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Topics: Health
Callum Jones
Experts are warning cases of the leading cause of death for women in the US are set to increase by a staggering third over the next 25 years.
The findings were published in the journal Circulation on Wednesday (February 25), after the team over at the American Heart Association looked into historical trends from two national surveys, as well as census predictions of population growth.
The findings found that the percentage of women with at least one type of cardiovascular disease, the leading cause of death for women in the US, will increase by more than a third in the coming years, from 10.7 percent in 2020 to 14.4 percent in 2050.
It's believed that the expected increase will be caused by a number of increases in other heath issues such as high blood pressure, diabetes and obesity.
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Stacey E. Rosen, volunteer president of the American Heart Association, who worked on the findings, said: "Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death for women and remains their number one health risk overall.
"While many people may think these conditions like high blood pressure are only occurring in older women, we know this is not the case. We know the factors that contribute to heart disease and stroke begin early in life, even among young women and girls.
"The impact is even greater among those experiencing adverse social determinants of health such as poverty, low literacy, rural residence and other psychosocial stressors. Identifying the types of trends outlined in this report is critical to making meaningful changes that can reverse this course."
While older women will continue to have the highest rates of cardiovascular disease, young women will also be greatly impacted, according to the American Heart Association.
By 2050, it's expected that a third of women aged between 22 and 44 will have some type of cardiovascular disease, compared to the one in four currently.
Diabetes rates in that age category are also expected to more than double, from six percent currently to a staggering 16 percent.
Rosen added: "This trend in increased health risks among girls and young women is particularly disturbing, as it indicates they will be facing chronic health issues for most of their lives. Women are already at increased risk for so many of these health conditions due to factors unique to them throughout their lifespan.
"Significant health changes during pregnancy, perimenopause and menopause make it particularly important to pay close attention to increases in health risk factors during those times."
More generally, the report looking at current trends found that nearly 60 percent of women will have high blood pressure by 2050, compared to fewer than half currently, and more than 25 percent of women will have diabetes, compared to about 15 percent currently.
Additionally, more than 60 percent of women will have obesity, compared to about 44 percent currently.