Race Gap in Treatment of Heart Condition

By Kelley Luckstein

Race Gap in Treatment of Heart Condition

African Americans are less likely to know they have atrial fibrillation - an abnormal heart rhythm - than whites, or seek treatment for the condition, according to a new large nationwide study. Researchers, including neurologists from the Mayo Clinic, say the findings could help explain why the black population of the United States has a higher incident of strokes and death from strokes than the white population.

"The reasons for the racial discrepancy are not known," said Dr. James Meschia, Mayo Clinic neurologist and director of the Comprehensive Stroke Center at Mayo's campus in Florida.

CBS News, 2/26/2010

Racial and Geographic Disparities Seen in Stroke Incidence and Racial Differences in AF Treatment

New research from the REasons for Geographic and Racial Differences in Stroke (REGARDS) study has uncovered racial and geographic disparities in stroke incidence and racial differences in receiving proper diagnoses and treatment for atrial fibrillation (AF)…

In the separate analysis of REGARDS data, lead author James F. Meschia, MD, a neurologist at the Mayo Clinic, Jacksonville, Florida, and colleagues found that among 432 study participants (88 blacks, 344 whites) who had AF confirmed by electrocardiogram, blacks were both less likely to know they had AF and less likely to be treated with warfarin.

Medscape Today, by Pauline Anderson, 3/1/2010