Death Rate From One Heart Condition Rises After Years of Decline
Summary
A preliminary study found that heart valve disease death rates among U.S. adults aged 65 and older began rising in 2018 after nearly two decades of decline, and stayed elevated through 2023. Researchers forecast that the rate could remain near its 2023 level through 2040; the findings are scheduled for presentation at the American Heart Association’s Scientific Sessions in November 2026.Key Facts
- Researchers analyzed 1,204,490 heart valve disease-related deaths among U.S. adults aged 65 and older from 1999 to 2023.
- The death rate fell from 123.2 per 100,000 people in 1999 to its lowest levels just before the COVID-19 pandemic, then rose to 109.2 per 100,000 in 2023.
- Statistical forecasts indicated that the death rate could stay near its 2023 level through 2040.
- Men had a higher reported death rate than women: 124.7 compared with 103.1 per 100,000.
- Non-Hispanic white adults had the highest death rate among the racial and ethnic groups studied, at 122.4 per 100,000.
- Death rates were higher in non-metropolitan areas than in metropolitan areas.
- The study’s authors and a physician interviewed by Newsweek cited chronic health conditions and barriers to specialist care as possible factors in the trend.
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