[Expert Solution]: Every year, researchers gain a deeper…

Every year, researchers gain a deeper understanding of the pathways that lead to cardiovascular disease. Along with continuously evolving technological and therapeutic advances, this opens new avenues to prevent and treat heart disease and stroke. As a leading funder in heart- and stroke-related research, the American Heart Association compiles an annual review of significant scientific advances in the fight against cardiovascular disease, which claims more than 850,000 lives in the U.S. each year and is the leading cause of death and disability worldwide. In 2024, several notable strides were made in the ability to assess cardiovascular risk, identifying predictors of disease much earlier in life that offer greater opportunities for prevention. The pressing need for prevention was driven home by research revealing a shift in national health trends, as cardiovascular disease burdens that had been falling reversed course and began an upward climb – a disturbing trend researchers forecast to continue in the coming decades. Investigators also made major strides in developing strategies to reduce heart failure-related events and deaths, explored new therapies for bleeding strokes, found wide-ranging benefits for anti-obesity drugs and ways to lower the life-threatening risks of cardiogenic shock. Here are some of the most significant developments from 2024.