The number of women with risk factors for cardiovascular disease could significantly increase over the next 25 years, the American Heart Association (AHA) warned on Wednesday.
Without improving prevention and early detection tools, about six in 10 women could be diagnosed with hypertension or obesity by 2050, and risk factors could appear in children and teenagers as well, according to the AHA’s scientific statement.
“Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death, and fewer than half of women know that fact,” Dr. Stacey Rosen, executive director of Katz Institute for Women’s Health and volunteer president of the AHA, told ABC News. “And the percentage of awareness is even lower in African Americans and Hispanics.”
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Published in the journal Circulation, the AHA’s projections suggest that 59.1% of women could have high blood pressure by 2050 — up from 48.6% in 2020 — even as diet, physical activity and smoking rates are projected to improve.
About one in four women may have diabetes in 2050, up from 14.9% in 2020, and more than 60% are estimated to have obesity, an increase from 43.9% over the same period, according to the report.
Heart health risk factors won’t hit all demographic groups of women equally, the report predicted.
STOCK PHOTO/Getty Images – PHOTO: A woman patient at a doctor’s office in an undated stock photo.
High blood pressure will increase the most among Hispanic women with a projected rise of 15%, the report noted.
Additionally, more than 70% of Black women could have high blood pressure and obesity may increase the most among Asian women by nearly 26%.
Young women and girls may also see an increase in heart risk factors, partially driven by less opportunity for exercise as well as an abundance of inexpensive foods that often are not heart health.
Estimates also suggest that nearly one-third of girls between ages 2 and 19 will have obesity, an increase from 19.6% with obesity in 2020.
Dr. Jennifer Miao, a board-certified cardiologist, told ABC News that earlier hormonal changes in girls may also contribute to cardiovascular risk later in life.
“Several studies have also shown that starting menstruation at an early age can lead to increased risk of heart disease down the road,” she said.
Miao said she counsels parents that it’s never too early to start thinking of heart health for their children by “choosing good foods, physical activity over screen time and regular pediatrician check-ups.”
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Despite the report’s predictions, Rosen stressed that meaningful progress for women’s heart health is still within reach.
“As a medical community, we have amazing tools to treat disease and detect it early, but lack when it comes to primary prevention,” Rosen said, adding that managing diseases like obesity requires a time intensive, multidisciplinary approach that the current U.S. health care system is not built to support.
She also said that optimizing health doesn’t require a costly gym membership or expensive organic foods.
“Every bit of movement counts, whether that means taking a walk or standing more if you work at a desk,” Rosen said.
Small, sustainable changes, like cutting back on sweetened beverages, can make a meaningful difference over time, she said.
Miao added that both the medical community and local leaders can do their part. By partnering with local health clinics, expanding home visit programs and leveraging telemedicine, health systems can extend their reach and bring essential care directly to isolated and underserved populations.
Takisha Morancy, MD, is a chief emergency medicine resident, medical ethics fellow and member of the ABC News Medical Unit.
