More than six in ten Americans will have cardiovascular disease by 2050, according to a new study report from the American Heart Association (AHA).
The reportpublished Tuesday in the journal Circulation, found that cardiovascular disease, including high blood pressure, “will affect more than 184 million adults by 2050,” or about 61 percent of Americans.
It estimates that the prevalence of coronary disease among American 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 over the same period.
“As the American Heart Association enters its second century, our future is about improving yours,” said Nancy Brown, CEO of AHA, said in a press release. “It is critical to quantify the full burden of cardiovascular disease so that we can better inform the policies and interventions at the community and healthcare system levels needed to change this current trajectory.”
The report states that “clinical and public health interventions are needed to effectively manage, counteract and even reverse the “prevalence of many cardiovascular risk factors and most established diseases” that is expected to increase in the coming decades.
“We recognize that the landscape of cardiovascular health will change over the next thirty years due to the coming tsunami of rising healthcare costs, an older population living longer, and an increasing number of people from under-resourced populations,” Brown said in a statement.
“The findings of these important advisories predict a heavy 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 increase the risk of stroke and heart disease for people who do not have heart disease, despite the supplements being a source of omega-3 fatty acids and thought to help with cardiovascular disease .
