Mar 20, 2009 10:37 am US/Eastern
Study: Blacks 20 Times Likelier For Heart Failure
N.E. Journal Of Medicine: 1 In 100 African Americans Will Develop The Problem In The Prime Of Life -- Before 50
NEW YORK (CBS) ―
Heart failure affects about 5 million Americans and is the leading cause of hospitalization in people older than 65, but new research suggests it's not just a disease of the elderly. And for people of color, it's striking remarkably early.
One in 100 black men and women will develop heart failure in the prime of life. It's usually the disease of the older set, but according to a study in the New England Journal of Medicine, surprisingly it's striking blacks before age 50.
"This study clearly shows your risk of having heart failure is 20 times higher, if you're African American than if you're white," says Dr. Franz Messerli of St. Luke's-Roosevelt Hospital.
Heart failure happens when the heart loses its ability to pump sufficient blood through the body. It causes shortness of breath and fluid retention in the legs or the lungs.
It's often fatal.
Blacks may get heart failure so early because their blood pressure and body weight rises faster during their 20s. By the time they reach their 30s and 40s, damage to the heart has already been done.
"Over 90 percent of people who have heart failure, have a history of hypertension. So clearly, high blood pressure, hypertension, is a major, major powerful risk factor for the development of heart failure," says Messerli.
Other explanations range from income and social factors to genetics. The researchers say the takeaway message is that doctors should be focused on treating young blacks who may be at risk.
"The observation by itself is so dramatic that it really motivates us to treat as aggressively as we possibly can," says Messerli.
The best way to prevent heart failure is through a healthy lifestyle. Avoid smoking, make sure to get regular exercise, keep cholesterol low, and keep illnesses like diabetes and high blood pressure under good control.
(© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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