Recently I had a discussion with a friend who highlighted a question to me of “why so many Blacks in their early 50’s and younger were dying from heart attacks particularly Black males.”
This question was posed to me because my friend knew that as a Community Health Representative I had started ‘Black Hearts Matter’ as an effort to both increase heart health literacy and to decrease the super-disproportionate rates of Black heart disease.
My initial response was that it was not surprising that a lot of Blacks in their early 50’s and younger were dying from heart attacks due to 60% of adult Blacks having heart disease based on recent data from the American Heart Association.
According to a study by the American Heart Association’s Scientific Sessions (2021) found that Black young adults average age of 31 years between 2007 and 2017 in the U.S. experienced increased cardio-vascular disease risk factors and worsened hospital outcomes.
In an issue of the New England Journal of Medicine (2019), researchers reported that in a study heart failure developed at an average age of 39 among the Black participants.
By the tenth year of the study, when participants were between 28 and 40 years old, almost 90% of participants who later developed heart failure had untreated or poorly controlled high blood pressure.
After leaving my discussion with this friend and going home, I felt it was important to further elaborate on this question in writing on Blacks in their early 50’s and younger dying from heart attacks.
Cardiac Arrest the Sudden Killer!
Most heart attacks are caused by a blockage in blood flow to the heart rather than a problem with the heart itself. Cardiac arrest is caused by an issue in the heart's electrical system and may not be a detectable condition leading up to the event.
Cardiac arrest is typically more severe than a heart attack, as it can result in death within minutes if proper medical care is not provided. Sudden cardiac arrest occurs when there is an electrical problem within the heart, rather than an obstruction in its supply lines.
With this electrical malfunction, the heart stops pumping oxygen-rich blood through the body, which puts organs at risk of damage including the heart itself. This results in loss of consciousness and can be fatal, or result in brain damage.
Each year, more than 350,000 people have an out-of-hospital cardiac arrest and about 90% of them are fatal and a disproportionate number are Blacks, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Blacks Die More from Sudden Cardiac Deaths
Researchers at the Smidt Heart Institute found that African-Americans in the U.S. experience sudden cardiac arrest at twice the rate as whites. Blacks have a higher incidence of out-of-hospital sudden cardiac arrest in comparison with whites, as evidenced in emergency medical service systems data in several US cities.
According to Jonathan Kim, M.D., director of sports cardiology and associate professor of medicine at Emory University, Black athletes in high-school, college, and the professional rank have higher rates of sudden cardiac arrest.
Know 3 Warning Symptoms ‘Signs’ Specific to Cardiac Arrest
Three signs of cardiac arrest that are not signs of a heart attack include sudden loss of consciousness, lack of pulse and no breathing.
Other symptoms, such as dizziness or chest pain, may also indicate cardiac arrest, but they may also be associated with other conditions, like a heart attack. Therefore, it is important to observe the entire range of symptoms before making any conclusions.
In the Case of Cardiac Arrest, Begin CPR first
When a person suffers from cardiac arrest, survival depends on them immediately receiving CPR. For adults, check for responsiveness, then call for help.
If two people are available to help, one should begin CPR immediately while the other calls 911 and finds an AED (Automated External Defibrillator) if available and use it as soon as possible. Continue high-quality CPR until professional emergency medical services arrive.
Compression-only CPR, or hands-only CPR, is a CPR in which continuous compression is given and no mouth-to-mouth breathing or rescue breaths. According to the American Heart Association, compression-only is the most effective form of CPR for adults and teens.
Black folks, with the super-alarming disproportionate number of our people with heart-disease including sudden cardiac deaths, every Black household should have someone trained in Compression-Only CPR to save lives.
Indeed, Compression-Only CPR is a basic life support skill that anyone can perform, regardless of their education, training, or
This question was posed to me because my friend knew that as a Community Health Representative I had started ‘Black Hearts Matter’ as an effort to both increase heart health literacy and to decrease the super-disproportionate rates of Black heart disease.
My initial response was that it was not surprising that a lot of Blacks in their early 50’s and younger were dying from heart attacks due to 60% of adult Blacks having heart disease based on recent data from the American Heart Association.
According to a study by the American Heart Association’s Scientific Sessions (2021) found that Black young adults average age of 31 years between 2007 and 2017 in the U.S. experienced increased cardio-vascular disease risk factors and worsened hospital outcomes.
In an issue of the New England Journal of Medicine (2019), researchers reported that in a study heart failure developed at an average age of 39 among the Black participants.
By the tenth year of the study, when participants were between 28 and 40 years old, almost 90% of participants who later developed heart failure had untreated or poorly controlled high blood pressure.
After leaving my discussion with this friend and going home, I felt it was important to further elaborate on this question in writing on Blacks in their early 50’s and younger dying from heart attacks.
What most Blacks don’t understand is what they think is Blacks dying from heart attacks is too often Blacks dying from Sudden Cardiac Death (SCD) due to cardiac arrest; there is a distinction between the two.
Cardiac Arrest the Sudden Killer!
Most heart attacks are caused by a blockage in blood flow to the heart rather than a problem with the heart itself. Cardiac arrest is caused by an issue in the heart's electrical system and may not be a detectable condition leading up to the event.
Cardiac arrest is typically more severe than a heart attack, as it can result in death within minutes if proper medical care is not provided. Sudden cardiac arrest occurs when there is an electrical problem within the heart, rather than an obstruction in its supply lines.
With this electrical malfunction, the heart stops pumping oxygen-rich blood through the body, which puts organs at risk of damage including the heart itself. This results in loss of consciousness and can be fatal, or result in brain damage.
Each year, more than 350,000 people have an out-of-hospital cardiac arrest and about 90% of them are fatal and a disproportionate number are Blacks, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Blacks Die More from Sudden Cardiac Deaths
Researchers at the Smidt Heart Institute found that African-Americans in the U.S. experience sudden cardiac arrest at twice the rate as whites. Blacks have a higher incidence of out-of-hospital sudden cardiac arrest in comparison with whites, as evidenced in emergency medical service systems data in several US cities.
According to Jonathan Kim, M.D., director of sports cardiology and associate professor of medicine at Emory University, Black athletes in high-school, college, and the professional rank have higher rates of sudden cardiac arrest.
Know 3 Warning Symptoms ‘Signs’ Specific to Cardiac Arrest
Three signs of cardiac arrest that are not signs of a heart attack include sudden loss of consciousness, lack of pulse and no breathing.
Other symptoms, such as dizziness or chest pain, may also indicate cardiac arrest, but they may also be associated with other conditions, like a heart attack. Therefore, it is important to observe the entire range of symptoms before making any conclusions.
In the Case of Cardiac Arrest, Begin CPR first
When a person suffers from cardiac arrest, survival depends on them immediately receiving CPR. For adults, check for responsiveness, then call for help.
If two people are available to help, one should begin CPR immediately while the other calls 911 and finds an AED (Automated External Defibrillator) if available and use it as soon as possible. Continue high-quality CPR until professional emergency medical services arrive.
Compression-only CPR, or hands-only CPR, is a CPR in which continuous compression is given and no mouth-to-mouth breathing or rescue breaths. According to the American Heart Association, compression-only is the most effective form of CPR for adults and teens.
Black folks, with the super-alarming disproportionate number of our people with heart-disease including sudden cardiac deaths, every Black household should have someone trained in Compression-Only CPR to save lives.
Indeed, Compression-Only CPR is a basic life support skill that anyone can perform, regardless of their education, training, or
experience.
*Note: An Automatic External Defibrillator (AED) can be used by anyone, it is designed to be user-friendly even without CPR training.
