The “race gap” in heart health has changed little in 20 years

Monday, March 15, 2021 (HealthDay News)-Black Americans living in rural areas are two to three times more likely to die Diabetes mellitus And High blood pressure Compared to white rural people, and this gap hasn’t changed much over the last two decades, new studies show.

This survey will be conducted from 1999 to 2018 and will be published in the March 23 issue as a survey letter. Journal of American Universities of Cardiovascular..

Experts not involved in the study are worried that this racial disparity may have widened due to the restrictions COVID-19 imposes on daily life.

Dr. Sadhya Khan, an assistant professor of cardiology and preventive medicine at Northwestern University’s Fineberg School of Medicine in Chicago, said: “The widespread blockade in COVID-19 may have further impeded access to care and may have increased behaviors known to increase risk. Heart disease, Including unhealthy diet diet,not Exercise And consume more alcohol.. “

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For this study, researchers analyzed the racial breakdown of American mortality over the age of 25 at the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. They wanted to know if there were racial differences in diabetes, high blood pressure, heart disease, and heart disease mortality. stroke It has changed in rural and urban areas.

And in general, they did not change much in rural areas from 1999 to 2018. They were consistently the highest among black adults in those areas, the study said.

Overall, black adults were worse than white adults, but studies found that mortality from heart-related conditions improved in urban areas.

In addition, black adults in rural areas are at increased risk of death from diabetes and high blood pressure, and racial disparities have narrowed rapidly in urban areas.

Dr. Rahul Aggarwal, a research author at the Beth Israel Dikones Medical Center and Harvard Medical School in Boston, cited several reasons for the “significant” division.

“The black community faces system inequality that can lead to poor health, including increased poverty burdens, residence in underprivileged areas, and poor access to primary and other healthcare services. Preventive care, And structural racism, “said Mr. Agarwal. “These problems are widespread in rural areas of the United States.”

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Structural racism refers to policies and practices that can make it difficult for African Americans to move forward.

Dr. Rishi Wadhera, a senior author and cardiologist at the Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, said that “it is closely related to health and causes racial health inequality.” He said policy initiatives are needed.

Kahn agreed. “We need housing stability and expanded Medicaid for people in these areas who are homeless or have a hard time finding stable housing.

She also said that blacks in rural areas often lack access to computers and the Internet. Online visits were one of the main ways people met doctors in the early months of the pandemic. Lack of access to technology is likely to have widened the gap between care and mortality from heart-related conditions, Khan said.

Dr. Keith Ferdinand, Chair of Preventive Cardiology at the University of Train University School of Medicine in New Orleans, also reviewed the findings.

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He said most of the problems were that blacks in rural areas may not have proper health insurance, or they may not have it at all.

“Modern medicine can control blood sugar, cholesterol, and high blood pressure and reduce deaths from heart attacks and strokes, but without adequate insurance and lack of care, the benefits are lost.” Ferdinand said.

He said that grassroots education in these communities, which focuses on guiding healthier lifestyles and understanding the risks of heart disease, can reverse some trends.

For more information

Learn more about risk factors for heart disease, diabetes, and stroke American Heart Association..

Source: Sadiya Khan, MD, MSc, Associate Professor, Cardiology and Preventive Medicine, Northwestern University School of Fineberg Medicine, Chicago. Rishi Wadera, MD, MPP, MPhil, Cardiologist and Associate Professor, Medicine, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Boston. Rahu Aggarwal, MD, Clinical Fellow, Medicine, Beth Israel Deacones Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston; Keith Ferdinand, MD, Dean of Preventive Cardiology, Tlane University School of Medicine, New Orleans. Journal of American Universities of Cardiovascular, March 23, 2021