to 19, with about 32% of girls in this age range projected to have obesity by 2050.
The authors of the statement noted that currently, one out of every three women will die from cardiovascular disease in the U.S., and about 62 million women in the U.S. are living with some form of cardiovascular disease. If current health trends continue, these numbers will rise significantly by 2050. Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death for women and is their leading overall health risk. Risk factors for heart disease can appear very early in life, and these projections suggest that changes are urgently needed to reverse current trends in cardiovascular disease and risk factors.
Sources: Circulation, Science Daily
