Title: Heart Disease: Reducing Risks for African-Americans – Health Essentials from Cleveland Clinic
Headings: Heart Disease: Reducing Risks for African-Americans
Heart Disease: Reducing Risks for African-Americans
Genetic, environmental, social factors may play a part
A look at the numbers
Theories about the increased risk
5 ways to reduce your risk
Awareness is growing

Content: In America, 44 percent of black men and nearly 48 percent of black women have some form of heart disease, including heart disease and stroke. Chronic conditions such as hypertension (high blood pressure), diabetes and obesity increase the risk for heart disease and affect African-Americans disproportionately: Hypertension affects 45 percent of African-American men and 45 percent of African-American women compared with 35 percent of white men and 32 percent of white women. Diabetes is found in 13 percent of African-Americans compared with 8 percent of white Americans. Obesity affects 48 percent for African-Americans compared with 35 percent of white Americans. Theories about the increased risk
Why such issues have affected the African-American community in such a lopsided way is not clearly understood, according to Dr. Kirksey. “ The reason behind the increased prevalence of heart disease in African-Americans is multifactorial. Identifying the leading factor is somewhat controversial,” he says. Advertising Policy
Doctors suspect that genetic, environmental and social factors are at play. “Heart disease has a genetic component, which is probably activated by certain social or environmental risk factors, including stress, diet and exercise,” Dr. Kirksey explains.