The Racial Factor
African-American women are at higher risk
for dying of cardiovascular disease (CVD) than women in
any other racial group, according to a 200-page study produced
by West Virginia University and the Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention (CDC). African-American women die
of CVD at an alarming rate, with 553 deaths per 100,000
women per year versus 388 deaths per 100,000 white women
per year. Overall, CVD causes 401 deaths per 100,000 women
of all backgrounds over age 35 each year.
Other studies show that Mexican-American women are hospitalized
more often for heart attacks than non-Hispanic white women.
Researchers from the CDC believe that a combination of
genetics, smoking habits, ethnic diets (which may be high
in saturated fat), and other social or cultural traditions
could contribute to a higher number of CVD-related deaths
in African-American and Mexican-American women.
Researchers also point to social isolation and limited
mobility as factors that could play a role in CVD-related
deaths in certain high-risk groups of women.
Reference
“Women
and Heart Disease: An Atlas of Racial and Ethnic Disparities
in Mortality,” National Center for Chronic Disease
Prevention and Health Information, CDC, Oct. 15, 2002.
Source of Material: RockHill Communications, 14
Rock Hill Road Bala, Cynwyd, PA 19004, (610) 667-2040, http://www.RockHillCommunications.com
Writer: Christine Norris
Editors: Andrea King, Joanne Poeggel, Erin Murphy, Ron
Wozny
Clinical Reviewer: Patt Panzer, M.D. - RockHill Communications
Date Written: 3/1/01
Last Reviewed & Updated: 5/31/2003 |
