It is the best of times and the worst of times in the battle against cardiovascular disease. On the one hand, mortality rates from cardiovascular disease in the US have dropped by more than half in the last 30 years, likely due in large part to improvements in treatment for elevated blood pressure and cholesterol levels and big declines in smoking. On the other hand, it is uncertain whether these gains will continue, and many experts think that cardiovascular disease may well be on the rise once again, largely due to the aging of the population and to increases in obesity and diabetes.
In an article in Health Affairs, Ankur Pandya and colleagues (including cardiologist Thomas Gaziano of the Brigham and Women’s Hospital) forecast cardiovascular disease trends through the year 2030 using data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. They project that although the age-adjusted risk for cardiovascular disease is likely to continue to decline through 2030, because of an aging population and the increase in obesity the overall incidence of cardiovascular disease will increase.
…
Click here to read the full story on Forbes.
Speak Your Mind