Racial Disparity in Infant Heart Disease Mortality

Black newborns with congenital heart disease face a higher mortality rate in their first year compared to white infants.

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.

Test Your Knowledge on Coronary Heart Disease
Coronary heart disease is a direct consequence of today’s unhealthy lifestyle and food habits, which include a high-fat diet, inadequate exercise and loads of stress. Coronary heart disease is emerging as an epidemic of the modern world, affecting ...

‘Black newborns with #congenital_heart_disease are 40% more likely to die in the first year of life than white newborns. #racialdisparity #CHD #medindia’

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.

Coronary Heart Disease - Causes, Symptoms, Risk Factors, Diagnosis, Tretment
In coronary heart disease, blood is unable to flow through blocked arteries. The main symptom is chest pain or angina. Treatment is with medications or surgery.

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.”

Omega-3 Fatty Acids can Lower the Risk of Coronary Heart Disease
Regular intake of EPA and DHA omega-3 fatty acids as food or supplement reduces risk of coronary heart disease.

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:

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/ )

Link Between Cognitive Decline and Coronary Heart Disease Discovered
Adults with incident coronary heart disease (CHD) are at higher risk for faster cognitive decline in the long-term, stated new research.

Source-Eurekalert