Cardiovascular Diseases - Women in Montana

Montana

Cardiovascular diseases refer to several conditions resulting from plaque building up in arteries, including coronary artery disease, heart attack and stroke. Risk factors for cardiovascular diseases include high blood pressure, high cholesterol, obesity, physical inactivity, diabetes, smoking, excessive alcohol consumption, diets high in sodium and saturated fats and family history of heart disease or stroke. Additionally, multiple studies have found that women with a history of certain pregnancy complications are also at an increased risk of cardiovascular disease, and a significant proportion of pregnancy-related deaths are associated with cardiovascular conditions.

Cardiovascular diseases are responsible for 1 in 5 female deaths in the U.S. each year. More than 60 million women in the U.S. (44%) currently have a form of cardiovascular disease. By 2050, it is predicted that 60% of women will develop at least one type of cardiovascular disease.

In 2020-2021, the total direct and indirect costs of cardiovascular disease among women in the U.S. exceeded $155 billion. The American Heart Association predicts that health care costs attributable to cardiovascular conditions will nearly quadruple by 2050, with women seeing a significantly greater increase in costs (224%) than men (173%).

According to America’s Health Rankings analysis, the prevalence of cardiovascular diseases is higher among:

• Women ages 35-44 compared with women ages 18-34. 
• Women with less than a college education compared with women with a college degree.
• Women with an annual household income less than $25,000, who have a prevalence four times that of women with an income of $75,000 or more.
• Women living in nonmetropolitan areas compared with those in metropolitan areas. 
• Women who have difficulty with self-care, who have a prevalence nearly 11 times that of women without a disability.

Lifestyle changes such as eating more fruits and vegetables, getting regular physical activity, abstaining from smoking and limiting alcohol use can help individuals prevent cardiovascular diseases. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) also recommends that women check their blood pressure at least once a year, as high blood pressure can increase the risk of heart disease and often presents with no symptoms. Medical and lifestyle interventions, including increases in physical activity, smoking cessation and cholesterol and blood pressure management, have driven historical decreases in coronary heart disease mortality. 

The CDC has developed the Well-Integrated Screening and Evaluation for Women Across the Nation (WISEWOMAN) program to reduce the risk of heart disease among low-income and underserved women by providing screening and other necessary services. Individuals can use the American Heart Association’s Life’s Essential 8 checklist to assess their heart health and learn more about behaviors and factors involved in maintaining good cardiovascular health.

Healthy People 2030 has several objectives related to cardiac health, including:

• Improving cardiovascular health among adults.
• Reducing coronary heart disease deaths.
• Reducing stroke deaths.
• Increasing control of blood pressure in adults.
• Increasing cholesterol treatment in adults.

Additionally, the Million Hearts 2027 initiative is a national effort to prevent 1 million heart attacks and strokes within five years by promoting community and clinical prevention programs.

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