What drives the projection that 6 in 10 women will get heart disease by 2050?

Rising risk factors, ageing and missed detection

New projections from major cardiovascular experts predict a dramatic rise in the number of women who will develop heart disease and stroke by mid-century. The projection — that roughly six out of ten women could develop some form of cardiovascular disease by 2050 — reflects trends already underway in population health and care.

Several trends underlie the projection:

• Growing burden of metabolic risk factors: Rates of obesity, type 2 diabetes, and other metabolic conditions have been increasing. These conditions markedly raise lifetime cardiovascular risk.
• Population ageing: As the population gets older overall, more women will live to ages where cardiovascular disease becomes common.
• Gaps in detection and treatment: Evidence shows that women’s heart disease can be under-recognized. Differences in how disease presents and limits of some diagnostic tests can mean women get diagnosed later or receive less aggressive prevention and treatment.

Why it matters

Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death and disability for women, and the projection signals not only more illness but greater strain on health systems and families. Preventing that future will require coordinated action at multiple levels.

Key prevention and policy priorities include:

• Scaling up primary prevention: better control of blood pressure, lipids and diabetes; tobacco control; and weight-management programs.
• Improving early detection: tailored screening strategies and clinician awareness of sex-specific symptoms and test performance.
• Addressing social determinants: access to healthy food, safe places to exercise, and equitable health care coverage.

Without stronger prevention and early-detection efforts, the projected rise will translate into more hospitalizations, lost productivity, and avoidable deaths among women.