More than 6 in 10 Americans will have a cardiovascular disease by 2050, according to a new report from the American Heart Association (AHA).
The report, published Tuesday in the journal Circulation, found that cardiovascular disease, including hypertension, “will affect more than 184 million adults by 2050,” or about 61 percent of Americans.
It estimates the prevalence of coronary disease among U.S. adults will increase from 7.8 percent in 2020 to 9.2 percent in 2050, while heart failure will increase from 2.7 percent to 3.8 percent in the same period.
“As the American Heart Association enters its second century, our future is about improving yours,” Nancy Brown, AHA CEO, said in a news release. “It is crucial to quantify the full burden of cardiovascular disease so we can better inform the policies and community-level and health system interventions needed to change this current path.”
The report said that “clinical and public health interventions are needed to effectively manage, stem, and even reverse” the “prevalence of many cardiovascular risk factors and most established diseases” that are expected to rise in the coming decades.
“We recognize that the landscape of cardiovascular health will change over the next three decades because of the coming tsunami of rising health care costs, an older population living longer and increasing numbers of people from under-resourced populations,” Brown said in a statement.
“The findings of these important advisories predict a dire human and economic toll from heart disease and stroke if changes are not made. However, this does not have to be the reality of our future.”
A recent study found that fish oil may potentially raise the risk of stroke and heart conditions for those who don’t have a heart condition, despite the supplements being a source of omega-3 fatty acids and being thought to help with cardiovascular disease.
