Heart Failure Deaths Rose 121 Percent Among Adults Ages 25 to 44 Between 2001 and 2020, New Report Finds
A new report from the Heart Failure Society of America found that heart failure mortality rose 121 percent among adults ages 25 to 44 between 2001 and 2020. Hospitalization rates for adults under 65 have also increased while declining in older populations. Experts blame the early onset of obesity, hypertension, and diabetes in younger generations.
Heart failure is killing younger Americans at a sharply higher rate, according to a new report from the Heart Failure Society of America published in the Journal of Cardiac Failure.
The "HF Stats 2026" report found that crude mortality rates for heart failure rose 121 percent among adults ages 25 to 44 between 2001 and 2020. For adults ages 45 to 64, the increase was 96 percent. By contrast, mortality growth in adults 65 and older was 21 to 23 percent over the same period.
Hospitalization rates tell a similar story. Between 2010 and 2022, heart failure hospitalizations increased for adults under 65 while declining for older patients.
Approximately 7.7 million U.S. adults currently live with heart failure. The report projects that number will rise to 11.4 million by 2050.
Cardiologists say the shift toward younger patients is driven by the early development of cardiometabolic risk factors. Obesity, hypertension, type 2 diabetes, and sleep apnea are all being diagnosed at younger ages than in previous generations. These conditions place chronic stress on the heart over years and decades.
About one-third of heart failure patients have hypertension or obesity. Two in five have diabetes.
Despite effective treatments, the report found that only 18 percent of eligible patients with heart failure with reduced ejection fraction receive the recommended quadruple guideline-directed medical therapy.
Experts are calling for earlier screening, better use of preventive therapy, and public health policies that address the social factors driving poor cardiometabolic health in younger populations.
The report was published on October 5, 2026.
