Minorities & Heart Disease

Heart disease is a generic term for nine diseases that affect the heart. The most well-known is coronary heart disease. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, heart disease is leading cause of death for blacks, whites, American Indians/Alaska Natives and Hispanics. Also, it is the leading cause of death for men and women in the United States.

Coronary Heart Disease

• In 2005, coronary heart disease or CHD, according to the CDC accounted for 68.3 percent of all deaths related to heart disease. With CHD, plaque buildup hardens and narrows the coronary arteries that can decrease blood supply to the heart muscle. In some cases, plaque can block oxygen and blood supply to the heart. This is atherosclerosis. CHD can cause blood clots when the plaque ruptures or can lead to heart attacks and heart failure. Chest pain, called angina, and irregular heart beats can also happen.

Diagnosis

• Doctors can diagnose heart disease through four tests. They can perform a chest X-ray or echocardiogram that allows the doctors to look at pictures of the heart. Patients can go through an exercise stress test to measure how well the heart performs. With coronary angiography tests, a dye is injected into the coronary arteries to check for blockage. With cardiac catheterization tests, a doctor inserts a thin tube through the arm or groin to check for blockage in the arteries.

Minority Females

• Black women who are overweight, have a high cholesterol level greater than 200 mg/dl and who are between 55 and 64 years old are at risk for heart disease. According to lifetips.com, 44 percent of black women have heart disease, and approximately 40 percent of black-female deaths are related to heart disease. Hispanic women 20 years and older are at risk for heart disease because lack of exercise and smoking. In fact, for Hispanic women, both strokes and heart disease account for a third of all deaths.

Minority Males

• Black men who are over the age of 20 years old, overweight and have high cholesterol are at risk for heart disease. In addition, 33.4 percent of black males die of heart disease, according to lifetips.com. Heart disease is the leading cause of death in Hispanic men. An important risk factor for heart disease in Hispanic men is high blood pressure.

Other Risks

• Good blood cholesterol level, or HDL, protects individuals from heart disease, but LDL, or high bad blood cholesterol levels can lead to the disease. Diabetes can also increase people's risk for heart disease. Since the body doesn't make insulin properly or at all, it can cause buildup of insulin in the blood that can lead to heart disease. In addition, lack of exercise alcohol, genetics, poor diet and tobacco use can contribute to heart disease.