Additionally, heart disease can be a silent killer, lurking for decades before symptoms start to appear.
Nearly half of US adults have high blood pressure, for example, and almost three-quarters are overweight or obese.
Heart disease, also called cardiovascular disease, is a group of conditions that damage the heart and its blood vessels.
While high blood pressure rates stayed the same compared to 2021, diabetes and prediabetes rates increased from roughly 50 percent.
He noted that if the trends continue, 180million US adults will be diagnosed with high blood pressure and obesity.
Dementia or cancer may come to mind when you consider the leading causes of death in America.
However, experts are warning about a new disease that kills more people than both of those conditions combined.
Heart attack, stroke, and coronary artery disease—collectively known as cardiovascular disease—accounted for almost 1 million deaths in 2022, or one death every 30 seconds.
In contrast, dementia claims the lives of 288,000 Americans annually, while cancer claims about 600,000.
An increase in risk factors and a lack of awareness in comparison to other diseases like cancer could be the cause, according to American Heart Association researchers.
Furthermore, heart disease can be a silent killer that goes undetected for decades before any symptoms manifest.
While heart disease deaths may be beginning to level off for the first time since the pandemic, the team cautioned that heart disease risk factors are increasing.
For instance, nearly three-quarters of American adults are overweight or obese, and nearly half have high blood pressure.
By 2050, two-thirds of US adults will be obese and have high blood pressure, which will raise their risk of heart disease even more, the experts warned if current trends continue.
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With an unidentified congenital heart defect, 21-year-old Chloe Burke suffered a cardiac arrest while cheering at the University of Houston.
But there has been a decline in other risk factors, such as smoking, vaping, and high cholesterol.
Heart disease, also known as cardiovascular disease, is a collection of disorders that harm the heart’s blood vessels.
These include heart attacks, strokes, heart failure, coronary artery disease (narrow or blocked arteries), and arrhythmias (unusual rhythms).
Although heart disease deaths are “leveling off” following the pandemic, the experts cautioned that “a lot more work” is still required to reduce risk.
The results coincide with an increase in heart attacks and other cardiovascular conditions among young Americans.
Some have been linked to lifestyle problems like obesity and viruses like Covid, while others have been attributed to unidentified heart problems that were present from birth.
The American Heart Association’s volunteer president, Dr. Keith Churchwell, stated: “Those are alarming statistics to me – and they should be alarming for all of us, because it’s likely that many among those whom we lose will be our friends and our loved ones.”.
As the fifth most common cause of death, heart disease and stroke are taking the lives of far too many people. They collectively cause more deaths than all cancers and unintentional deaths, which are the second and third leading causes of death, respectively. “…
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Using the most recent data available, the study, which was published in the journal Circulation, discovered that cardiovascular disease was the cause of 941,652 deaths in 2022.
Compared to 2021, this represents a minor increase of 931,578.
But in 2022, the death rate dropped from 233 per 100,000 in 2021 to 224 per 100,000.
Additionally, the researchers discovered that eating “excess” calories—more than you burn—caused an additional 1,300 deaths every day, or 500,000 deaths annually.
There are also an increasing number of heart disease and stroke risk factors.
According to the study, 57 percent of US adults have been diagnosed with type 2 diabetes or prediabetes, and 47 percent have high blood pressure.
The rates of diabetes and prediabetes rose from about 50%, but the rates of high blood pressure remained unchanged from 2021.
In addition, 72% of adults have a body mass index (BMI) of at least 25, which is considered an “unhealthy” weight position. This is comparable to the previous year.
Also, it is estimated that four out of ten children in the United States weigh “unhealthily.”. This represents an increase from roughly 36% in 2021.
Despite significant advancements in the fight against cardiovascular disease over the last few decades, much more work needs to be done, according to Dr. Dhruv S. Kazi, an associate professor at Harvard Medical School.
According to him, 180 million adults in the US will receive a diagnosis of obesity and high blood pressure if current trends continue. Almost two-thirds of adults fall into this category.
By 2050, almost one in three Americans will have type 2 diabetes, according to his estimates.
Although Ms. Burke was unaware of it until she experienced a cardiac arrest, she was born with myocardial bridging. She spent four months in rehabilitation after undergoing open heart surgery.
According to the CDC’s most recent data, southern states are more vulnerable to high heart disease death rates.
And it is crucial to recognize that, even though cardiovascular disease affects everyone, not everyone is equally affected, Dr. Kazi continued. “.”.
The researchers discovered that Asian women had the lowest obesity rate at 14–5%, while Black women had the highest at 58%.
Additionally, Black women were the most likely to have high blood pressure (58 percent). For Hispanic women, the rate was the lowest at 35%.
Additionally, at 14.5 percent, Hispanic men were the most likely group to have diabetes. At 8%, white women had the lowest rate.
Nevertheless, the group also discovered that a few heart disease risk factors are declining.
For instance, according to the most recent data available, the smoking rate among men has decreased from 51% in 1965 to 16% in 2018. Additionally, over the same period, rates for women have dropped from 34% to 12%.
Matias Escobar, shown in the center, was 38 years old when he almost passed away during the 2023 New York City Triathlon. Since his blood pressure and cholesterol had been measured before the competition, doctors said his vital signs provided no hints.
Peripartum cardiomyopathy, a rare kind of heart failure that weakens the mother’s heart in the third trimester of pregnancy, is what Rebecca Smith (pictured) of the UK has. She will require medication for the remainder of her life after having two children.
Additionally, only 28% of high school students in 2023 reported using tobacco products at least once, down from 34% in 2022.
Additionally, there was a decline in vaping, which some preliminary studies have indicated may impair heart function. Compared to 14% in 2022, 10% of high school students reported using e-cigarettes in 2023.
According to Dr. Churchwell, “People can now live longer, healthier lives even after a cardiovascular event because of the numerous advancements in clinical diagnosis and treatment.” Previously, heart disease was thought to be fatal.
Any clinical or medical treatment that can address the risk factors that lead to CVD is unquestionably crucial. More significantly, I believe that we must prevent these risk factors from continuing to exist and maintain people’s health throughout their lives.
Only if early prevention and universal access to health care are prioritized will that be feasible. “.”.
