TOPLINE:

JACC presented a comprehensive national report, “Cardiovascular Statistics in the United States, 2026,” summarizing the burden, quality of care, and mortality trends for major cardiovascular risk factors and conditions in the US. The report found that major risk factors were widespread or worsening in recent years, care lagged, certain death rates stopped improving, and disparities persisted.

METHODOLOGY:

• Researchers compiled a national data report on the burden, quality of care, and mortality trends for major cardiovascular risk factors and conditions in the US.
• They pooled data from nationally representative surveys, administrative claims, Medicare databases, clinical registries, death records, and published studies.
• The population comprised US adults (primarily aged ≥ 20 years) of both sexes and all racial or ethnic groups across urban and rural areas.
• Researchers examined data on risk factors between 2009 and 2023, and mortality analyses used data spanning multiple decades.
• The report focused on five key risk factors (hypertension, diabetes, obesity, high levels of low-density lipoprotein [LDL] cholesterol, and cigarette smoking) and five major cardiovascular conditions (coronary heart disease, acute myocardial infarction [MI], heart failure, peripheral artery disease [PAD], and stroke).

TAKEAWAY:

• Hypertension was present in about 1 in 2 US adults (as per the 2017 American College of Cardiology/American Heart Association threshold), with little net change noted from 2009 to 2023 when the older definition was used. Diabetes became more common, and diabetes-related deaths rose, especially among younger and low‑income adults. Obesity affected 40.1% of adults.
• Most high-risk adults failed to meet LDL cholesterol targets, and statins remained underused. Cigarette smoking rates declined from 20.3% to 14.5% between 2009 and 2023 but remained roughly twice as common among low-income adults. E-cigarette use rose among younger people.
• Coronary heart disease affected more than 20.5 million adults, with increased rates after 2019. Only about half of eligible patients received optimal medical therapy. Hospitalizations for acute MI reduced between 2004 and 2010 and then plateaued, with recent increases among younger adults.
• Heart failure affected about 6.7 million adults. Deaths related to heart failure reduced through 2011, but the trend reversed and rose sharply during the COVID period. PAD rates increased, and nearly half of patients who received peripheral vascular interventions were discharged without full guideline-directed medical therapy.
• Stroke accounted for nearly 1 in 20 deaths. The quality of in-hospital care for stroke improved over two decades, but gaps in timely treatment and wide disparities persisted.

IN PRACTICE:

“If we want a healthier future, we must understand how far we have come, how far we have yet to go, and what stands in our way. By putting data at the center of our collective awareness, we aim to help the cardiovascular community, including clinicians, researchers, policymakers, and the public, see the landscape clearly and chart a more effective path forward,” the researchers of the study wrote.

SOURCE:

The study was led by Rishi K. Wadhera, MD, MPP, MPH, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Boston. It was published online on January 12, 2026, in JACC.

LIMITATIONS:

Some data were incomplete, and deaths tied to certain conditions were not always recorded as the main cause of death; thus, the mortality rates may have been underestimated.

DISCLOSURES:

One author reported receiving grants from multiple sources, including the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute; the National Institute of Nursing Research at the National Institutes of Health; the American Heart Association Established Investigator Award; and the Donaghue Foundation. Wadhera and several other authors reported having financial and nonfinancial ties with and/or serving in advisory roles at various institutes, organizations, and companies, including the FDA, Novartis, and Amgen.

This article was created using several editorial tools, including AI, as part of the process. Human editors reviewed this content before publication.