ANGIOPLASTY

mented for decades, and the solution to closing these gaps isn’t straightforward,” said Nanna, who co-wrote an editorial published with the study.

It will require a “multipronged” approach, he said. That means tackling economic disparities that make people more vulnerable to heart disease; lack of health insurance; and unequal access to high-quality health care, to name a few issues.

“Another important part of the solution,” Nanna said, “is to improve the diversity of our health care workforce.”

The findings were published online July 6 in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology: Cardiovascular Interventions.

The trials Stone’s team analyzed included a total of over 22,600 patients who underwent angioplasty to clear blockages from their heart arteries. The large majority were white, while 4 percent were Black, and 2 percent were Hispanic.

In the five years after undergoing angioplasty, 24 percent of Black patients suffered a heart attack, needed a repeat procedure or died. That compared with 19 percent of White patients, and nearly 22 percent of Hispanic patients.

When Stone’s team accounted for health factors, like co-existing conditions and smoking habits, Black patients still had a higher risk of heart attack or death. They were 35 percent more likely to die within five years, versus White patients, for example.

Those persistent disparities are “certainly discouraging,” said Nanna. But highlighting them is an important step toward change, he noted.

“We have medicines and procedures that really work for individuals with heart disease,” Nanna said. “How do we now make sure those effective therapies are being implemented and delivered equitably to all of our patients? That’s where we need to turn our focus.”

Nationwide, deaths from heart disease have dropped over the last 20 years, across racial and ethnic groups, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. However, Black Americans are still hardest hit.

In 2017, CDC figures show, Black Americans’ death rate from heart disease was more than double that of Asian/ Pacific Islanders — the group with the lowest rate.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has more information on racial disparities in heart disease. Visit www.cdc.gov/ heartdisease/facts.htm.

Norton writes for Healthday News.