Naeem, Aroma

Obesity affects approximately 72 million Americans and is a significant contributor to ischemic heart disease (IHD). Given the scarcity of data, this observational study examines trends and disparities in IHD-related mortality among obese individuals in the United States from 2003 to 2019 using Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Wide-Ranging Online Data for Epidemiologic Research data. Age-adjusted mortality rates (AAMRs) were calculated for IHD as the underlying cause of death and obesity as a contributing cause of death, revealing an increase in IHD-related mortality among obese adults. AAMR rose from 2.1 in 2003 to 3.9 in 2019, with higher rates in men, non-Hispanic Black individuals, the elderly, and those in nonmetropolitan and Midwest regions. These findings underscore significant sex, racial, and regional disparities in mortality, suggesting a need for targeted health policies and resource allocation, improving overall cardiovascular health outcomes.