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Facts About the Cardiovascular System and Cardiovascular Health
- The heart beats about 100,000 times per day, pumping approximately 2,000 gallons of blood throughout the body daily. (American Heart Association)
- The human vascular system spans over 60,000 miles, enough to wrap around the Earth more than twice. (Cleveland Clinic)
- Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the leading cause of death globally, responsible for an estimated 17.9 million deaths per year, accounting for 32% of all deaths. (World Health Organization)
- Heart attacks and strokes are largely preventable — up to 80% of premature CVD events could be avoided with healthy lifestyle choices. (CDC)
- High blood pressure affects nearly half of U.S. adults, yet many are unaware they have it, making routine monitoring critical. (CDC)
- Maintaining a healthy weight, regular physical activity, balanced diet, and avoiding smoking significantly lowers cardiovascular risk. (American Heart Association)
- The arteries closest to the heart, the coronary arteries, supply the heart muscle itself with oxygen and nutrients; blockage here can cause a heart attack. (Mayo Clinic)
- Cholesterol levels, blood pressure, blood sugar, and BMI are key measurable factors in cardiovascular risk assessment. (NIH / NHLBI)
- Aerobic exercise strengthens the heart, improves circulation, reduces blood pressure, and enhances overall cardiovascular efficiency. (Harvard Health)
- Sleep and stress management are important for heart health: poor sleep or chronic stress increases inflammation and cardiovascular risk. (American Heart Association)
- Early detection of vascular changes — such as plaque buildup in arteries or increased carotid intima-media thickness (CIMT) — can prevent major cardiovascular events. (Cleveland Clinic / PMC)
- The heart can continue beating even when separated from the body if provided with oxygenated blood, highlighting its intrinsic electrical and muscular capabilities. (Johns Hopkins Medicine)
Facts about Heart Failure in the United States
- In the U.S., nearly 7 million adults aged 20 years or older have heart failure. (CDC)
- The lifetime risk of developing heart failure has increased to 24%, meaning about 1 in 4 individuals will develop HF during their lifetime. (HF Stats)
- Heart failure was listed as a contributing cause of death on over 425,000 death certificates in 2022, representing approximately 45% of all cardiovascular‑related deaths in the U.S. (DAIC)
- The prevalence of heart failure is projected to rise to approximately 7 million by 2030, and up to 10.3 million by 2040 and 11.4 million by 2050, if current trends continue. (HF Stats)
- In 2012, heart failure cost the U.S. an estimated $30.7 billion in healthcare services, medications, and lost productivity. (CDC)
- The average cost per hospitalisation for HF in the U.S. ranges from approximately $10,700 to $17,800 (mean) for patients without complicating conditions; costs are higher when renal disease or diabetes are present.(PubMed)
Facts about Heart Valve Disease in the United States
- More than 5 million Americans are diagnosed with heart valve disease each year. (CDC)
- Each year, over 25,000 deaths in the U.S. are attributed to heart valve disease. (CDC)
- In older populations (ages 65–85), prevalence of moderate or greater valvular heart disease (VHD) is approximately 2%, and when including mild‑moderate cases rises to ~18.4%. (American College of Cardiology)
- Among adults aged 75 years and older, the prevalence of moderate to severe valve disease can reach ~13.3%. (PubMed)
- The annual direct healthcare cost of valve disease in the U.S. is estimated at $23.4 billion. (PubMed)
- The most common form in developed countries is Aortic Stenosis (narrowing of the aortic valve) among valve diseases. (CDC)
- The prevalence of heart valve disease is expected to double by 2040 and triple by 2060 due to aging populations and improved diagnostics. (American Heart Association)
- Heart valve disease is under‑diagnosed and under‑treated, particularly in African American, Hispanic, and Asian populations — and women are more likely than men to be undiagnosed and have worse outcomes. (CDC)
Facts about Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm (AAA)
- Screening studies have found a 8% prevalence of AAA (≥3 cm) in men aged 65–75 years. (PMC)
- Smoking accounts for approximately 75% of all AAA cases. (PMC)
- In 2019, there were 9,904 deaths in the U.S. due to aortic aneurysm or dissection — 59% occurred in men. (CDC)
- Globally, the prevalence of AAA among adults aged 30–79 years was estimated at ~0.92% (95% CI: 0.65–1.30), representing roughly 35 million people in 2019. (PMC)
- The condition is significantly more common in men than women — ~1.46% vs. ~0.39% among individuals aged 30–79 years. (PMC)
- Population-based screening programs among men show prevalence ranging from ~4.0% to 7.6%. (European Society of Cardiology)
- AAA is 4–6 times more common in men than in women, and women typically develop aneurysms about 10 years later than men. (PMC)
- The risk of rupture for a large AAA is extremely high — fatality after rupture is approximately 81%, with many patients dying before reaching the hospital. (Lippincott Journals)
- AAA-related mortality in the U.S. has declined significantly, decreasing by about 59.6% between 1999 and 2020 among older adults. (PMC)
- Major risk factors include: smoking, male sex, advanced age, hypertension, hypercholesterolemia, family history of AAA, peripheral artery disease, and renal disease. (PMC)
- Prevalence increases sharply with age — among men aged 75–79 years, rates reach ~6.57%, compared to ~1.38% in women of the same age. (PMC)
Facts about Stroke in the United States
- Every year, more than 795,000 people in the U.S. have a stroke. (CDC)
- Of those strokes, about 610,000 are first (new) strokes, and approximately 185,000 (nearly 1 in 4) are repeat strokes. (CDC)
- About 87% of all strokes are ischemic (blocked blood flow to the brain) rather than hemorrhagic.(CDC)
- In the U.S. in 2022, 1 in 6 deaths (17.5%) from cardiovascular disease was due to stroke. (CDC)
- A stroke occurs in the U.S. every 40 seconds, and someone dies of a stroke every 3 minutes and 14 seconds. (CDC)
- Stroke‑related costs in the U.S. between 2019‑2020 came to about $56.2 billion, including health care services, medicines, and lost work. (CDC)
- Stroke prevalence (self‑reported) increased from 2.7% (2011–2013) to 2.9% (2020–2022). The prevalence among adults ≥65 years is 7.7%. (CDC)
- Risk of having a first stroke is nearly twice as high for non‑Hispanic Black adults compared to White adults. (CDC)
- Although age is a major risk factor, younger adults are increasingly affected: the prevalence rose 14.6% among 18–44 yrs and 15.7% among 45–64 yrs from 2011‑2013 to 2020‑2022. (CDC)
- Globally, the absolute number of strokes and deaths continues to increase: in 2019 the U.S. had 09 million prevalent strokes (all ages) and ~0.19 million deaths from stroke. (JAMA Network)
Facts about CIMT & Atherosclerosis
- CIMT is a non‑invasive ultrasound measurement of the thickness of the two innermost layers (intima and media) of the carotid artery walls, and it serves as a marker of early atherosclerosis. (Cleveland Clinic)
- In epidemiological studies of asymptomatic individuals, increased CIMT values are associated with higher risk of stroke, myocardial infarction (heart attack), and cardiovascular mortality. (PMC)
- Normative data show that in healthy adults without cardiovascular disease, mean CIMT values increase with age and are higher in men than women: for ages 40‑49, 50‑59, 60‑70 years, men ~0.55, 0.59, 0.66 mm; women ~0.48, 0.55, 0.63 mm. (PMC)
- A commonly used threshold is >0.9 mm for increased CIMT, which the 2013 European Society of Hypertension/European Society of Cardiology Guidelines considered a prognostic factor for cardiovascular risk. (PMC)
- Measurements of carotid plaque in addition to CIMT further improve risk stratification: presence, number, size and characteristics of carotid plaque add incremental information about cardiovascular risk beyond CIMT alone. (PMC)
Facts about Peripheral Arterial Disease (PAD) & Ankle–Brachial Index (ABI)
- Peripheral Arterial Disease (PAD) affects an estimated 8.5 millions of U.S. adults, and its prevalence rises sharply with age, especially after 60. (CDC)
- Smoking significantly increases the risk of PAD — current and former smokers have a much higher (up to a fourfold) likelihood of developing PAD. (AHA/ACC)
- About 40–50% of people with PAD have no leg symptoms, meaning many cases underscoring the importance of proactive screening. (CDC)
- Patients with PAD carry an elevated risk for heart attack and stroke, due to widespread artery disease. (NHLBI)
- The Ankle–Brachial Index (ABI) is the recommended first-line diagnostic test for PAD in clinical guidelines. (ACC)
- An ABI value of ≤ 0.90 is considered abnormal and is diagnostic for PAD. (ACC)
- ABI values > 1.40 may suggest arterial calcification (noncompressible vessels), especially common in older adults and patients with diabetes. (ACC)
- ABI testing is noninvasive, painless, quick, and often takes only 10–15 minutes. (Mayo Clinic)
- An abnormal ABI is independently associated with increased risk of cardiovascular death, even when adjusting for other risk factors. (ACC)
- People with diabetes are at especially high risk for PAD and may also have falsely elevated ABI readings due to arterial calcification. (ACC)
- Despite guideline recommendations, ABI testing is underutilized in primary care for patients at risk for PAD. (ACC)
- PAD can lead to poor wound healing and limb-threatening ischemia, particularly in patients with diabetes and smokers. (CDC)
- Ethnic disparities exist: PAD prevalence is higher in African American adults compared to non-Hispanic White adults. (AHA/ACC)
- PAD-related hospital admissions carry a significant economic burden, costing the healthcare system billions of dollars annually. (PubMed)
Facts about QuantaFlo® PAD
- QuantaFlo® is an FDA-cleared, rapid point-of-care PAD screening system that uses infrared volume plethysmography to assess blood flow. (Semler Scientific)
- The test is extremely fast, typically completed in under 3 minutes, far quicker than traditional ABI testing. (Semler Scientific)
- QuantaFlo can detect PAD in patients with calcified or non-compressible arteries, a known limitation of cuff-based ABI. (Semler Scientific)
- In a study of 13,971 Medicare Advantage patients, QuantaFlo identified previously undiagnosed PAD in 31.6% of participants. (Semler Scientific Study)
- A positive QuantaFlo test was associated with a 60–70% higher 1-year mortality and 40–50% higher 3-year mortality, highlighting its value in identifying high-risk patients. (Semler Scientific Study)
- A large in-home assessment of 192,500 older adults demonstrated QuantaFlo’s effectiveness in community-based and home-based PAD screening (Semler Scientific Press Release)
- Validation studies showed QuantaFlo has approximately 76% sensitivity and ≈90% specificity, with an average test time of 2 minutes vs. 21 minutes for ABI. (SCVS Symposium)
- QuantaFlo is FDA-cleared (510(k)) for non-invasive arterial testing. (FDA 510k)
Facts about High Blood Pressure (Hypertension)
- Hypertension affects approximately 1 in 2 U.S. adults (about 121 million people) aged 20 and older. (cdc.org)
- Only about 1 in 4 adults with hypertension have their condition under control. (cdc.org)
- High blood pressure is a major risk factor for heart attack, stroke, heart failure, kidney disease, and aneurysm. (heart.org)
- In 2020, hypertension was associated with over 500,000 deaths in the U.S. alone. (ncbI.nlm.nih.gov)
- Even slightly elevated blood pressure increases the risk of cardiovascular disease, emphasizing the importance of early detection and management. (jamanetwork.com)
- Lifestyle factors, such as dietary salt, obesity, physical inactivity, smoking, and alcohol use, significantly contribute to elevated blood pressure. (who.int)
Facts about BMI and Cardiovascular Health
- Body Mass Index (BMI) is a widely used measure to classify underweight, normal weight, overweight, and obesity based on height and weight.
- Adults with BMI ≥30 (obese) have an increased risk for hypertension, type 2 diabetes, heart disease, stroke, and certain cancers. ( cdc.gov)
- Even overweight individuals (BMI 25–29.9) are at elevated risk for cardiovascular diseases compared to those with normal BMI. ( (nih.gov)
- Maintaining a healthy BMI can reduce blood pressure, improve lipid profiles, and lower overall cardiovascular risk. (heart.org)
- In the U.S., about 42% of adults are classified as obese, underscoring the need for preventive strategies targeting weight management. (cdc.gov)
- Combination of high BMI and elevated blood pressure dramatically increases the risk for cardiovascular events, highlighting the importance of monitoring both parameters in preventive care. (jama.jamanetwork.com)
