Jennifer Mendoza
Research expert covering health, pharma and medtech
Cardiovascular disease in the U.S. - Statistics & Facts
Heart disease is the leading cause of death in the United States, accounting for around 21 percent of all deaths in 2022. Cardiovascular disease is a general term that is used to refer to many different conditions that affect the heart, including coronary heart disease, the most common type of heart disease, as well as heart failure, rheumatic heart disease, myocardial infarction (heart attack), and stroke. In addition to the loss of life, cardiovascular diseases also have a significant economic burden and although many cases are preventable by avoiding known risk factors, the risk of these diseases increases greatly with age. From 2019 to 2022, around 15 percent of those aged 65 years and older in the United States had been diagnosed with heart disease.
