Study Reveals Declining Cardiovascular Health in Older Adults with Heart Conditions

Cardiovascular health among older U.S. adults with certain cardiovascular diseases was suboptimal and declining, according to new research published in the Journal of the American Heart Association. The study, based on 2013-2018 national health survey data for 3,050 adults ages 65 and older, found that cardiovascular health dropped significantly among those with high blood pressure, stroke, or heart failure when measured against the American Heart Association’s Life’s Essential 8 health metrics.

From 2013-2018, cardiovascular health scores among people with high blood pressure decreased about 4.1%, 11.5% among people with a history of stroke, and 15.2% among people with heart failure. People with no cardiovascular disease had an average cardiovascular health score of 68 out of 100, while those with one or more cardiovascular conditions had scores below 60, with scores declining further with each additional disease. The health gap between those with and without cardiovascular disease appears largely explained by differences in blood pressure and physical activity scores.

Study co-author James M. Walker noted that physical activity and blood pressure scores tended to be very low for people with cardiovascular disease, with participants having one cardiovascular disease scoring 9 points lower on average than those without. The findings establish a pre-pandemic baseline for assessing future changes in cardiovascular health trends among older adults with these conditions. Researchers used data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, applying survey weights to generate U.S. population-level estimates representing 37,908,305 adults.

The study's limitations include its cross-sectional design, which cannot prove cause and effect, and its focus on only six types of cardiovascular disease, potentially missing less common diagnoses. The research aims to support future investigations into how cardiovascular health may have evolved during and after the COVID-19 pandemic, emphasizing the need for early lifestyle interventions to maintain health in aging populations.