African Americans tend to have shorter lives than whites - largely due to higher rates of heart diseases and strokes, according to a statement from the American Heart Association.
The average white American lives to 79 years old, compared to the average black American who is expected to reach 75.5 years old at most.
Experts warn there is no clearer indication of health disparity than in cardiovascular health; heart diseases killed more than two million black Americans between 1999 and 2010.
In a statement published today, AHA-affiliated scientists at Northwestern University warned this is at least partly driven by the lack of effective disease prevention and management efforts for minorities.
The average white American lives to 79 years old, compared to the average black American who is expected to reach 75.5 years old at most. Scientists at Northwestern have analyzed why
'While African Americans are more likely to experience many cardiovascular diseases, in particular strokes and heart failure, they are also more likely to die from cardiovascular diseases,' Dr. Mercedes R. Carnethon from Northwestern University Preventive Medicine in Chicago said.
Because African Americans develop nearly all cardiovascular diseases - heart attack, stroke, and heart failure - at a relatively young age, she continued, 'higher rates of death may arise from the length of time that African Americans live with these conditions.'
'Interrupting this process by preventing the early onset of cardiovascular diseases is one strategy to reduce disparities in cardiovascular disease mortality,' she said.
Source: dailymail
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