Heart Failure Before Age 50 More Common in Blacks

A disturbingly large number of black men and women develop heart failure before the age of 50, according to new findings from the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute of the National Institutes of Health. People in the study were ages 18 to 30 when the study began. Researchers observed them for 20 years. One in 100 blacks in the age group studied developed heart failure. This rate is 20 times higher than whites. Heart failure in black study participants was often preceded by risk factors such as high blood pressure, obesity, and chronic kidney disease. The Associated Press wrote about it March 19.