Cardiovascular Disease Now Leads as Cause of Death of Hispanic Adults

Cardiovascular disease has surpassed cancer as the leading cause of death among Hispanic adults in the United States, according to a scientific statement from the American Heart Association (AHA) published in the organization's flagship journal, Circulation.¹

The statement, approved by the AHA Science Advisory and Coordinating Committee, attributes the shift to rising rates of obesity, diabetes, and high blood pressure that surface earlier in life among Hispanic adults than in nonHispanic white populations. Hispanic individuals make up nearly 19% of the United States population, making them the nation's largest ethnic minority group.¹

"Hispanic populations in the US are incredibly diverse even within their own communities, with differences in genetic ancestry, language, cultural traditions, and social experiences that can significantly influence cardiovascular health," Johanna Contreras, MD, MSc, FAHA, chair of the statement's writing group and director of the Division of Heart Failure and medical director of the Hispanic Heart Center within the Mount Sinai Health System in New York, said in a news release.²

Cardiometabolic Risk Emerges Earlier

Approximately 46% of Hispanic adults have obesity, with the highest rates among those of Puerto Rican and Dominican heritage. Type 2 diabetes affects 15.5% of Hispanic adults, nearly double the prevalence among nonHispanic white adults, and is frequently diagnosed at younger ages.¹

Data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey covering 2011 to 2018 showed the mean age at diabetes diagnosis was 44.9 years among Mexican American adults compared with 51.8 years among nonHispanic white adults, a difference of 6.9 years that the authors say amplifies lifetime cardiovascular risk.¹

Hypertension prevalence is similar to that of nonHispanic white adults, at 44% using a threshold of 130/80 mmHg or higher, but awareness, treatment, and control rates are consistently lower. Hispanic adults are diagnosed with heart failure roughly 8 to 9 years younger than nonHispanic white patients, and they experience their first stroke around age 67, compared with 73 to 75 years among nonHispanic white adults. Only about 1 in 5 Hispanic adults achieves ideal cardiovascular health under the AHA's Life's Simple 7 metrics.¹

Social and Structural Barriers Compound the Risk

The writing group emphasized that biology alone does not account for the disparities. About 20% of Hispanic adults remained uninsured in 2023, compared with 6.4% of white adults and 9.8% of Black adults, and roughly 17% of Hispanics live below the federal poverty threshold, compared with 8.2% of nonHispanic white adults. About 41% of Hispanic adults have low health literacy, compared with 9% of nonHispanic white adults, rising to 66% among older Hispanic adults.¹

"Many Hispanic adults face obstacles that extend far beyond the doctor's office," Contreras said.² "Limited health insurance coverage, language differences, food insecurity, environmental exposures, and concerns related to immigration status can make it more difficult to prevent disease, manage chronic conditions, and receive timely treatment."

Contreras also pointed to the double-edged role of family networks, which can provide support but also become channels for medical misinformation, and to workforce gaps—just 5.8% of United States cardiologists identify as Hispanic.

"Without better representation and more detailed data, we risk overlooking important differences that can help us improve care and save lives," she said.²

Where Pharmacists Fit the Picture

A separate framework from the Pan American Health Organization's HEARTS in the Americas initiative makes the case that pharmacists are well positioned to help close hypertension and cardiovascular risk gaps.³

A systematic review and meta-analysis cited in that framework identified pharmacist-led, team-based care with medication titration as the most effective approach for blood pressure control, and the RxEACH trial found community pharmacists managing high-cardiovascular-risk patients achieved a 21% reduction in cardiovascular risk along with a systolic blood pressure reduction of 9.37 mmHg within 3 months. A Southern California program pairing barbers with pharmacists produced a 21.6 mmHg drop in systolic blood pressure, with 89.4% of patients reaching target levels below 140/90 mmHg.³

Board certification offers one pathway for pharmacists to formalize that role. Rhynn Soderstrom, PharmD, BCPS, BCCP, AACC, 2025 chair of the Board of Pharmacy Specialties Cardiology Pharmacy Specialty Council, has described medication management as the area where board-certified cardiology pharmacists "can be most impactful," pointing to career paths spanning coronary care units, ambulatory hypertension and heart failure clinics, and multidisciplinary research. "In cardiology pharmacy, the world is your oyster," Soderstrom wrote.⁴

The AHA statement stops short of issuing treatment recommendations—that is, reserved for clinical guidelines—but it calls for culturally tailored prevention strategies, expanded use of community health workers, and greater representation of Hispanic populations in cardiovascular research, including studies involving artificial intelligence and genomics.¹

"Reducing cardiovascular disease among Hispanic populations demands action at every level, from improving access to culturally responsive care and expanding research participation to addressing the social and environmental conditions that shape health," Contreras said.²

REFERENCES

1. Contreras J, Aguilar D, Bravo-Jaimes K, et al. State of Cardiovascular Disease and Stroke in Hispanic/Latino Adults in the United States: A Scientific Statement From the American Heart Association. Circulation. Published online September 15, 2026. doi:10.1161/CIR.0000000000001463

2. Cardiovascular disease tops cancer as leading cause of death among Hispanic adults in US News release. American Heart Association. September 15, 2026. Accessed September 21, 2026. https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/1143386

3. Ridley E, DiPette DJ, Gysel S, et al. HEARTS Pharmacy: A framework for integrating pharmacists in hypertension and cardiovascular disease risk management in primary care. Rev Panam Salud Publica. 2025;49:e35. Published 2025 Apr 18. doi:10.26633/RPSP.2025.35

4. Soderstrom R. Taking patients to heart: the impact of the board-certified cardiology pharmacist. Board of Pharmacy Specialties. February 24, 2025. Accessed September 21, 2026. https://bpsweb.org/2025/02/24/taking-patients-to-heart-the-impact-of-the-board-certified-cardiology-pharmacist/