February is American Heart Month, and in celebration of that, we have some shocking news to share. According to a prospective study published this week in the American Medical Association’s JAMA Network Open, postmenopausal women who suffer both social isolation and loneliness had a 27 percent increased risk of heart disease.
“Social isolation and loneliness were linked to an elevated risk of the incident (cardiovascular disease) among older women in the United States,”. “This suggests that interventions to reduce social isolation and loneliness in this population are needed.” Between March 2011 and March 2019, the research was conducted. The Women’s Health Initiative Study included 57,825 women in the United States between the ages of 65 and 99.
There was no history of myocardial infarction (heart attack), stroke, or coronary heart disease among the ladies, according to reports. Loneliness and social isolation are two ideas that are similar but not identical. A person may be lonely without being socially isolated, or vice versa. Social distance, limiting interactions, and quarantining are some of the COVID mitigation techniques that have been implemented to combat the epidemic.
Those efforts, however, could have a significant long-term impact on women’s cardiovascular health and risk profiles. While National Wear Red Day is set for Friday, Feb. 4, 2022, to raise awareness about heart disease in women, take a look at this by-the-numbers look at general cardiovascular health-related statistics in the United States.
Heart disease by the numbers
1) According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), which cited the Interactive Summary Health Statistics for Adults: National Health Interview Survey, heart disease is the leading cause of death among men and women of most racial and ethnic groups in the United States.
2) According to CDC data, 4.6 percent of Americans will be diagnosed with coronary heart disease at some time in their lives by 2020.
3) According to the CDC’s National Center for Health Statistics, heart disease was the cause of one out of every five female deaths in the United States in 2017. According to the American Heart Association, that number could be closer to one in three.
4) According to the CDC, someone in the United States dies from heart disease every 36 seconds.
5) Every year, 805,000 people in the United States suffer a heart attack. About 20% of heart attacks are “silent,” meaning the person isn’t aware of it but the damage has already been done.
6) According to the CDC’s heart disease data, 18.2 million persons aged 20 and up have coronary artery disease.
7) According to Health line, overall costs related to cardiovascular disease might reach $1.1 trillion — that’s trillion with a “t” — by 2035.
8) The American Heart Association and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention both feature information on their websites for people interested in learning more about American Heart Month and heart health.
