Prevalence of Cardiovascular Diseases Among Breast Cancer Survivors: Findings From the NHANES 2003-2018

Purpose: To examine the prevalence of cardiovascular diseases (CVD) among breast cancer (BC) survivors. Design: Cross-sectional observational study using the data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) 2003-2018. Setting: United States (US). Subjects: A nationally representative sample of US women with a history of BC. Measures: Self-reported CVD status (i.e., coronary artery disease (CAD), heart failure, and stroke) and time of the CVD diagnosis were used to categorize BC survivors into three groups: No CVD, preexisting CVD, and post-acquired CVD after BC diagnosis. Analysis: The prevalence of CVD among BC survivors were estimated by demographic characteristics. Complex sampling design of the NHANES was accounted to estimate the population-level prevalence. Results: A total of 658 BC survivors were identified, representing 3.01% (similar to 3.4million) of the US women aged =18 years old. Of those, similar to 6% (similar to.2 million) had preexisting CVD and similar to 11% (similar to.4 million) had at least one CVD diagnosed after BC diagnosis, with an average time elapsed ranging from similar to 5 years for heart failure to similar to 9 years for CAD and stroke. The prevalence of CVD among BC survivors differed by demographic characteristics including age, education, marital status, menopausal, and physical activity levels. Conclusion: Our findings suggest that BC survivors are at risk of suffering from CVD and public health strategies for the longterm management of CVD risk factors in this vulnerable population group is recommended.