Heart disease, already the leading cause of death for women in the United States, will soon become an even bigger issue impacting nearly 15% of the female population by 2050, according to projections published by the American Heart Association on Feb. 25.

In a review article published in the scientific journal Circulation, researchers from the AHA said that trends identified via two national health surveys and census information showed an alarming trajectory for the future of American women’s cardiovascular health.

By 2050, it predictecd, 14.4% of women in the U.S. will experience cardiovascular disease and/or stroke, up from 10.7% in 2020. More specifically, researchers anticipate that coronary heart disease will jump from 6.9% in 2020 to 8.2% in 2050. Stroke will increase from 4.1% to 6.7%, while heart failure and atrial fibrillation will climb from 2.5% to 3.6% and 1.6% to 2.3%, respectively.

Coronary heart disease, also known as coronary artery disease, is currently the most common form of heart disease in the United States in both women and men, according to the National Institute of Health. It occurs when fatty deposits called plaque build up in the arteries (blood vessels that carry oxygen away from the heart and around the body), making them too narrow to move oxygen-rich blood to and from the heart effectively.

Stroke, second on the list of medical conditions expected to become more prevalent in the country, occurs when the blood supply to the brain is interrupted, either due to a blocked blood vessel or bleeding in the brain, according to Mayo Clinic.

Three major risk factors likely to increase heart disease in women

Using data collected from the 2015 to 2020 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, the 2015 to 2019 Medical Expenditure Panel Survey and census estimates for population growth, the AHA predicts that three major risk factors will contribute to the rise in heart disease: blood pressure, diabetes and obesity.

By 2050, more than 59% of U.S. women will have high blood pressure, it said, up from 49% in 2020. More than 25% of women will have diabetes, up from about 15%, and 61% will have obesity, up from about 44%.

While the AHA said that an ageing population also contributes to the findings, the risk factors that drive cardiovascular disease are on the rise across demographics, including in women aged 20 to 40, and even younger. For example, almost a third of girls ages 2-19 are projected to be obese by 2050, it said.

Risk levels will also differ among white, Black, Hispanic, American Indian/Alaska Native and Asian women, it said, with increased adverse effects expected among racial and ethnic minority groups.

“This is a projection,” Dr. Rina Mauricio, director of women’s cardiovascular health at UT Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas, said in a statement. “But that means that starting with your young children and yourself, you can start doing something now to prevent something that’s going to happen 10 to 20 years from now.”

Not all the news is bad: The rate of women with unhealthy cholesterol levels is projected to decline to about 22%, down from more than 42%. Additionally, the percentage of women who eat a poor diet and receive inadequate exercise is expected to decrease.

How women can stay heart healthy

Women can begin reducing their risk now by keeping tabs on their blood pressure, blood sugar, blood cholesterol and body weight. Blood pressure is the “biggest modifiable risk factor for cardiovascular disease,” Dr. Karen E. Joynt Maddox, a professor at the Washington University School of Medicine and School of Public Health in St. Louis, said in a statement.

Keeping track of these numbers is “the most important thing” a woman can do for her cardiovascular health, she said. Eating better, staying active, quitting tobacco and getting healthy amounts of sleep likewise have a positive impact on heart health, AHA said. Women should also have regular conversations with their doctors about risk factors, such as pregnancy and menopause, and ask for regular screenings.

“You don’t wait until they’re 50,” said Mauricio in an AHA statement, to “look for something that should have been caught when a woman was 30.”

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Heart disease in US women expected to surge by 2050, AHA predicts