Cardiovascular disease comes with a plethora of health problems for the nearly half of all U.S. adults who have some form of it. The benefits of a healthy diet and exercise are no secret, but if trends continue, things are going to get worse before they get better.
A new study published in the American Heart Association's Circulation journal had some concerning predictions for the coming decades. The research found that by 2050, clinical cardiovascular disease will affect 45 million adults in the U.S.
Clinical cardiovascular disease refers to any one of a range of conditions affecting the heart or blood vessels such as coronary artery diseases (including angina and heart attack), heart failure, arrhythmia, carditis, cardiomyopathy, hypertensive heart disease, rheumatic heart disease, congenital heart disease, valvular heart disease, aortic aneurysms, peripheral artery disease, thromboembolic disease, and venous thrombosis.
The number is even higher when it comes to cardiovascular diseases including hypertension (high blood pressure), which could affect more than 184 million by 2050. That's about 61 percent of the adult population.
Part of this shift has to do with the changing demographics of the country. "The last of the baby boomers will hit 65 in 2030, so about one in five people in the U.S. will be over 65, outnumbering children for the first time in U.S. history," study co-author Dhruv Kazi said in a news release. "Since cardiovascular risk increases with age, the aging population increases the total burden of cardiovascular disease in the country."
Related: There's a New Way to Lower Your Risk for Cardiovascular Disease: Take a Bath
The numbers are even more concerning for Hispanic, Asian, and multiracial groups in the U.S. as they continue to make up more of the general population. "By 2060, more than two-thirds of children will belong to underserved, disenfranchised populations, which traditionally have higher rates of cardiovascular disease and risk factors," Kazi pointed out.
"The last decade has seen a surge of cardiovascular risk factors such as uncontrolled high blood pressure, diabetes, and obesity, each of which raises the risks of developing heart disease and stroke," he said. With the latest prediction, costs related to cardiovascular disease are expected to triple to $1.8 trillion by 2050. "It is not surprising that an enormous increase in cardiovascular risk factors and diseases will produce a substantial economic burden," he said.
Now more than ever, it's crucial to not let yourself become part of a statistic.
