title: A call to action: responding to the future forecasting of cardiovascular disease in america.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Cardiovascular disease (CVD) continues to be a leading cost driver for payers in the United States.1 The American Heart Association estimates that more than 75 million individuals nationwide have some form of CVD. Individuals aged 20 to 45 years are developing CVD at higher rates than ever before.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To discuss the alarming increase in the rate of CVD in young adults (aged 18-45 years) previously only seen in older adults (aged ≥65 years) and describe the 5 primary risk factors (smoking, obesity, hypertension, diabetes, and dyslipidemia) that contribute to this new trend in the working-age population.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Using Medical Expenditure Panel Survey data, this article outlines the increased prevalence of the 3 primary components of CVD-stroke, heart failure, and myocardial infarction-in younger adults and the cost impact on payers and on US society. The examples provided in this article highlight the need for increased efforts by all healthcare stakeholders, and by payers in particular, to develop prevention strategies for CVD risk factors targeted at young adults to curb the alarming rise in CVD among this age-group.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This article provides compelling evidence for the need to institute prevention measures to curb the growing prevalence of CVD risk factors among younger adults in the United States.
authors.affiliation: Associate Professor of Clinical Pharmacy and Physical Medicine, School of Pharmacy and Medicine, and Clinical Specialist, Division of Cardiology.
authors.forename: Robert Lee
authors.initials: RL
authors.lastname: Page
authors.affiliation: Research Assistant Professor of Clinical Pharmacy, School of Pharmacy.
authors.forename: Vahram
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Ghushchyan
authors.affiliation: Associate Professor of Clinical Pharmacy, School of Pharmacy, University of Colorado University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, CO.
authors.forename: Kavita
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Nair