Racial Disparity in Infant Heart Disease Mortality

Black newborns with congenital heart disease are 40% more likely to die in the first year of life than white newborns. This alarming statistic highlights significant racial disparities in healthcare outcomes.

Congenital heart disease (CHD) refers to defects in the structure of the heart that affect some newborns. Many studies have shown that more newborns with congenital heart disease live past their first birthday.

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CHD mortality has drastically dropped in the United States. However, research has revealed that race influences these survival rates.

Congenital Heart Disease Survival Rate

The death rate in white infants has decreased significantly, but the rate in Black infants has not. Overall, it was found that Black infants died from abnormal heart structures at a rate that was 1.4 times that of white infants.

Researchers examined data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on 60,243,988 live births, which included 19,004 congenital heart disease-related infant deaths, to investigate if death rates varied based on race for children born with CHD.

Racial Disparity in Congenital Heart Disease Mortality

They found that the overall congenital heart disease infant mortality rate declined from 36.1 to 27.0 per 100,000 live births, down 25.2%. However, throughout the study, Black infants with congenital heart disease died at higher rates.

"Our findings may have implications for patient care and public health policy by serving as a foundation for additional studies to determine the drivers behind these disparities," Dr. Danso said. "More research is needed on this disparity to understand why Black infants with congenital heart disease are more likely to die."

Addressing these disparities is crucial for improving healthcare outcomes for all infants with congenital heart disease. Further research and targeted interventions are needed to ensure that all children, regardless of race, have the best possible chance of survival.

Reference:

1. Black Infants With Heart Abnormalities More Likely to Die in First Year- (https:www.aap.org/en/news-room/news-releases/aap/2024/black-infants-with-heart-abnormalities-more-likely-to-die-in-first-year/ )

Source: Eurekalert