Stroke and Heart Disease
Stroke and heart diseases are more likely to afflict black Americans. There are several reasons to explain why this might be. Dr. Yancy says that the black American’s predisposition to having high blood pressure leads to the fact that they develop higher incidents of deadly heart diseases. This naturally leads to more African Americans suffering from diabetes, stroke and heart disease in general. The black American is also more likely to develop serious heart disease where there was none before. The bottom line is that high blood pressure forces heart failure.
You may be surprised to find that high blood pressure treatments may vary in black and white Americans. The findings here may force doctors to consider race as a possible element in giving them a different treatment and/or medicine. Dr. Yancy shows data on how race is a definite marker for a more advanced treatment for high blood pressure. He states that therapies are on equal terms, but when it comes to patients who are more prone, they will have to have a more intensive treatment plan.
This also holds true for heart failure. One such study found that a particular treatment wasn’t working well as intended, but researchers have discovered that it worked better in black Americans than white Americans. Further studies confirmed the findings, and it paved the way for evidence that a drug can help patients suffering from certain diseases, no matter the race or ethnicity.
Dr. Yancy admits that the race discussion is particularly helpful for cardiology in general. The event has caused a seismic shift in the way doctors find treatment that works on all people suffering from heart failure, including Caucasians and black Americans.
