Stroke is projected to rise significantly in women over the next 25 years, according to the American Heart Association.
The rate of stroke among adult women in the US is expected to increase from 4.1 per cent in 2020 to 6.7 per cent in 2050.
Obesity, diabetes and high blood pressure are fuelling broader increases in cardiovascular disease, even among much younger women.
Using historical trends from two national health surveys and census population forecasts, the association projected that the proportion of women with at least one type of cardiovascular disease will rise by more than a third, from 10.7 per cent in 2020 to 14.4 per cent in 2050.
Karen E. Joynt Maddox is professor of medicine and public health at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis and chair of the statement writing group.
She said: “One in every three women will die from cardiovascular disease, maybe it’s your grandmother, or your mother or your daughter.
“Additionally, more than 62 million women in the US are living with some type of cardiovascular disease and that comes with a price tag of at least US$200 billion, annually.
“Our estimates indicate that if we stay on the current path, these numbers will grow substantially over the next 25 to 30 years.”
Cardiovascular disease is already the leading cause of death for women in the US.
The most common form is coronary heart disease, which occurs when fatty deposits, known as plaque, build up in the heart’s arteries and restrict oxygen-rich blood flow to the heart muscle.
Other forms included in the projections are heart failure, where the heart struggles to fill with and pump blood, atrial fibrillation, an abnormal heart rhythm, and stroke.
Dr Stacey Rosen described the findings as “a call to action.”
Among adult women, coronary heart disease is projected to increase from 6.9 per cent in 2020 to 8.2 per cent in 2050.
Heart failure is expected to rise from 2.5 per cent to 3.6 per cent, while atrial fibrillation is projected to increase from 1.6 per cent to 2.3 per cent.
Maddox said ageing of the population is partly driving the projected increases.
She also highlighted rising rates of obesity, diabetes and high blood pressure among younger women as key contributors.
If current trends continue, high blood pressure among adult women is expected to rise from 48.6 per cent in 2020 to 59.1 per cent in 2050.
Diabetes rates could increase from 14.9 per cent to 25.3 per cent and obesity from 43.9 per cent to 61.2 per cent. Obesity among girls is also projected to rise from 19.6 per cent to 32 per cent.
Maddox said: “That’s setting up an entire generation of girls and young women to develop these cardiovascular diseases at a much younger age.”
Based on survey responses, the proportion of women who eat poorly or do not get enough exercise is expected to decline slightly, and smoking rates are projected to continue falling.
However, the share of women reporting sleep problems is expected to rise.
Most of the adverse trends are expected to be more pronounced among girls and women who identify as Black, Hispanic, Indigenous or multiracial.
The projections did not take into account the growing use of GLP-1 medicines for weight loss and type 2 diabetes.
Research has shown these drugs can also lower the risk of recurring heart attacks and heart failure episodes.
Rosen said their long-term impact on cardiovascular disease remains uncertain, adding: “The long-term safety is something that has to continue to be studied.”
