Title: Why Are African-Americans at Greater Risk for Heart Disease?
Headings: Why Are African-Americans at Greater Risk for Heart Disease?
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Why Are African-Americans at Greater Risk for Heart Disease?
African-Americans are at higher risk for heart disease, yet they're less likely to get the care they need.
African-Americans and Heart Failure
African-Americans and Health Care

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Why Are African-Americans at Greater Risk for Heart Disease? African-Americans are at higher risk for heart disease, yet they're less likely to get the care they need. By Katherine Kam
Reviewed by Louise Chang, MD on February 15, 2010
From the WebMD Archives
Heart disease has haunted generations of Robin Drummond's family. " I have a family history of heart disease on both sides," says the 55-year-old African-American and resident of Hammond, La. "I've had uncles, aunts, and grandparents who've died from heart attacks and heart disease, and two of my mother's brothers died four months apart. One had a heart attack in church, and four months later, one had a heart attack in the post office." When Drummond's father succumbed to heart disease at age 50, she was shaken. " Particularly when my dad died, I wanted to make sure that I was OK," she says. In 2002, she went to her doctor for testing and learned that her heart was mildly enlarged, placing her at risk for heart failure. Drummond, a registered dietitian, took strenuous measures to ward off trouble.