Cardiovascular diseases affect nearly half of American adults, statistics show | American Heart Association
Nearly half of all U.S. adults have some type of cardiovascular disease, a percentage that reflects recently updated guidelines for treating high blood pressure, according to a new report. High blood pressure – also known as hypertension – can lead to heart attack, heart failure and stroke. "We're becoming more and more aware of the importance of high blood pressure. Levels we used to think were normal we now associate with worse outcomes, and treating them makes a big difference," said Dr. Emelia J. Benjamin, a professor of cardiology at Boston University and chair of the group that wrote the American Heart Association's "Heart Disease and Stroke Statistics-2019 Update". The report, published Thursday in the AHA journal Circulation, has been released annually since 1958 and is based on data from the National Institutes of Health and other government sources. This year's report said 121.5 million adults in the U.S. – 48 percent based on 2016 figures – have cardiovascular disease. Heart