Nearly half of Americans will develop pre-existing cardiovascular disease conditions, analysis by RTI International shows.

A new study projects that by 2035, cardiovascular disease, the most costly and prevalent killer, if left unchecked, will place a crushing economic and health burden on the nation’s financial and health care systems. The study was conducted by RTI International for the American Heart Association.

According to the study, in the next two decades, the number of Americans with cardiovascular disease will rise to 131.2 million – 45 percent of the total U.S. population – with costs expected to reach $1.1 trillion.

The new projections are an update of those made by the association in 2011 that estimated around 100 million Americans would suffer from cardiovascular disease by 2030. Unfortunately, that prediction came true in 2015 – almost 15 years sooner than anticipated. That same year, the death rate from heart disease rose by 1 percent for the first time since 1969. This latest study projects that by 2035, there will be:

  • 123.2 million Americans with high blood pressure
  • 24 million coronary heart disease patients
  • 11.2 million suffering from stroke
  • 7.2 million Americans with atrial fibrillation

Some other key findings:

  • By age 45, your cardiovascular disease risk is 50 percent, at 65 it jumps to 80 percent
  • Black Americans will have the highest rates of cardiovascular disease by 2035, followed by Hispanics
  • Men will suffer from cardiovascular disease at a greater rate than women between now and 2035
  • RTI researchers conducted the analysis and developed the methodology for generating these projections.

Read the full article here.

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