Heart disease in US women expected to surge by 2050. See risk factors

New projections from the American Heart Association carry a grim warning: Worsening heart health for U.S. women.

Heart disease, already the leading cause of death for women in the United States, will soon become an even bigger issue impacting nearly 15% of the female population by 2050, according to projections published by the American Heart Association on Feb. 25.

In a review article published in the scientific journal Circulation, researchers from the AHA said that trends identified via two national health surveys and census information showed an alarming trajectory for the future of American women's cardiovascular health.

By 2050, it predictecd, 14.4% of women in the U.S. will experience cardiovascular disease and/or stroke, up from 10.7% in 2020. More specifically, researchers anticipate that coronary heart disease will jump from 6.9% in 2020 to 8.2% in 2050. Stroke will increase from 4.1% to 6.7%, while heart failure and atrial fibrillation will climb from 2.5% to 3.6% and 1.6% to 2.3%, respectively.

Coronary heart disease, also known as coronary artery disease, is currently the most common form of heart disease in the United States in both women and men, according to the National Institute of Health. It occurs when fatty deposits called plaque build up in the arteries (blood vessels that carry oxygen away from the heart and around the body), making them too narrow to move oxygen-rich blood to and from the heart effectively.

Stroke, second on the list of medical conditions expected to become more prevalent in the country, occurs when the blood supply to the brain is interrupted, either due to a blocked blood vessel or bleeding in the brain, according to Mayo Clinic.