Nearly half of U.S. counties don’t have a practicing cardiologist Those counties tend to have worse heart health Rural and poor counties are the most likely to not have a heart doctor practicing there TUESDAY, July 9, 2024 (HealthDay News) -- Where you live plays a vital role in how easy it is to receive care for heart problems.
Nearly half of U.S. counties don’t have a practicing cardiologist, and those are places with the worst heart health, a new study says.
More than 46% of U.S. counties don’t have a single heart doctor, even though the rest have an average 24 cardiologists practicing within them, according to findings published July 8 in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology .
Counties without a cardiologist are generally rural and poor, researchers found. In fact, nearly 9 in 10 rural counties (86%) don’t have a heart doc. Those counties without a heart doctor also have an average 31% higher risk of heart disease , and a greater burden of heart health risk factors like diabetes, high blood pressure, elevated cholesterol and smoking.
People are more likely to die from heart-related health problems, and on average have a one-year shorter life expectancy, researchers added. “While cardiologists are not the only determinants of cardiovascular outcomes, the lack of access to cardiologists in areas with greater prevalence of heart disease and mortality is incredibly concerning,” said Dr. Haider Warraich , director of the heart failure program at VA Bos.
