Hospitalizations for Heart Failure on the decline; disparities remain for Blacks and Men
June 28, 2017
American Heart Association Rapid Access Journal
Dallas, TX – The number of people hospitalized for heart failure in the United States declined about 30 percent between 2002 and 2013, but large disparities between blacks vs. whites and men vs. women remain, according to new research in Circulation: Cardiovascular Quality and Outcomes, an American Heart Association journal.
Heart failure hospitalizations in the United States have declined overall but remain significantly higher among blacks. While still hospitalized more than whites, the disparity narrowed between Hispanics and whites. (American Heart Association)
Blacks, Hispanics less likely to achieve blood pressure control
January 18, 2017
Circulation: Cardiovascular Quality and Outcomes Journal Report
Dallas, TX – Blacks and Hispanics with high blood pressure are less likely than whites to get their condition under control, according to new research in Circulation: Cardiovascular Quality and Outcomes, an American Heart Association journal.
“High blood pressure is very common, and it is strongly linked to cardiovascular diseases like stroke, heart attack and heart failure,” said Edgar Argulian, M.D., M.P.H., senior study author and assistant professor of medicine and a cardiologist at Mt. Sinai St Luke’s Hospital in New York.
Lack of healthcare insurance and younger age increases the treatment and control gap between these minority groups and whites. (American Heart Association)
American Heart Association reports an increasing number of U.S. Adults living with Congenital Heart Defects
July 6, 2016
American Heart Association Journal Report
Dallas, TX – More adults are living with congenital heart defects in the United States, creating the need for more health services and tracking systems to collect data across all ages, not just at birth, according to new research in the American Heart Association’s journal Circulation.
Congenital heart defects are structural problems with the heart present at birth. They are diagnosed in eight to 10 per 1,000 live births in the United States and are the most common type of birth defect, according to researchers.
More adults are living with congenital heart defects in the United States, creating the need for specialized health services and systems that track this medical condition across all ages. (American Heart Association)
American Heart Association reports Hispanics/Latinos at higher risk for Cardiac Dysfunction, Heart Failure
April 7, 2016
American Heart Association Rapid Access Journal Report
Dallas, TX – Hispanics/Latinos have higher rates of cardiac dysfunction but are rarely aware they have the heart-pumping problem that can lead to heart failure, according to new research in the American Heart Association’s journal Circulation: Heart Failure.
Researchers found that about half of the 1,818 adults in their study of middle-aged and older Hispanics/Latinos had cardiac dysfunction, yet fewer than 1 in 20 participants knew they had a problem.
Heart Illustration. (American Heart Association)
Statin use differs among Hispanic Adults at risk for Heart Disease
April 4, 2016
American Heart Association Rapid Access Journal Report
Dallas, TX – In the United States, adults of different Hispanic/Latino backgrounds, at high risk for heart disease, varied significantly in their use of widely-prescribed cholesterol-lowering medications known as statins, according to new research in the Journal of the American Heart Association. The difference was based on whether or not they had health insurance.
“These findings have important implications for preventing disparities in cardiovascular outcomes within the growing U.S. Hispanic/Latino population,” said study lead author Dima M. Qato, Pharm.D., M.P.H., Ph.D., assistant professor of pharmacy systems, outcomes and policy at the University of Illinois in Chicago.
Prepping the patient to draw blood for a cholesterol test. (American Heart Association)
American Heart Association says Young Hispanics often Obese, at higher risk for Heart Diseases
July 15, 2014
Dallas, TX – Obesity is common among U.S. Hispanics and is severe particularly among young Hispanics, according to research in the Journal of the American Heart Association (JAHA).
The first large-scale data on body mass index (BMI) and cardiovascular disease risk factors among U.S. Hispanic/Latino adult populations suggests that severe obesity may be associated with considerable excess risk for cardiovascular diseases.
Blood pressure cuff. (American Heart Association)
American Heart Association says Older Migraine Sufferers may have more Silent Brain Injury
May 16, 2014
May is American Stroke Month
Dallas, TX – Older migraine sufferers may be more likely to have silent brain injury, according to research published in the American Heart Association’s journal Stroke.
In a new study, people with a history of migraine headaches had double the odds of ischemic silent brain infarction compared to people who said they didn’t have migraines.
Think FAST
Healthy heart = corazón sano
January 12, 2013
The American Heart Association reaches out to the Hispanic community locally and nationally
Nashville, TN – Heart disease is the No. 1 killer for all American men and women, and stroke is the fourth leading cause of death.
Hispanics and Latinos, however, face even higher risks because of high blood pressure, obesity and diabetes – and cultural challenges. That can be a surprise to many Hispanics, both nationally and here in Middle Tennessee.
“Recently learning that cardiovascular disease – heart disease and stroke – is the #1 killer of Hispanics across the nation, was a stop in my life,” commented Shirley Guerrero of Brentwood, TN. [Read more]
