Influence of Race in the Association of Diabetes and Heart Failure

Abstract

Heart failure is a global public health problem with high mortality and readmission rates. Race and ethnicity are useful concepts when attempting to understand differential health risks and health disparities. With cardiovascular diseases accounting for most deaths globally, eliminating racial disparities in cardiac care has become a new challenge in cardiology. Significant racial differences exist in patients with heart failure. African American patients in the US have a significantly higher incidence of heart failure, lower ejection fraction and are younger at presentation compared to White, Hispanic and Chinese American patients. These findings are explained by a higher burden of risk factors such as diabetes mellitus, hypertension, obesity and lower household incomes among African Americans. The authors believe that these findings are applicable to other racial groups across the globe. The prevalence of predisposing risk factors probably has a stronger influence on the incidence of heart failure than the racial factor alone. The interaction between race and diabetes mellitus has important public health implications for the management and prevention of heart failure.