Nearly 6 out of 10 U.S. women will have some type of heart disease during the next 25 years, a trend driven by rising rates of high blood pressure, a new American Heart Association report says.

Almost 60% of women could have high blood pressure by 2050, up from about 50% in 2020, according to results published today in the journal Circulation.

“One in every three women will die from cardiovascular disease — maybe it’s your grandmother, or your mother or your daughter,” said lead author Dr. Karen Joynt Maddox, a professor of medicine and public health at the Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis.

“Additionally, more than 62 million women in the U.S. are living with some type of cardiovascular disease and that comes with a price tag of at least $200 billion, annually,” she said in a news release. “Our estimates indicate that if we stay on the current path, these numbers will grow substantially over the next 25 to 30 years.”

Using federal health data, researchers estimate that in addition to rising rates of high blood pressure:

• More than 25% of women will have diabetes, compared to about 15% now.

• More than 60% of women will have obesity, compared to about 44% today.

This trend will affect even younger generations, researchers said.

Nearly 32% of girls between 2 and 19 years of age are projected to have obesity by 2050. That’s likely caused by more than 60% of girls not getting enough exercise and more than half having poor diets, researchers said.

These chronic health problems increase women’s risk of heart disease, heart failure, abnormal heart rhythms and stroke.

“Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death for women and remains their No. 1 health risk overall,” Dr. Stacey Rosen, volunteer president of the American Heart Association, said in a news release.

“While many people may think these conditions like high blood pressure are only occurring in older women, we know this is not the case,” she said. “We know the factors that contribute to heart disease and stroke begin early in life, even among young women and girls.”

She called these trends especially disturbing. 

"It indicates they will be facing chronic health issues for most of their lives,” Rosen said.

Results also projected growing disparities among women of color:

• High blood pressure will increase most among Hispanic women, up by more than 15%.

• Obesity will increase the most among Asian women, up by nearly 26%.

• Black women will continue to have the highest rates of high blood pressure (70%), obesity (71%) and diabetes (28%), all of which impact heart health.

• About 40% of Black girls will have obesity by 2050.

“The impact is even greater among those experiencing adverse social determinants of health such as poverty, low literacy, rural residence and other psychosocial stressors,” Rosen said. “Identifying the types of trends outlined in this report is critical to making meaningful changes that can reverse this course.”

However, the report holds some good news.

Rates of high cholesterol are expected to decline among nearly all groups of women, researchers said. The team also projects improvements in habits like eating healthy, getting more exercise and quitting smoking.

As much as 80% of heart disease and stroke can be prevented through healthy behaviors, according to the association.

“The most efficient, effective and least costly way to reduce the prevalence and impact of cardiovascular disease is through prevention," Joynt Maddox said. 

"Yet, these projections signal that our current prevention efforts are inadequate, particularly for women of color and younger women,” she added. “In the report, we’ve identified several considerations to improve prevention, treatment and sustained care across the life course for all women.”