The report discusses the increasing rates of heart failure, paired with the fast growing senior population, as being the “Silver Tsunami” heading towards the U.S. While the rate of heart disease rate has decreased, the death rate from heart failure has increased, especially for those 65+. Prevention is key to reducing heart failure deaths in our aging population. The research highlighted in the report was released in an article today in JAMA Cardiology. Check out the Wall Street Journal piece by Betsy McKay. And, listen to a podcast featuring Drs. Sidney & Rana discussing their research.
Calls attention to a disturbing trend in the overall death rate from cardiovascular disease (CVD) impacting people ages 45-64. While the overall death rate from CVD has declined considerably since 2000, the decline has been slower in the 45-64 age group. In fact, the death rate from CVD actually increased 2% from 2011-2016 in people ages 45-64. In 2016 alone, more than 120,000 people in this age group died from heart disease and stroke.
Cardiovascular diseases account for more than 30 percent of all deaths in the United States. For 22 years, thanks to significant advances in treatment and prevention, the rate of death from these diseases has steadily declined. Recent data shows that this downward trend has slowed, and, in fact, increased by 53,000 since 2011.