Heart Disease Statistics in the US and Risk Factors You Should Know

Cardiovascular disease is a major cause of death and disability in the United States. This includes the different conditions that fall under the umbrella of cardiovascular diseases, including coronary artery disease (CAD) involving the heart, cerebrovascular disease (CVD) involving the brain, and peripheral artery disease (PAD) involving all other arteries outside of the heart and brain.

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Cardiovascular Disease

According to the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI), around one in three deaths in the United States each year is the result of cardiovascular disease.

Expanding upon those statistics:

• Around 122 million adults in the United States have cardiovascular disease (or roughly half of the adult U.S. population). By 2035, that number is expected to balloon to 130 million people.
• By age 80, 78% of males and 77% of females will have some form of cardiovascular disease. After 80, the incidence increases to 86% of males and 85% of females.
  

In terms of cardiovascular mortality (death):

• Over 900,000 deaths each year are attributed to cardiovascular disease. That translates to around 2,400 deaths each day (or one death every 33 seconds).
  
• Cardiovascular diseases consistently rank as the leading cause of death in the United States, exceeding all forms of cancer.
• In 2024, the overall mortality rate due to cardiovascular diseases was 233.3 per 100,000.
• In 2024, the leading cause of death from cardiovascular disease was CAD, accounting for just under 80% of all deaths. Meanwhile, CVD accounted for around 17% of deaths, while PAD accounted for around 3%.
• Men are at 1.58 times greater risk of death from cardiovascular diseases than women.
• The mortality rate for cardiovascular diseases increases with age—from 65 per 100,000 for ages 35-64, 251 per 100,000 for ages 55-64, 505 per 100,000 for ages 65-74, and 1,495 per 100,000 for ages 75 and older.
• With that said, around one of every five deaths from cardiovascular diseases was among adults under 65 years of age.
• Black people in the United States are disproportionately affected and are 20% more likely to die from cardiovascular disease than White people.

The impact of cardiovascular disease on healthcare costs has increased due to the ever-rising rate of CAD, CVD, and PAD in the United States.

From 2020 to 2021 alone:

• The direct and indirect healthcare costs associated with cardiovascular disease were $417.9 billion. That includes $233.3 billion in direct costs and $184.6 billion in indirect costs.
• Direct costs for cardiovascular disease accounted for 11% of all healthcare expenditures in the U.S., running only second to musculoskeletal diseases.
  

Coronary Artery Disease

Coronary artery disease (CAD), also known as coronary heart disease (CHD) or simply heart disease, is the reduction of blood flow to the heart muscle due to the buildup of fatty plaques in the arteries of the heart.

Complications of CAD include angina (chest pain caused by reduced arterial blood flow), cardiac arrhythmia (irregular heartbeats), heart valve disease, heart failure (the inability of the heart to pump blood efficiently), and myocardial infarction (heart attack).

Statistically speaking:

• About 805,000 people in the U.S. have a heart attack each year, translating to one heart attack every 40 seconds. Of these, one in five is a "silent heart attack" with no notable symptoms.
• An estimated 6.5 million adults over age 20 have heart failure, with around 960,000 new cases occurring each year.
• Men are at greater risk of CAD than women. The lifetime risk of CAD in men with two or more risk factors for heart disease is around 37%, while the lifetime risk in females is closer to 18%.
• The highest burden of heart disease is centered around the southern United States, with Oklahoma, Mississippi, Alabama, Arkansas, Louisiana, and Tennessee having the highest rates overall.

In terms of mortality:

• Heart disease is the number one cause of death overall in the U.S.
• In 2022, just over 702,000 people died from heart disease, accounting for one of every five deaths in the U.S.
  
• Around one of every 8.5 deaths in the U.S. each year is due to a heart attack.
• In 2022, heart failure accounted for over 450,000 deaths (roughly 14% of all causes of death).
• Around 23% of Black people in the U.S. die from heart disease, far more than Asians (19%), Whites (18%), or Hispanics (12%). Today, no other racial or ethnic group is affected more by heart disease than Black adults.

The impact on healthcare costs is equally astonishing:

• From 2019 to 2020, heart disease costs accounted for $252.2 billion in healthcare expenditures, including the cost of healthcare services, medicines, and lost productivity due to death.
• Heart failure accounts for over $30 billion of these costs due to health care services, medicines to treat heart failure, and missed days of work.

Cerebrovascular Disease

Cerebrovascular disease (CVD) is a group of conditions where the blood supply to the brain is severely decreased, either due to ischemia (blockage of an artery), hemorrhage (rupture of an artery), or arterial malformation.

The three most common forms of CVD are ischemic stroke, hemorrhagic stroke, and transient ischemic attack (also known as a TIA or "mini-stroke"). (Because these are the predominant forms of cerebrovascular disease, many people regard CVD and stroke as synonymous.)

Statistically speaking:

• Around 3% of adults in the United States will get a stroke at some point in their lives.
• Around 2.2 million stroke diagnoses are reported every year.
• Every 40 seconds, someone in the United States has a stroke.
• The majority of strokes are ischemic, accounting for roughly 87% of all cases.
• One in four people who get a stroke will get a second one.
• While the risk of stroke increases with age, anyone can get one. Today, around 38% of people hospitalized for stroke are under age 65.
• Strokes occur at nearly double the rate among Black people as White people.

In terms of mortality:

• Strokes are the fourth leading cause of death overall in the United States.
• Among cardiovascular diseases. one in six deaths (17.5%) are due to stroke.
• In 2023, around 163,000 people died of a stroke, with a mortality rate of around 49 per 100,000 deaths. That translates to one death every three minutes.

Stroke-related costs in the United States came to around $56 billion between 2019 and 2020. This included the cost of health care services, medicines to treat stroke, and missed days of work.

Peripheral Artery Disease

Peripheral artery disease (PAD) is a group of conditions that causes the narrowing or blockage of arteries servicing parts of the body other than the heart and brain. PAD is a less common cause of death, but a condition that can cause severe disability due to the loss of blood flow to the arms, legs, hands, and feet.

Complications of PAD include blood clots, peripheral ischemia (where peripheral arteries are blocked), skin ulcers, and gangrene. PAD is also characterized by the formation of plaques that can break off and cause a heart attack or stroke.

Statistically speaking:

• PAD affects over 12 million people in the United States, or roughly 7% of the adult population.
• The risk of PAD increases with age. Only around 1% of people under 50 develop the disease, compared to 15% of people aged 70 and older.
• Unlike heart disease, the risk of PAD among men and women is more or less equal, with the risk increasing slightly among women after age 40.
• The current lifetime risk of PAD is 30% among Black people and 20% among White people.

In terms of mortality:

• Fewer than 3% of cardiovascular deaths are related to PAD.
• Many deaths are associated with the amputation of a leg due to severe peripheral ischemia caused by diabetes and other conditions.
• Between 52% and 80% of people who undergo a major amputation die within five years.
• Around 20% of people with PAD will experience a heart attack or stroke, which can also lead to death.

In terms of healthcare expenditure, $11.3 billion was spent on major amputations in 2015, while $18.6 billion was spent on minor amputations.

Risk Factors and Prevention

Many of the risk factors for coronary artery disease, cerebrovascular disease, and peripheral artery are the same. Chief among these are:

• Being overweight or having obesity
  
• Having diabetes
• High cholesterol
• High blood pressure
• Lack of physical activity
• Cigarette smoking
• Eating an unhealthy diet
• Excessive alcohol use

The strongest risk factors overall are high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and smoking. Forty-seven percent of Americans have one or more of these factors.

Even if you have risk factors for cardiovascular disease, there are changes you can make in your lifestyle that can reduce your risk.

Here are some tips that can help:

• Don’t smoke: If you have a hard time quitting, ask your healthcare provider about smoking cessation aids that can help.
• Maintain a healthy weight: A loss of 10% to 15% of your body weight can go a long way to reducing your risk if you have obesity.
• Watch your food choices: Do your best to eat lower amounts of saturated fat and sodium. Ask your doctor or a registered dietitian for help if you’re not sure what to eat.
• Get moving: Aim for 150 minutes of moderate physical activity per week, exercising on most days of the week.
• Reduce and manage stress: You can do this with exercise, improved sleep, and mind-body therapies like yoga, meditation, or breathing exercises.
• Manage other conditions: If you have other health conditions like diabetes, high blood pressure, and high cholesterol, keeping them under control with medications and lifestyle changes can reduce your risk of cardiovascular diseases.
  

Key Takeaways

• Cardiovascular diseases like coronary artery disease (CAD), cerebrovascular disease (CVD), and peripheral artery disease (PAD) are major causes of death and disability in the United States, affecting around half the adult population and killing over 900,000 people each year.
• CAD, also known simply as heart disease, accounts for the lion's share of diagnoses and deaths, with Black people disproportionately affected.
• By improving your diet, exercising regularly, maintaining a healthy weight, and quitting cigarettes, you can greatly reduce your risk of cardiovascular disease.