What does new data mean for you, your health

Joseph B. Weiss, MD, PhD
| Special to The Newport Daily News

February is American Heart Month, a time dedicated to raising awareness about heart disease and stroke. The American Heart Association (AHA) has released its 2026 Heart Disease and Stroke Statistics Update, and a reminder that heart disease remains a major public health challenge.

Table of Contents

Heart disease still the nation’s leading killer

Heart disease remains the leading cause of death in the U.S and stroke has moved up to No. 4. Together, heart disease and stroke accounted for more than a quarter of all deaths nationwide in 2023. Cardiovascular disease (CVD) – which includes heart disease, stroke, hypertension and heart failure – claimed 915,973 American lives in 2023.

Following the COVID-19 pandemic, total stroke deaths declined for the first time in several years. Among younger adults, however, stroke deaths have increased:

Adults ages 25–34 saw an 8.3% rise in stroke death rates over the past decade.
Adults over age 85 experienced an 18.2% increase.

These shifts highlight the increasing prevalence of modifiable risk factors – high blood pressure, obesity, diabetes, elevated cholesterol and physical inactivity.

New focus and recent advances in cardiovascular medicine

For the first time, the AHA report focuses on cardiovascularkidneymetabolic (CKM) syndrome, a compound of heart disease, diabetes, kidney disease and obesity. Nearly 90% of US adults have some degree of CKM syndrome, and more than 80% of young and middle-aged adults show early CKM risk.

This newly acknowledged nexus of obesity, diabetes, reduced kidney function and cardiovascular disease highlights two classes of medications, GLP1 agonists and SGLT2 inhibitors, as powerful tools to improve outcomes. The GLP1 agonists, semaglutide (Ozempic/Wegovy) and tirzepatide (Mounjaro/Zepbound), have gained notoriety as weight loss drugs. In addition to their efficacy in addressing obesity, they have also reduced morbidity and mortality from heart disease in randomized clinical trials.

The SGLT2 inhibitors (empagliflozin/Jardiance, dapagliflozin/Farxiga, canagliflozin/Invokana) are especially beneficial with respect to kidney function and fluid retention, a hallmark of congestive heart failure. For all forms of heart failure these medications have reduced hospitalization and death. For those with impaired kidneys and protein in the urine, they also attenuate progression to kidney failure and dialysis.

Expected developments in treatment

Turning from the near past to the near future two developments will transform our approach to diagnosis and treatment of heart disease. The first is the use of RNA interference (RNAi), a targeted technique to silence gene expression and to inactivate harmful protein expression. Most forms of cardiac amyloidosis, a fatal and previously untreatable condition, can now be stopped cold by shutting down expression of the offending protein, transthyretin with RNAi. This, combined with new techniques for early detection, have transformed cardiac amyloidosis from a death sentence to a very treatable chronic problem.

RNAi has also been effective at largely eliminating expression of the atherogenic protein Lipoprotein (a) (Lp(a)), the strongest single genetic risk factor for coronary artery disease. Lp(a) levels and protein structure are genetically determined and unresponsive to diet and exercise. It has been described as the most potent untreatable risk factor for heart attacks. Multiple ongoing phase 3 trials testing the efficacy in preventing heart attacks and strokes. We anticipate positive results from these trials in the next 1-3 years.

The role of AI

Finally, no review of transformative technologies in cardiovascular medicine can omit the impact of artificial intelligence (AI). There is no concise way to summarize the extent to which AI will change how we practice, so I will not try. Instead, I provide two examples of how it is already advancing science and clinical care.

Over 10 years ago, I started a Cardiovascular Genetics Clinic to provide genetic counseling and testing for a number of known genetic heart conditions. Between the several hundred implicated genes and their many thousands of variants we are often confronted with rare forms of genes whose clinical significance is unknown, so-called Variants of Uncertain Significance. One of the major triumphs of AI has been solving the protein folding problem by AlphaFold. AlphaFold can accurately predict the 3-dimensional structure of a protein based on the 2-dimensional amino acid sequence. This same AI tool can predict the functional implications of a genetic variant that alters the amino acid sequence. AlphaFold is like a device that can translate a musical score into an audible melody, enabling us to appreciate the result of an altered note on the song.

AI has also already enhanced the daily practice of medicine. The Open Evidence AI medical assistant provides detailed, referenced, evidence-based answers to clinical questions. I consult it often, not just for guidance on topics remote from my core expertise but also to be sure I have not missed a new and relevant study. It has resulted in a subtle shift in clinical aptitude. Traditionally, an important clinical competency was knowing the right answer which we described as “fund of knowledge”. Now what matters is not so much the right answer as the right question. With instantaneous access to right answers the burden of clinical competence has shifted to knowing what we don’t know and asking the right questions.

I hope this brief survey of recent advances in Cardiovascular Medicine has helped you to understand where we are and where we are going. Our CVI practice at Newport Hospital seeks to bring the latest advances in Cardiology to this community. My colleagues and I look forward to sharing the benefits of these developments with you as partners in heart health and well-being.

Dr. Joseph Weiss is a Brown University Health cardiologist and member of the Cardiovascular Institute at Newport Hospital. Health Matters appears monthly in The Newport Daily News and on newportri.com.

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