Gap between black and white stroke victims, study reveals

Importance of understanding causes of heart attack (image sourced via Pexels / Photo by roman)
Importance of understanding causes of heart attack (Image sourced via Pexels / Photo by roman)

In line with a new study, it was revealed that black Americans get stroke at a far younger age than white individuals.

The time difference is roughly a decade. Although the total risk of heart attack in the population has decreased over time, the data reveal troubling trends and health inequities that have seen no improvement in over twenty years.

A study released in the online publication Neurology on January 10, 2024, revealed that black people had a greater rate of heart attack compared to white people across a recent 22-year period.

The survey also discovered that the median age for black people getting a heart attack was over ten years younger compared to the average of white people, a long-standing disparity.


Research findings for the stroke problem

Over the study period, the rate of heart attack among black individuals was around 50% to 80% greater than the rate among white individuals, with the most significant gap occurring among younger to middle-aged black adults.

Heart attack causes (Image sourced via Pexels / Photo by Andrea)
Heart attack causes (Image sourced via Pexels / Photo by Andrea)

Dr. Tracy Madsen, at Brown University, stated the study's findings were positive in several aspects.

"We did see a decrease in stroke incidence over the 22-year period in black adults."
"We had not seen that in prior study periods."

This was said Dr. Madsen, who is also an emergency medicine physician at both Rhode Island Hospital and The Miriam Hospital.

“It’s just that the disparity is still there.”
"We found that the rate of stroke is decreasing over time in both black and white people—a very encouraging trend for U.S. prevention efforts."

According to research, the risk factors for heart attacks are comparable to those for heart attacks. They can include artery hardening or constriction caused by high blood pressure, in addition to hypertension and high cholesterol.

Causes of heart attack (Image sourced via Pexels / Photo by Pixabay)
Causes of heart attack (Image sourced via Pexels / Photo by Pixabay)

They believe that limited access to good foods and medical services in some regions is an essential contributor to black individuals' poor health results.

Black people are more likely to have ischemic strokes as a result of socioeconomic and health disparities, just as they are more likely to develop diabetes and obesity.


Causes of strokes

1) Diabetes

People suffering from it frequently have elevated blood pressure, therefore having a higher probability of becoming overweight. Both increase the likelihood of a heart attack. Diabetes affects your blood vessels, increasing your chances of having an attack.

When you experience a heart attack while your glucose levels are elevated, the damage to the brain is worse.

Diabetes (Image sourced via Pexels / Photo by Anna Shvets)
Diabetes (Image sourced via Pexels / Photo by Anna Shvets)

2) High blood pressure

Since elevated blood pressure is frequently the cause of hemorrhagic strokes, decreasing blood pressure is an important aspect of treating them.

Lowering blood pressure reduces bleeding and simplifies clotting to close the injured blood vessel.

High blood pressure (Image sourced via Pexels / Photo by Louis Bauer)
High blood pressure (Image sourced via Pexels / Photo by Louis Bauer)

3) High cholesterol levels

Eating less cholesterol as well as fats, particularly saturated and trans ones, could avert artery buildup.

Medication might be necessary if changing your diet doesn't control your cholesterol.

High cholesterol levels (Image sourced via Pexels / Photo by Pixabay)
High cholesterol levels (Image sourced via Pexels / Photo by Pixabay)

A heart attack occurs when blood supply to a portion of the brain is interrupted.

Brain cells begin to die within minutes of being deprived of blood oxygen. Learn about what causes heart attacks and everything that can increase your risk of getting a heart attack.

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