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Women’s CVD Surge, Gut-Brain-Heart, and CV Imaging Radiation
February 26, 2026
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Together with
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Imagine an America where two out of three women suffer from cardiovascular disease. What would it look like for your mother, sister, or daughter? The American Heart Association says you won’t have to imagine for long, with its latest scientific statement painting a grim picture of women’s cardiovascular health by 2050.
- This latest statement builds on prior projections of the future CVD prevalence among women and the economic burden it could cause.
- More than 62M women in the U.S. are already living with some type of cardiovascular disease and that comes with a price tag of at least $200B.
Over the next 25 years, the report found that the number of women living with CVD in the U.S. could rise sharply, with nearly 60% facing high blood pressure by 2050, up from about 50% reported for 2020. That report also found that…
- Nearly a third of women aged 22-44 will have CVD by 2050, up from 1 in 4 currently.
- Diabetes rates for that same age group will more than double, from 6% to nearly 16%.
- More than a third of those women will have high blood pressure, an increase of +11%.
- More than 1 in 6 women will become obese, an increase of more than 18%.
The report attributes the rising cardiovascular toll on women’s health to surging rates of obesity and diabetes, but that’s like saying it’s going to rain because it’s cloudy. The truth is, it’s not just a bad weather forecast, it’s the climate.
- Several studies have already tied rising CVD risk, obesity, and diabetes rates in the U.S. to ultraprocessed foods, sedentary lifestyles, food deserts, and lacking nutrition education.
- Beyond this, other studies have already outlined the disproportionately worse outcomes that women face from diseases like CAD, AS, and ASCVD.
What the report does remind us of is the severity of the situation, because women’s health is about more than any one person, it’s the health of humanity’s future.
- Mothers struggling with diabetes, obesity, and ultimately CVD will have a harder time giving birth to healthy children and healthily raising those children.
The Takeaway
The AHA’s report is a sobering reminder of the population level burden of CVD in women and where we’re headed as a species. If we don’t reverse the current trend, it will echo through the future generations of mothers and children in America and abroad.
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Diagnosing Cardiac Amyloidosis Using Echo AI
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- Cardiac Imaging Radiation Dose Varies: Radiation dose from cardiac imaging varies greatly, by modality and in different geographic regions. A new analysis in JAMA found that across 19.3k patients worldwide, dose ranged from as low as 1.2 mSv for CAC scoring to 7.4 mSv for CCTA exams. Median radiation dose was lowest for nuclear cardiology and CCTA in Western Europe (4.8 and 4.6 mSv, respectively), and highest in Latin America for nuclear cardiology (7.8 mSv) and Africa for CCTA (25.2 mSv).
- Bacterial Metabolites and the Heart: The Max Delbrück Center identified a new “gut-brain-heart” axis that regulates cardiac stiffness and blood pressure. Using zebrafish models, the team discovered that the bacterial metabolite indole-3 acetic acid (IAA) inhibits overactive neurons in the hypothalamus. When IAA is deficient, these neurons trigger signals causing the heart muscle to stiffen. Clinical data confirmed that hypertensive patients, particularly women, have significantly lower IAA levels, suggesting that boosting this metabolite through diet or probiotics could help treat heart failure and hypertension.
- Bridging the Heart Disease Gap: A recent survey by HeartFocus of over 2,000 Americans revealed that even though heart disease is more lethal than cancer, public perception of its risks are far milder. Despite this gap, 94% of respondents reported increased motivation for preventive care once informed of the actual risks. The data also highlighted the need for accessible technology, with 98% of patients saying they trust cardiac ultrasound and 92% expressing confidence in primary care providers who offer same-day heart scans.
- MBS’ Superior Long-Term Protection: GLP-1s might not be the best option for weight loss after a meta-analysis published in Obesity Surgery found that metabolic and bariatric surgery offers significantly better long-term cardiovascular protection. Analyzing data from 20k patients, researchers reported a 52% relative risk reduction in MACE and mortality for surgery over medication. While GLP-1s are an important non-surgical option, the study suggests the multifactorial impact of surgery provides a far greater magnitude of benefit for patients with T2D and obesity.
- Biotronik’s Physiologic Pacing Innovation: Biotronik received FDA approval for the Solia CSP S, the first pacing lead specifically engineered for left bundle branch area pacing (LBBAP). Unlike traditional leads adapted for the technique, the stylet-driven platform features a specialized fixed helix and screw design. Supported by the BIO-CONDUCT IDE trial, the device enables electrical resynchronization by targeting the heart’s natural conduction system.
- Analysis of Post-PCI Mortality: As it turns out, PCI is incredibly safe, with one of the lowest mortality risks of any CV procedure. A study in AJC found that the risk of death following percutaneous coronary intervention is remarkably low, occurring in only 0.5% of cases. Analyzing 22,000 patients over a decade, researchers found that the majority of deaths (78.3%) occurred more than 24 hours post-procedure, often driven by acute myocardial infarction, cardiac arrest, or infection. High-risk factors included older age, chronic kidney disease, and heart failure, with most fatalities linked to the initial severity of the patient’s presentation.
- Accelerating Small-Molecule Discovery: Chemify and Sanacor announced a collaboration to develop oral small-molecule inhibitors for diabetic cardiovascular disease. The partnership combines Chemify’s “Chemputation” platform, which uses AI-driven design and robotic synthesis, with Sanacor’s research on mitochondrial dysfunction. By targeting poorly regulated mitochondria, the teams aim to restore vascular function in diabetic patients.
- Heart Valve Disease Awareness: A survey by Edwards Lifesciences suggests that even though 12M Americans have heart valve disease, one in three older adults remains unaware of their condition. The findings highlight a dangerous trend of deprioritizing heart health, as many adults over 65 dismiss fatigue and breathlessness as “just aging.” Experts emphasize that severe aortic stenosis can be asymptomatic and as deadly as certain cancers, urging proactive screenings and doctor discussions even when patients feel “fine” to prevent rapid, life-threatening progression.
- Retinal Imaging for Hypertension: A study in BMJ Innovations suggests that AEYE Health’s AI technology can estimate systolic and diastolic blood pressure from a single, non-dilated retinal image. Trained on 100k patient images, the deep learning model matched the accuracy of traditional arm cuffs while providing a more stable reflection of chronic hypertensive burden. By analyzing retinal microvasculature, the AEYE-X platform could potentially become a multi-diagnostic tool for cardiovascular health monitoring and systemic disease prediction.
- Expanding High-Frequency OCT Access: Gentuity entered a commercial collaboration with GE HealthCare to expand the reach of its HF-OCT Imaging System and Vis-Rx PRIME Micro-Imaging Catheter in the United States. The collab will allow GE HealthCare to connect its cardiac catheterization lab customers with Gentuity’s high-frequency intravascular imaging tools, designed to provide the precise visualization necessary for complex PCI. The new commercial agreement is part of a broader partnership the two companies launched in August of 2025.
- FDA Clears CTA Guidance Platform: The FDA reviewed software from CARA Medical for guiding cardiac interventional procedures using data from CT angiography. The CARA System includes the CARA Metis Simulator and CARA Atlas Navigator. Metis helps plan procedures involving the cardiac conduction system, while Atlas is an intraprocedural guidance platform that overlays the patient’s conduction system on live fluoroscopy images for interventional use. CARA System was cleared through the FDA’s Breakthrough Device program.
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The Largest Registry on Plaque Analysis in CAD
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The Power of AI in Cardiovascular Imaging
Cardiac labs are under more pressure than ever to deliver more with greater speed and precision. Hear from Tony Gallagher, Director of Noninvasive Cardiology at Baptist Health Lexington about how Siemens Healthineers’ ACUSON Origin is reshaping daily practice and transforming the future of echocardiography.
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Circle CVI’s CAD-RADS Rundown
Ever wondered how CAD-RADS enhances the communication of coronary artery disease findings from imaging studies? Check out this guide from Circle Cardiovascular Imaging about the evolution of CAD-RADS and how to incorporate it into your practice.
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- The Benefits of Outsourced Post-Processing: Using an outsourced cardiac image post-processing solution doesn’t have to mean sacrificing control of the results. Discover how PIA’s customizable post-processing workflow can help you get the most out of your images.
- Identify and Treat Cardiovascular Disease: Complex care pathways make getting patients to the next step a challenge. See how Tempus Next, an AI enabled care pathway platform, helps providers identify and reduce under treatment in cardiovascular disease by adding an intelligent layer onto their routinely generated EHR data.
- Changes in Heart Failure Management: Heart failure is a complex condition with high heart failure hospitalization and cardiovascular mortality rates, especially among patients with HFpEF and HFmrEF, for whom treatment options have been limited. Read how Bayer’s Dr. Alanna Morris-Simon discusses the changing treatment landscape and strategies for improving patient outcomes.
- From Fetal to Adult Cardiovascular Ultrasound: Continuity of care is critical when it comes to a patient’s cardiovascular health. That’s why cardiologists across America are picking Fujifilm’s Lisendo 880 cardiovascular ultrasound for its versatility and precise imaging starting at a patient’s fetal development to adulthood.
- Cracking the Code of ECG Analysis with Monebo’s AI Genetic Algorithm: How do you teach a computer to recognize the complex patterns in an ECG signal? Discover how Monebo found the answer by blending human expertise and a little evolutionary magic in this article that breaks down the advantages of genetic algorithms in ECG analysis.
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