New research from the American Heart Association reveals
an explanation as to why Black communities see higher rates of sudden cardiac
arrest death especially between women than white ones.
Findings from a study by the Atherosclerosis Risk in
Communities (ARIC) revealed that by age 85 Black men account for 9.6
percent of people who suffered sudden cardiac deaths, while 6.6 percent of
sufferers were Black women.
Comparatively, white men accounted for 6.5 percent of
sudden cardiac arrest deaths, while white women made up 2.3 percent of such
victims. These numbers show Black men had a sudden cardiac death rate nearly 48
percent higher than that of white men, while Black women’s death rate was 187
percent higher than white women’s.
The study, which was conducted over the course of
nearly three decades and published in AHA’s journal Circulation, revealed that
Blacks’ higher comparative rates are the results of differences at a cultural
and socioeconomic level, including disparities in education and income.
Additionally, risk factors like hypertension and diabetes are to blame.
The ARIC study collected its data by focusing on four
American communities — the suburbs of Minneapolis, Forsyth County in North
Carolina, Washington County in Maryland, and Jackson, Mississippi. White
participants made up 11,237 of those reviewed, while 3,832 Black participants
were involved in the research.
Yet despite the findings, which were discovered over a
significant span of time, lead researcher Eliseo Guallar, Ph.D.,
acknowledged more studies need to be conducted.
“Low income and lack of education are associated with
unhealthy behaviors, low disease awareness, and limited access to care, which
could all contribute to poor outcomes,” Guallar said in a press release.
“However, our understanding of the mechanisms for racial differences in sudden
cardiac death is still incomplete and additional research is needed.”
Still, there are some solutions available to assist
Black communities with combating the findings of the ARIC. Dr. Icilma Fergus,
associate professor of medicine at Mount Sinai Medical Center in New York City,
told Healthline that she’s working with communities in the area to teach them
about how to spot and treat symptoms and promote heart health.
Dr. Fergus co-founded and co-directs the Healthy
Heart Series program, which provides workshops and training to assist people
in learning simple ways to look after themselves and to prevent
and heart disease and sudden cardiac arrest.
“It’s about creating a trusting situation where people
learn from and gravitate to providers they trust, gain the knowledge, and
ultimately do it for themselves,” she said. “When I started working in central
Harlem, I found that people weren’t as trustful of doctors at first. We started
out with 10 or 20 people in the monthly workshops, now we have 90 on average.”
Along with taking proper medications, it’s also
important for people to have access to healthier food options, which is not
always the case in areas where food deserts are common. Such issues
disproportionately affect Black communities.
However, Fergus noted that getting ingredients for
quality meals can be done through a community farmers market without resorting
to an expensive health foods store.
