The findings, published in Communications Medicine, are based on nearly two decades of electronic health records from more than 650,000 U.S. adults with IBS, making it the largest real-world study to examine the long-term safety of IBS treatments.

IBS is a chronic gastrointestinal condition affecting about 10% of the U.S. population. There is no cure, but dietary modifications, behavioral therapy and medications can help manage symptoms.

“Many patients are diagnosed with IBS at a young age and may remain on medications for years,” said Ali Rezaie, MD, medical director of the GI Motility Program at Cedars-Sinai and senior author of the study. “However, most clinical trials of these medications last less than a year, so we know very little about their long-term safety. This study begins to address that gap.”

Researchers assessed patients taking Food and Drug Administration-approved IBS medications, as well as antidepressants, antispasmodics and opioid-based antidiarrheal drugs, such as loperamide and diphenoxylate—widely used and recommended in IBS care. They found that long-term antidepressant use was associated with a 35% higher risk of death, and that loperamide and diphenoxylate use were associated with roughly double the risk of death.

The study does not establish that these medications directly cause death; rather, the observed associations may reflect higher rates of adverse outcomes, such as cardiovascular events, falls and stroke, which were more frequent among exposed patients.

Although antidepressants are not FDA-approved for IBS, they are commonly prescribed for IBS patients to help reduce pain, calm symptoms and make the condition easier to manage. The study found that other recommended treatments, including FDA-approved medications and antispasmodics, were not associated with increased mortality risk.

Researchers emphasized that while the increase in risk is significant and may sound concerning, the overall risk to any individual patient is small.

“IBS patients should not panic, but they do need to understand and weigh the small but meaningful risks when considering long-term treatments,” said Rezaie, the director of Bioinformatics at the Medically Associated Science and Technology (MAST) Program at Cedars-Sinai. “Patients should speak with their healthcare provider about the safest and most effective options for managing their symptoms.”

Rezaie said more research is needed to confirm these findings and identify which patients may be at greatest risk. He also called for future treatment guidelines to better address the long-term safety of medications commonly used to manage IBS.

In the meantime, he emphasized a more personalized approach to IBS patient care.

“Treatment for IBS patients should focus on identifying the underlying causes and using the safest, evidence-based options available rather than relying on a single class of medications for long-term management,” Rezaie said.

Additional Cedars-Sinai authors include Sepideh Mehravar, MD, Yee Hui Yeo, MD, and Mark Pimentel, MD.

Other authors include Parnian Naji, MD, Wee Han Ng, Nils Burger, PhD, and Will Takakura, MD.

Conflicts of Interest: Mark Pimentel is also a consultant for and received grant support from Bausch Health. Ali Rezaie reports serving as a consultant for Bausch Health and Ardelyx. In addition, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center has a licensing agreement with Gemelli Biotech. Ali Rezaie and Mark Pimentel have equity in Gemelli Biotech and Good LFE. The remaining authors disclose no conflicts.

This ‘overview’ of systematic reviews summarises existing evidence from several systematic reviews and makes the findings more accessible.  The overview pooled the evidence from fourteen systematic reviews of smoking cessation interventions from 2014 to 2023.

Findings from higher-quality reviews consistently showed greater smoking cessation with nicotine-containing e‑cigarettes than other interventions. Lower-quality reviews produced more variable and imprecise estimates. When restricted to higher-quality evidence, results consistently favoured nicotine e‑cigarettes over nicotine replacement therapy, non-nicotine e-cigarettes, and other comparators.

The overview also created an ‘Evidence and Gap Map’ (EGM) to identify gaps in the current evidence that urgently need to be filled.  There are currently no high-quality systematic reviews directly comparing nicotine e-cigarettes with cytisine, bupropion, or nicotine pouches.  Also, direct evidence comparing nicotine e-cigarettes with varenicline is extremely limited, with only a single small trial at high risk of bias.

The EGM also showed that current evidence of serious adverse events associated with e-cigarettes is inconclusive, and that most of the studies collected data from high-income countries.  Future primary research on e-cigarettes for smoking cessation should continue to collect data on serious adverse events and expand its data collection to include low-and middle-income countries.

Lead author DrAngela Difeng Wu, Senior Researcher and Lecturer at the Nuffield Department of Primary Care Health Sciences, University of Oxford, says “We hope this overview and Evidence and Gap Map can lay to rest some claims that evidence is ‘mixed’ regarding the impacts of nicotine e-cigarettes on smoking abstinence.  In fact, the evidence is clear and consistent across all of the meta-analyses we consulted:  e-cigarettes are effective at helping people stop smoking.”

To speak with lead author Dr Angela Difeng Wu, please contact her at the Nuffield Department of Primary Care Health Sciences, University of Oxford by email (angela.wu@phc.ox.ac.uk).

Full citation for article: Wu AD, Conde M, Butler AR, Knight E, Lindson N, Livingstone-Banks J, Hajek P, McRobbie H, Begh R, Theodoulou A, Notley C, Turner T, Zhitnik E, and Hartmann-Boyce J. Electronic Cigarettes for Smoking Cessation: An Overview of Systematic Reviews and Evidence and Gap Map.  Addiction. 2026. DOI: 10.1111/add.70388.

The results suggest that the five-year risk of major cardiovascular events such as heart attacks and the risk of end-stage kidney disease were reduced by 15% and 19%, respectively, for the patients taking GLP-1-RA drugs such as semaglutide (Ozempic) and tirzepatide (Mounjaro). For the study, the researchers analyzed electronic health records data on about 175,000 type 1 diabetes patients in the U.S.

About 2 million Americans, including 314,000 children and adolescents, have been diagnosed with type 1 diabetes, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The autoimmune disorder destroys the pancreas’s insulin-producing cells and requires lifelong insulin injections to control blood sugar levels.

The risks of side effects of particular concern for type 1 diabetes patients taking GLP-1-RAs—severe hypoglycemia and diabetic ketoacidosis; a severe lack of insulin, causing acid accumulation in the blood—were not increased among the patients taking these drugs.

The findings were published online March 19 in Nature Medicine.

“These risk reductions for heart and kidney disease outcomes are comparable to what we’ve seen for type 2 diabetes patients taking GLP-1-RA drugs, and it’s reassuring that we saw no sign of any new safety issues,” says study senior author Jung-Im Shin, MD, PhD, an associate professor in the Bloomberg School’s Department of Epidemiology.

Patients with type 1 diabetes face high lifetime risks of cardiovascular and kidney disease. Chronic excess blood sugar promotes atherosclerosis that leads to heart attacks and strokes, and elevated blood-sugar levels can damage the kidney’s urine-filtering structures. There have been few GLP-1-RA clinical trials that measure these outcomes in patients with type 1 diabetes.

Landmark clinical trials have found that GLP-1-RA drugs lower the risks of major cardiovascular events and kidney failure in type 2 diabetes patients by roughly 20%. An estimated 29 million Americans have been diagnosed with type 2 diabetes, according to the CDC.

“The type 1 diabetes population, compared to the type 2 diabetes population, is relatively small and relatively young, so it is inherently difficult to conduct a large-scale clinical trial that can show clear differences in cardiovascular and kidney event rates in this population within a reasonable time,” Shin says.

Two small trials in type 1 diabetes patients a decade ago suggested that the combination of insulin treatment and a GLP-1-RA could cause potentially severe low blood sugar levels (hypoglycemia), and reducing insulin to minimize this risk could cause a different serious complication called diabetic ketoacidosis.

For the new study, the researchers used de-identified electronic health records from a large commercial database covering patients from more than 60 health systems across the U.S. The analysis included 174,678 type 1 diabetes patients and covered January 2013 through March 2024. The team used a “sequential target trial emulation” design—mimicking a clinical trial-type protocol—and accounted for baseline differences between those who began taking GLP-1-RAs and those who didn’t.

The average five-year risk of major cardiovascular events was 4.3% in the GLP-1-RA group vs. 5.0% in the non-GLP-1-RA group, a relative risk reduction of about 15%. The data also suggested a risk reduction of about 21% for heart attacks and 16% for all-cause mortality. The five-year risk of end-stage kidney disease was 1.6% for the GLP-1-RA group vs. 1.9% for the non-GLP-1-RA group, for an estimated relative risk reduction of 19% among those taking GLP-1-RA.

The analysis also found that the GLP-1-RA group had estimated risk reductions of 18% for heart failure, and 28% for major adverse liver events. Patients who initiated GLP-1-RAs also were about 22% more likely to achieve weight loss of at least 10% over five years.

Safety-related outcomes were similarly encouraging. Estimated risks of hospitalization for hypoglycemia and for diabetic ketoacidosis were significantly lower—18% and 17% respectively—in the GLP-1-RA group.

“These findings suggest that physicians are being relatively careful when selecting the type 1 diabetes patients who will receive these drugs, and that the patients are adjusting their insulin doses appropriately,” Shin says. “While our study fills a critical knowledge gap and informs clinical practice for type 1 diabetes patients, ultimately large clinical trials are needed to confirm these findings.”

This study has limitations, including unmeasured confounding due to the nature of observational study design despite the rigorous adjustment methods, and potential misclassification of type 1 diabetes. In addition, only hospitalized cases of hypoglycemia and diabetic ketoacidosis were captured in this study.

“Glucagon-Like Peptide-1 Receptor Agonists for Major Cardiovascular and Kidney Outcomes in Type 1 Diabetes” was co-authored by Yunwen Xu, Natalie Daya Malek, Alexander R. Chang, Justin B. Echouffo-Tcheugui, Elizabeth Selvin, Morgan E. Grams, Michael Fang, and Jung-Im Shin.

Support for the study was provided by the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (R01 DK139324, R01 DK115534, K01 DK138273).

High blood pressure (hypertension) damages the heart and is an indicator of heart disease risk. Taking proactive steps to control blood pressure can help prevent life-threatening cardiac events, yet the risks of uncontrolled hypertension may be overlooked among young women and their clinicians. Previous research has examined hypertensive heart disease risks primarily in men and post-menopausal women; this study is among the first to focus on younger women.

“Rising mortality for young women with hypertensive heart disease reflects an underestimation of cardiovascular risk, delayed diagnosis and missed opportunities for early intervention,” said Alexandra Millhuff, DO, a resident physician at the University of New Mexico and the study’s lead author. “This study underscores the urgent need for specific prevention strategies.”

Lifestyle modifications such as quitting smoking, eating a heart-healthy diet and exercising more are the first steps in managing high blood pressure, with the option to add blood pressure lowering medications if needed. If left unmanaged, having high blood pressure for an extended period can weaken the heart muscle and lead to heart failure, coronary artery disease, heart attacks and strokes. The new ACC/AHA Guideline for the Prevention, Detection, Evaluation and Management of High Blood Pressure in Adults emphasizes the importance of earlier treatment to keep blood pressure below 130/80 mm Hg.

Researchers analyzed death certificate data from U.S. women who died between the ages of 25 years and 44 years to assess rates of death attributed to hypertensive heart disease during the study period. In 1999, the results showed that hypertensive heart disease accounted for 1.1 of every 100,000 deaths that occurred in young women. By 2023, that rate had risen over fourfold, accounting for 4.8 out of every 100,000 deaths within this population. Over 29,000 women died from hypertensive heart disease-related death during the study period.

The study also revealed striking differences based on factors like race and geography. Non-Hispanic Black women had the highest hypertension-related mortality rate over the study period at 8.6 per 100,000, compared to 2.3 per 100,000 in non-Hispanic White Americans. Across U.S. regions, women in the South had the highest hypertension-related mortality rate at 3.8 per 100,000, compared to 2.8 in the Midwest, 2.2 in the Northeast and 1.9 in the West. No differences were found among women living in urban versus rural areas.

Many studies have shown that women are prescribed blood pressure lowering medications at lower rates than men, and researchers said that heart disease treatment and awareness efforts have often focused on men or postmenopausal women, with less attention to assessing cardiovascular risk in younger women.

“We need to be screening patients of this demographic for hypertension more aggressively, and that includes mitigating risk factors and possibly using antihypertensive medications,” Millhuff said. “Even though hypertension is more prevalent in older populations, it’s something that we need to be vigilant about in younger populations, as well.”

The researchers said that women face specific cardiovascular risks related to hormonal and other physiological changes that occur during pregnancy and perimenopause. They emphasized the importance of controlling blood pressure and addressing other risk factors to ensure women are in optimal health before going through menopause or considering becoming pregnant.

Since most young women do not regularly see a cardiologist, the researchers emphasized the role of primary care and women’s health providers in screening for and managing hypertension in this patient population. They said that women can play an active role by asking their doctors about their cardiovascular risk and opportunities to better manage their health.

For more information about high blood pressure, visit www.CardioSmart.org/BloodPressure.

Millhuff will present the study, “Rising Hypertensive Heart Disease Mortality in Young Women: 25-Year Trends and Disparities,” on Sunday, March 29, at 9:30 a.m. CT / 14:30 UTC in Posters, Hall E.

ACC.26 will take place March 28-30, 2026, in New Orleans, bringing together cardiologists and cardiovascular specialists from around the world to share the newest discoveries in treatment and prevention. Follow @ACCinTouch, @ACCMediaCenter and #ACC26 for the latest news from the meeting.

Safe Sips: Navigating Drink Spiking is a free event in which members of ARU’s Spiking Research Team will explain what drink spiking is, outline its effects on survivors and share the latest national findings.

Since 2021, forensic science academics at ARU have partnered with the UK’s leading alcohol charity Drinkaware to track the prevalence of drink spiking through national surveys, undertaken by YouGov.

The most recent survey, carried out in summer 2025 and involving 7,256 UK adults, found that approximately 2% of adults reported being a victim of drink spiking in the previous 12 months. When extrapolated across the UK population, this equates to nearly one million people.

However, fewer than one in four (23%) of those who experienced drink spiking contacted the police. The most common reasons given for not reporting were not believing action would be taken by the police (39%) and not clearly remembering what had happened (38%).

Women were more likely to experience spiking, accounting for 58% of cases. The most frequently reported locations were bars (41%), social events (26%) and nightclubs (25%), with the highest number of incidents reported by adults aged 25-34.

Drink spiking involves adding a substance to someone’s drink without their knowledge. Substances may include illegal or pharmaceutical drugs, or alcohol, and incidents are most commonly associated with sexual assault, physical assault, theft and “pranks”. Giving someone stronger alcohol than they asked for, for example a double shot rather than a single, would also be classed as drink spiking.

As well as investigating the scale of drinking spiking in the UK, the ARU Spiking Research Team carry out extensive research into the types of samples that can be tested following suspected spiking and the detection kits and protective products that are marketed to the public.

The Cambridge Festival event will be led by Dr Lata Gautam, an expert in forensic and analytical chemistry, whose research focuses on drug analysis, the detection of drugs in spiked drinks and drug-facilitated sexual assaults.

Dr Gautam, Associate Professor in Forensic Science at ARU, said: “Drink spiking has increased in the public’s consciousness in recent years, but our latest findings show that far too many cases still go unreported. With more than three quarters of victims not coming forward, it’s vital that we raise awareness about the importance of contacting the police and seeking support.

“At the same time, there remain significant challenges in identifying the different substances used in spiking. This talk will share our latest research into analysing drink residues, as well as our evaluations of drink testing kits and other anti-spiking products that are being sold to the public.”

Annabelle Bonus, Director of Research, Strategy and Impact at Drinkaware, said: “Drink spiking is a serious crime that can happen to anyone, anywhere. With our survey suggesting that more than a million people are affected each year, it is vital that victims feel confident reporting it to the police.

“For more information, advice and support visit the Drinkaware website or the UK government support pages on drink spiking.”

Safe Sips: Navigating Drink Spiking will take place at ARU’s Cambridge campus on Saturday, 21 March at 3pm and is one of more than 40 free Cambridge Festival events hosted by ARU. To register, visit https://www.aru.ac.uk/events/cambridge-festival/safe-sips-navigating-drink-spiking

The study analyzed over 246,822 U.S. adults with atherosclerotic heart disease, a condition caused by plaque buildup in arteries. Its findings add to mounting evidence that the shingles vaccine not only protects against shingles, but may also reduce the risk of other health issues such as heart problems and dementia.

“This vaccine has been found over and over again to have cardioprotective effects for reducing heart attack, stroke and death,” said Robert Nguyen, MD, a resident physician at the University of California, Riverside and the study’s lead author. “Looking at the highest risk population, those with existing cardiovascular disease, these protective effects might be even greater than among the general public.”

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends the shingles vaccine for all adults age 50 years and older and for younger adults who have weakened immune systems. The vaccine protects against herpes zoster, an illness that causes a painful rash and can sometimes lead to long-term nerve pain. It occurs when the virus that causes chickenpox becomes reactivated in the body, typically long after the initial chickenpox infection has resolved.

Previous studies suggest that a shingles infection can cause blood clots to form around the brain and heart, raising the risk of events such as heart attacks, strokes and venous thromboembolism. By preventing the infection, the shingles vaccine is thought to also help prevent the formation of these dangerous clots.

For the current study, researchers used TriNetX, a database that includes health records of millions of Americans, to assess rates of serious cardiac events in people age 50 years or older with atherosclerotic disease between 2018-2025. The study included 123,411 people who had received at least one dose of either the Shingrix or Zostavax shingles vaccine and the same number of people who had not received any doses of shingles vaccine. Demographics and other health conditions were similar between the two groups.

When researchers examined cardiac events occurring between one month and one year after shingles vaccination (or the same time period for unvaccinated individuals), they found that vaccination was associated with a lower risk across all outcomes studied. Vaccinated individuals were 46% less likely to suffer any major adverse cardiac event and 66% less likely to die from any cause. They were also 32% less likely to suffer a heart attack, 25% less likely to suffer a stroke and 25% less likely to develop heart failure.

These levels of risk reduction are substantial, comparable to what would be expected from quitting smoking, Nguyen said, adding that the findings support recommendations for all adults over age 50 to get vaccinated.

“Vaccines are one of the most important medicines we have to prevent disease,” he said. “Sometimes patients are unsure about whether they should get a vaccine or not, particularly in an age of disinformation. These results provide another reason for them to elect to get the vaccine.”

The study focused only on outcomes during the first year after shingles vaccination, so researchers noted that the lifetime impacts may differ from those observed during this time period. A previous study released in 2025 found getting the shingles vaccine was associated with a 23% lower risk of cardiovascular events in a healthy general population, and the vaccine’s cardioprotective effects may last for up to eight years.

Another limitation of the current study is that people who get vaccinated may tend to have healthier behaviors than those who do not get vaccinated. Although the researchers controlled for some health behaviors and socioeconomic factors (problems related to housing and economic circumstances, social environment, employment status, education and literacy), the study may overestimate the benefits that are independently attributable to preventing shingles infections. However, researchers said the study’s large size and statistical methodology still support a high degree of confidence that the shingles vaccine is associated with a significant reduction in cardiovascular risk.

Nguyen will present the study, “Herpes Zoster Vaccination and Risk of Cardiovascular Events in Patients with Atherosclerotic Cardiovascular Disease,” on Monday, March 30, at 12:30 p.m. CT / 17:30 UTC in Posters, Hall E.

New research from the University of Waterloo helps answer that question.

Using a mathematical model of the cardiovascular and kidney systems, Waterloo researchers have identified which of estrogen’s many effects play the biggest role in protecting against hypertension. Their findings suggest that estrogen’s ability to relax and widen blood vessels, known as vasodilation, is the key factor.

The research also points to more effective treatment options for women after menopause, when estrogen levels naturally decline.

“Estrogen is often thought of only in terms of reproductive health, but it plays a much broader role in how the body functions,” said Anita Layton, Canada 150 Research Chair Laureate in Mathematical Biology and Medicine and professor of Applied Mathematics. “It affects how blood vessels respond, how the kidneys regulate fluids and how different systems communicate with one another. What we found is that its impact on blood vessels is especially important for regulating blood pressure.”

Layton’s team has worked for years on their award-winning mathematical model of women’s kidneys and the cardiovascular system. This model allows far more flexibility and precision than scientists would have working in a lab or with human subjects. “We can turn on one effect, then another, and see exactly how each one affects the body,” Layton said. While no mathematical model is perfect, Layton’s model is based on existing laboratory data and its results are continually validated when compared to real-world observations, suggesting its accuracy and reliability.

Between the two popular anti-hypertensive drugs, the model predicted that angiotensin receptor blockers will be more effective than angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitors in treating women with hypertension, even after their estrogen levels decline post-menopause.

“For too long, women’s health, especially older women’s health, has been overlooked by medicine,” Layton said. “Understanding how age and sex affect the body and, therefore, treatment, is an equity issue.”

The research reflects the University of Waterloo’s Health Futures focus, bringing together experts in mathematics, engineering and health sciences to develop more equitable, technology-enabled approaches to improving health outcomes.

The research, “Modulation of blood pressure by estrogen: A modeling analysis,” appears in Math Biosci.

COPD, which includes emphysema and chronic bronchitis, affects more than 30 million Americans and is the fourth leading cause of death worldwide. It can be caused by genetics and irritants like smoke or pollution.

Inhaled medicines can help improve symptoms and reduce exacerbations. However, studies have shown that approximately 43% to 58.7% of people do not take their medication as prescribed by their physician, leading to higher rates of hospital admissions and increased mortality.

In a new study, researchers examined a group of 2,521 participants from the COPD Genetic Epidemiology (COPDGene^®) study, who completed social and economic surveys. Cost-related nonadherence was reported in 16.2% (408) of those participants. These individuals had either not filled a prescription or taken less medication because of expense or lack of coverage. Of those, 93.5% had some form of health insurance.

Study results showed that those who experienced cost-related nonadherence had a quicker decline in their lung function, more frequent exacerbations, and a higher symptom burden.

“There are a variety of factors that can cause medication nonadherence. For people with COPD and other chronic lung diseases, cost is a significant factor. Many COPD treatments are brand-name inhalers with high out-of-pocket costs,” said Rajat Suri, M.D., M.S., of the Division of Pulmonary, Critical Care, and Sleep Medicine at University of California San Diego and lead author of the study. “Broader policy changes are needed to make these medications more affordable. The two respiratory inhalers undergoing negotiation in the second round of the Inflation Reduction Act could help reduce cost-related nonadherence.”

In another new study, researchers conducted interviews with a small cohort of participants from a single academic medical center in Chicago. Of the 17 participants, nearly half reported not taking their medications as prescribed or using their inhalers incorrectly. Participants cited forgetfulness, physical limitations, limited understanding of how or when to use inhalers, difficulty accessing care, stigma, and cost as barriers.

“Medication nonadherence is common, but the reasons behind it are highly individual,” said Stephanie L. LaBedz, M.D., of the Division of Pulmonary, Critical Care, Sleep, and Allergy at University of Illinois Chicago and lead author of the study. “Physicians need to understand the full range of barriers their patients face so they can provide better education and connect them with support to ensure medications are used correctly.”

To access current and past issues of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Diseases: Journal of the COPD Foundation, visit journal.copdfoundation.org.

“The primary objective of our study was to investigate how a single dose of Adderall acutely affects cardiovascular hemodynamics — blood pressure and heart rate — and sympathetic activity in young adults who do not have a medical indication for the medication,” says senior author Anna Svatikova, M.D., Ph.D., a Mayo Clinic cardiologist.

While Adderall is safe and effective when prescribed and monitored for ADHD, Dr. Svatikova says the risks of unsupervised use are often underestimated.

“We have seen an increase in nonmedical Adderall use, but many users are unaware that it can place acute stress on the cardiovascular system,” Dr. Svatikova says.

“Adderall is sometimes used without a prescription outside of a medical setting, ” she adds. “We found that even in individuals with no prior exposure, a 25 mg dose triggers significant increases in blood pressure, heart rate and activation of the body’s stress-response system.”

Researchers also noted that even when people simply stood up after taking Adderall, their heart rates spiked much higher than usual.

“The average heart rate increase on standing was 19 beats per minute before Adderall. After taking Adderall, that response doubled to 38 beats per minute,” says first author Kiran Somers, D.O., a resident family medicine physician at Mayo Clinic Health System in Northwest Wisconsin.

The findings highlight how stimulating effects can be in individuals who are not accustomed to the medication, the researchers say.

“These results demonstrate measurable, acute cardiovascular effects of Adderall used by those not regularly using Adderall prescribed for specific medical reasons,” Dr. Somers says.

The researchers underscore that these findings apply to off-prescription use and do not reflect the long-term, supervised use of the medication for the treatment of ADHD. These findings should not be extrapolated to the long-term, supervised use of Adderall for the treatment of ADHD or other specific medical conditions, where the therapeutic benefits are well established and significant, Dr. Svatikova says.

Forecasting the Burden of Cardiovascular Disease and Stroke in the United States Through 2050 in Women: A Scientific Statement From the American Heart Association builds upon prior work by the Association to assess projections of the future cardiovascular disease prevalence among women and the subsequent economic burden based on the current landscape.

“One in every three women will die from cardiovascular disease — maybe it’s your grandmother, or your mother or your daughter,” said the American Heart Association volunteer chair of the statement writing group, Karen E. Joynt Maddox, M.D., M.P.H., FAHA, a professor of medicine and public health and the co-director of the Center for Advancing Health Services, Policy & Economics Research 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. Our estimates indicate that if we stay on the current path, these numbers will grow substantially over the next 25 to 30 years.”

Findings from the report point to significant increases among women for all types of cardiovascular disease, including heart disease, heart failure, atrial fibrillation and stroke. Surges are also projected among women for many of the major health factors that contribute to cardiovascular disease, including high blood pressure, obesity and diabetes.

Joynt Maddox said it is even more concerning that:

• The prevalence of some health factors is increasing among young girls, ages 2-19, as well.
• The increases are even more prevalent among women and girls identifying as American Indian/Alaska Native, Black, Hispanic or multiracial people.

“Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death for women and remains their #1 health risk overall,” said Stacey E. Rosen, M.D., FAHA, volunteer president of the American Heart Association and executive director of the Katz Institute for Women’s Health and senior vice president of women’s health at Northwell Health in New York City. “While many people may think these conditions like high blood pressure are only occurring in older women, we know this is not the case. We know the factors that contribute to heart disease and stroke begin early in life, even among young women and girls. The impact is even greater among those experiencing adverse social determinants of health such as poverty, low literacy, rural residence and other psychosocial stressors. Identifying the types of trends outlined in this report is critical to making meaningful changes that can reverse this course.”

By the numbers

The report finds that, given current trends, by 2050:

• Nearly 60% of women will have high blood pressure, compared to fewer than half currently.
• More than 25% of women will have diabetes, compared to about 15% currently.
• More than 60% of women will have obesity, compared to about 44% currently.

The projections among women of color indicate some of the largest increases; by 2050:

• High blood pressure will increase the most among Hispanic women, up by more than 15%.
• Obesity will increase the most among Asian women, up by nearly 26%.
• Prevalence rates of health factors for CVD will, for the most part, remain highest among Black women. More than 70% of Black women will have high blood pressure, more than 71% will have obesity and nearly 28% will have diabetes.

While older women will continue to have some of the highest rates of cardiovascular disease and associated risk factors, rates will climb substantially among young women. By 2025:

• Nearly a third of all women 22-44 years of age will have some type of cardiovascular disease, compared to less than 1 in 4 currently.
• Diabetes rates for women age 22-44 will more than double, from 6% to nearly 16%.
• More than a third of women age 22-44 will have high blood pressure, an increase of more than 11%.
• More than 1 in 6 women age 22-44 will have obesity, an increase of more than 18%.

The report also looks at cardiovascular health risk factors among young girls:

• By 2050, nearly 32% of girls 2-19 years of age will have obesity, an increase of more than 12%.
• That’s likely driven by more than 60% of these girls having inadequate physical activity and more than half having poor diets, rates that are projected to improve only slightly over the coming decades.
• As with women, these rates are typically higher among girls of color, particularly Black girls — 40% of whom will have obesity by 2050.

“This trend in increased health risks among girls and young women is particularly disturbing, as it indicates they will be facing chronic health issues for most of their lives. Women are already at increased risk for so many of these health conditions due to factors unique to them throughout their lifespan,” Rosen said. “Significant health changes during pregnancy, perimenopause and menopause make it particularly important to pay close attention to increases in health risk factors during those times.”

A positive outlook

There is some good news ahead as rates of high cholesterol are expected to decline among nearly all groups of women. Additionally, there are improvements expected in some of the health behaviors that impact CVD, including healthier eating, more physical activity and less smoking.

“We know that people are living longer as health conditions are being better managed. As a medical community, we have done a great job decreasing deaths from big cardiovascular events like heart attacks and strokes, but these data suggest that we need to really refocus our efforts on health, wellness and prevention,” Joynt Maddox said. “We need to keep girls and women from developing cardiovascular risk factors so that they can live long, healthy lives free of cardiovascular disease, and that means being very intentional about focusing on optimal cardiovascular health across the life course.”

The American Heart Association defines optimal health through its Life’s Essential 8 — four health behaviors (eat better, be more active, quit tobacco and get healthy sleep) and four health factors (manage weight, control cholesterol, manage blood sugar and manage blood pressure).

“These ideal cardiovascular health metrics are based on extensive scientific research that recognizes the majority — as much as 80% — of heart disease and stroke can be prevented,” Rosen said. “I like to call Life’s Essential 8 a prescription for health. And one of the most exciting things about it is that we have tailored guidance for these metrics for different times in a woman’s life — from childhood through menopause and beyond. This report projects a concerning future, however, it’s not too late to take the first steps to healthier outcomes.”

A call to action

“The most efficient, effective, and least costly way to reduce the prevalence and impact of cardiovascular disease is through prevention. Yet, these projections signal that our current prevention efforts are inadequate, particularly for women of color and younger women,” Joynt Maddox said. “In the report, we’ve identified several considerations to improve prevention, treatment and sustained care across the life course for all women.”

Health Behaviors: Preventing health problems before they start is one of the best ways to protect heart health.

• Promote healthy choices in places where people learn, live, and receive care — like schools, community centers, pediatric clinics, and gynecology offices.
• Use digital tools, when helpful, to encourage and reinforce positive lifestyle changes.

Health Factor Management: Managing chronic conditions like high blood pressure, diabetes, and obesity early can make a big difference — especially for women at higher risk.

• Health care teams and policymakers should prioritize long‑term support for managing chronic conditions in women, including early check-ins, team‑based care and the use of digital tools that make care easier to access.
• Studies should look at how new obesity medications work specifically in women to ensure they’re safe and effective.

Clinical Cardiovascular Disease: Optimal care and high-quality treatments are needed for women experiencing all types of CVD, including heart attacks, heart failure, atrial fibrillation and stroke.

• When women come to the hospital with a heart attack, heart failure or stroke, quality improvement programs, such as the American Heart Association’s Get With The Guidelines®, are needed to ensure they get fast, effective and equitable treatment.
• For long‑term conditions like atrial fibrillation and heart failure, care plans should include factors unique to women so shared treatment decisions are better tailored.
• Brain health, particularly dementia, should be considered an important part of blood pressure control, along with CVD prevention and treatment in women.

Care Across Every Stage of Life: Each stage of life offers an opportunity to spot risks early and protect heart health.

• Pediatricians should know that early menstrual periods can signal higher future cardiovascular risk as an adult. Menstrual history should be part of routine evaluations at every age.
• Coordinated care across specialties should be integrated before, during and after pregnancy, ensuring needs are met at every step.
• Research should continue to explore how lifestyle changes and hormone therapy around menopause impact women’s heart health.

Understanding the Role of Social and Demographic Factors: Social and environmental factors affect women differently.

• Programs tailored for Black women are urgently needed to help address their higher rates of cardiovascular disease.
• Health systems should consider how social challenges — like access to healthy food, transportation or safe housing — combine with medical risks, and design interventions that improve heart health in each setting.

Not set in stone

Joynt Maddox was also the author of the American Heart Association’s 2024 presidential advisory Forecasting the Burden of Cardiovascular Disease and Stroke in the United States Through 2050: Prevalence of Risk Factors and Disease. The report included several simulation studies that identified ways to reverse current trends:

• A 10% reduction of health factors such as high blood pressure, high cholesterol, diabetes and obesity and a 20% improvement in the control of blood pressure, blood sugar and cholesterol could reduce CVD and stroke events, including death, by 17% to 23%.
• Reducing obesity by half and doubling risk factor control could reduce CVD events and deaths by 30% to 40%.

“Society has come so far in medical advancements, but the same can’t be said for innovation and progress around cardiovascular health, wellness and prevention. These projections emphasize how critical it is that we start focusing on how to help all people stay healthy,” Joynt Maddox said. “In this new era of digital health, artificial intelligence and new metabolic medication options, health care professionals increasingly have the tools to do this, but not yet the systems.”

Rosen noted that at a time when awareness about cardiovascular disease among women has been declining, the future outlined in this report should be a wake-up call.

“Every woman of every age should understand her risk of heart disease and stroke and be empowered to take action to reduce that risk,” she said. “Know your numbers, listen to your body and be an advocate for your health. Additionally, support girls and women in your life to do the same. We can make a difference — we can be the difference.”

This scientific statement was prepared by a volunteer writing group on behalf of the American Heart Association Women’s Health Science Committee of the Council on Clinical Cardiology and Stroke Council; Council on Basic Cardiovascular Sciences; Council on Cardiovascular and Stroke Nursing; Council on Lifelong Congenital Heart Disease and Heart Health in the Young; and Council on Peripheral Vascular Disease. American Heart Association scientific statements promote greater awareness about cardiovascular diseases and stroke issues and help facilitate informed health care decisions. Scientific statements outline what is currently known about a topic and what areas need additional research. While scientific statements inform the development of guidelines, they do not make treatment recommendations. American Heart Association guidelines provide the Association’s official clinical practice recommendations.

Co-authors are Vice Chair Harmony R. Reynolds, M.D., FAHA; Demilade Adedinsewo, M.D., M.P.H.; Cheryl Bushnell, M.D., M.H.S., FAHA; Holli A. DeVon, Ph.D., FAHA; Holly C. Gooding, M.D., M.S.; Virginia J. Howard, Ph.D., FAHA; Rina Mauricio, M.D.; Eliza C. Miller, M.D., M.S.; Garima Sharma, M.D., FAHA; and R.J. Waken, Ph.D. Authors’ disclosures are listed in the manuscript.

The Association receives more than 85% of its revenue from sources other than corporations. These sources include contributions from individuals, foundations and estates, as well as investment earnings and revenue from the sale of our educational materials. Corporations (including pharmaceutical, device manufacturers and other companies) also make donations to the Association. The Association has strict policies to prevent any donations from influencing its science content and policy positions. Overall financial information is available here.

Additional Resources:

• Video interview clips with Karen E. Joynt Maddox, M.D., M.P.H., FAHA and additional multimedia are available on right column of release link.
• After 4 a.m. CT/5 a.m. ET, Wednesday, Feb. 25, 2026, view the manuscript online.
• Spanish news release – includes video interview clips with Johanna Contreras, M.D., M.Sc., FAHA. (to be added)
•  News releases in Chinese traditional | Chinese simplified | Tagalog | Vietnamese (to be added)
• American Heart Association Health Information: Go Red for Women
• American Heart Association Health Information: Facts | Go Red for Women
• American Heart Association News Release: Non-biological factors and social determinants of health important in women’s CVD risk assessment
• Follow American Heart Association/American Stroke Association news on X @HeartNews
• Follow news from Circulation, the American Heart Association flagship journal on X @CircAHA.

Launching this February during Heart Month 2026, the Heart Association’s theme, You Are the First Responder Until Help Arrives, reinforces a simple truth: you don’t need medical credentials to save a life; all you need is basic knowledge, courage and the willingness to act. Today, bystanders step in with CPR only about 41% of the time.[3] The American Heart Association, a global force changing the future of health for all, is working to change that.

“People tell us they’re afraid they’ll ‘do it wrong’ or think CPR requires having a certification or taking class before they can help,” said Stacey E. Rosen, M.D., FAHA, volunteer president of the American Heart Association and senior vice president of women’s health and executive director of the Katz Institute for Women’s Health of Northwell Health in New York City. “Here’s what matters – if a teen or adult collapses: call 911, then push hard and fast in the center of the chest. Your hands can keep blood flowing until professionals arrive.”

Each year in the United States, more than 350,000 cardiac arrests happen outside of a hospital and about 90% are fatal.[4] Most occur at home, where a loved one may be the only one nearby to help. Kristen Walenga, 47 at the time, of Frankfort, Ill., was the only adult at home when she collapsed from sudden cardiac arrest while making breakfast one Saturday morning. Her 15-year-old son, Eddie, who had learned CPR from the American Heart Association’s Kids Heart Challenge program when he was in middle school, knew what to do and immediately took action. With his other siblings calling 911 for help, he started chest compressions until paramedics arrived. Kristen survived because of her child’s preparation and courage.

To bust the “special training” myth, it is important to understand that Hands-Only CPR for teens and adults has two simple steps: (1) call 911; and (2) push hard and fast in the center of the chest at 100–120 beats per minute, about the tempo of “Stayin’ Alive” or “Uptown Funk.” If an automated external defibrillator (AED) that can shock a heart back into a normal rhythm is available, turn it on and follow the voice prompts. For infants and children, CPR must include breaths.

You can learn CPR today with fast, flexible options for everyone. During American Heart Month, the Heart Association invites people to choose the path that fits their life, at home, at work or at school.

• Watch and learn the basics of Hands-Only CPR.
• Take a class to build confidence and learn when to add breaths, how to use an AED and how to help children and infants. Find a CPR class at heart.org/nation.
• Bring CPR to your circles by asking your school, workplace, faith community or gym to develop cardiac emergency response plans (CERPs), host CPR awareness activities and secure an AED.

Many people hesitate and some groups, including women and Black adults, are still less likely to receive CPR. The Heart Association’s focus specifically addresses barriers such as concerns about doing it “wrong,” fear of legal ramifications and worries about inappropriate contact, as well as the persistent belief that special training is required, a perception that is even more common in historically excluded communities.

“CPR is a civic duty. Heroism is not limited to uniforms, it is everyday people stepping up for others,” said Rosen. “Strong communities are built by preparedness. Whether you’re at home, the gym, or a child’s soccer game, cardiac arrest can happen anywhere, and you will most likely be saving the life of someone you know and love. Being prepared and willing to help strengthens the fabric of our nation.”

“You Are the First Responder” aligns with the Heart Association’s Nation of Lifesavers initiative, sponsored nationally by Walgreens, to turn more bystanders into lifesavers and double survival from out-of-hospital cardiac arrest by 2030.

[1] American Heart Association Annual CPR Perceptions Survey. Available upon request.

[2] Del Rios M, Bartos JA, Panchal AR, Atkins DL, Cabañas JG, Cao D, Dainty KN, Dezfulian C, Donoghue AJ, Drennan IR, Elmer J, Hirsch KG, Idris AH, Joyner BL, Kamath-Rayne BD, Kleinman ME, Kurz MC, Lasa JJ, Lee HC, McBride ME, Raymond TT, Rittenberger, JC, Schexnayder SM, Szyld E, Topjian A, Wigginton JG, Previdi JK. Part 1: executive summary: 2025 American Heart Association Guidelines for Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation and Emergency Cardiovascular Care. Circulation. 2025;152(suppl):S284–S312. doi: 10.1161/CIR.0000000000001372

[3] 2024 CARES Annual Report: https://mycares.net/sitepages/uploads/2025/2024_flipbook/index.html?page=32

[4] Palaniappan LP, Allen NB, Almarzooq ZI, Anderson CAM, Arora P, Avery CL, Baker-Smith CM, Bansal N, Currie ME, Earlie RS, Fan W, Fetterman JL, Barone Gibbs B, Heard DG, Hiremath S, Hong H, Hyacinth HI, Ibeh C, Jiang T, Johansen MC, Kazi DS, Ko D, Kwan TW, Leppert MH, Li Y, Magnani JW, Martin KA, Martin SS, Michos ED, Mussolino ME, Ogungbe O, Parikh NI, Perez MV, Perman SM, Sarraju A, Shah NS, Springer MV, St-Onge M-P, Thacker EL, Tierney S, Urbut SM, Van Spall HGC, Voeks JH, Whelton SP, Wong SS, Zhao J, Khan SS; on behalf of the American Heart Association Council on Epidemiology and Prevention Statistics Committee and Stroke Statistics Committee. 2026 Heart disease and stroke statistics: a report of US and global data from the American Heart Association. Circulation. Published online January 21, 2026. doi: 10.1161/CIR.0000000000001412

The researchers gathered data from 23 large-scale randomised studies from the Cholesterol Treatment Trialists’ Collaboration: 123,940 participants in 19 large-scale clinical trials comparing the effects of statin therapies against a placebo (or dummy tablet), and 30,724 participants in four trials comparing more intensive versus less intensive statin therapy.

They found similar numbers of reports for those taking the statins and those taking the placebo for almost all the conditions listed in package leaflets as possible side effects. For example, each year, the number of reports of cognitive or memory impairment was 0.2% in those taking the statins, but also 0.2% in those taking the placebo. This means that while people may notice these problems whilst taking statins, there is no good evidence that they are caused by the statin.

Key findings:
• There was no statistically significant excess risk from statin therapy for almost all the conditions listed in package leaflets as potential side effects.
• Taking a statin did not cause any meaningful excess of memory loss or dementia, depression, sleep disturbance, erectile dysfunction, weight gain, nausea, fatigue or headache, and many other conditions.
• There was a small increase in risk (about 0.1%) for liver blood test abnormalities. However, there was no increase in liver disease such as hepatitis or liver failure, indicating that the liver blood test changes do not typically lead to more serious liver problems.*

Christina Reith, Associate Professor at Oxford Population Health and lead author of the study, said ‘Statins are life-saving drugs used by hundreds of millions of people over the past 30 years. However, concerns about the safety of statins have deterred many people who are at risk of severe disability or death from a heart attack or stroke. Our study provides reassurance that, for most people, the risk of side effects is greatly outweighed by the benefits of statins.’

Previous work by the same researchers established that most muscle symptoms are not caused by statins; statin therapy caused muscle symptoms in only 1% of people during the first year of treatment with no excess thereafter. It has also shown that statins can cause a small increase in blood sugar levels, so people already at high risk may develop diabetes sooner.

Professor Bryan Williams, Chief Scientific and Medical Officer at the British Heart Foundation, said ‘These findings are hugely important and provide authoritative, evidence-based reassurance for patients. Statins are lifesaving drugs, which have been proven to protect against heart attacks and strokes. Among the large number of patients assessed in this well-conducted analysis, only four side effects out of 66 were found to have any association with taking statins, and only in a very small proportion of patients.

‘This evidence is a much-needed counter to the misinformation around statins and should help prevent unnecessary deaths from cardiovascular disease. Recognising which side effects might genuinely be associated with statins is also important as it will help doctors make decisions about when to use alternative treatments.’

Professor Sir Rory Collins, Emeritus Professor of Medicine and Epidemiology at Oxford Population Health and senior author of the paper said ‘Statin product labels list certain adverse health outcomes as potential treatment-related effects based mainly on information from non-randomised studies which may be subject to bias. We brought together all of the information from large randomised trials to assess the evidence reliably. Now that we know that statins do not cause the majority of side effects listed in package leaflets, statin information requires rapid revision to help patients and doctors make better-informed health decisions.’

All of the trials included in the analyses were large-scale (involving at least 1,000 participants) and tracked patient outcomes for a median of nearly five years. The trials were double-blind, meaning that neither the trial participants nor those managing the participants or leading the study knew who was receiving which treatment, to avoid potential biases due to knowledge of treatment allocation. The list of possible side effects was compiled from those listed for the five most commonly prescribed statins.

The study was conducted by the Cholesterol Treatment Trialists’ (CTT) Collaboration, a joint initiative coordinated between the Clinical Trial Service Unit & Epidemiological Studies Unit, Oxford Population Health, and the National Health and Medical Research Council Clinical Trials Centre, University of Sydney, Australia, on behalf of academic researchers representing major statin trials worldwide.
The work was funded by the British Heart Foundation, UKRI Medical Research Council, and the Australian National Health and Medical Research Council. The work of the CTT is overseen by an Independent Oversight Panel.

*There were also very small increases in risk (less than 0.1%) for medical issues that involved changes in urine, and oedema (a build-up of fluid in the body typically causing swelling in the ankles, feet and legs) in the trials of statin versus placebo, but analysis of the four trials of more intensive versus less intensive statin therapy showed no significant excess risk for these changes, suggesting these excesses were not real.

Post-publication link: https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(25)01578-8/fulltext