Heart disease continues to be the leading cause of death in the United States, according to the American Heart Association (AHA).
Despite decades of medical progress, rising rates of obesity, high blood pressure, and diabetes threaten to reverse many of the gains made in the field of cardiovascular health.
In 2022 alone, more than 941,000 Americans died from cardiovascular disease (CVD), up from 931,578 deaths in 2021.
“Did you know that in the U.S., someone dies of cardiovascular disease every 34 seconds? Nearly 2,500 people in the U.S. die from cardiovascular disease every day,” said Dr. Keith Churchwell, volunteer president of the AHA. “Those are alarming statistics to me – and they should be alarming for all of us, because it’s likely many among those whom we lose will be our friends and loved ones.”
The report also shows that nearly half of all adults in America now have high blood pressure. Over 72% have an unhealthy weight, including almost 42% who meet the criteria for obesity. More than half of adults are diabetic or prediabetic, all of which greatly elevates the risk of heart attacks, strokes, and kidney failure.
The AHA warns that if current trends continue, by 2050, over 180 million Americans could be living with hypertension or obesity. Diabetes could afflict more than 80 million, and the healthcare costs tied to cardiovascular disease could triple.
According to the report, Black women have the highest obesity rate at 57.9%, while Asian women have the lowest at 14.5%. Hispanic men top the list for diabetes at 14.5%, and Black women again lead in hypertension prevalence at 58.4%.
A particularly sobering statistic from the update: being overweight is now associated with nearly 500,000 deaths per year in America – now surpassing smoking, which had long held the title of most preventable cause of death.
Being overweight shortens life expectancy by as much as 2.4 years.
However, not all the news from the AHA is grim.
Smoking rates have dropped sharply since the 1960s. Thanks to better awareness and medications, cholesterol management has also improved. Tobacco use amongst the youth, including vaping, also fell in 2023.
The report also suggests that various new therapies and medical options for Americans are on the horizon. For example, a collection of new medications targeting obesity and metabolic disease is showing promise in early trials.
Still, AHA officials stress that treatment alone won’t turn the tide on heart disease, as it remains the leading cause of death.
“Too many people are dying from heart disease and from stroke which remains the 5th leading cause of death. Together, they kill more people than all cancers and accidental deaths – the #2 and #3 causes of death – combined,” Dr. Churchwell added.