Heart disease in African American women

Heart disease is the No. 1 cause of death in women in the U.S. And African American women have an even higher risk of dying from heart disease—and at a younger age—than white women, according to the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute.

Dr. LaPrincess Brewer, a Mayo Clinic cardiologist, says this serious issue is compounded by the fact that many African American women are not aware of their risk ( https://newsnetwork. mayoclinic.org/discussion/mayo-clinic-minute-heart-disease-in-african-american-women/).

“Each year, more African American women die from heart disease than breast cancer, lung cancer and strokes combined,” says Dr. Brewer.

But what are the factors that increase their risk of developing heart disease?

“African Americans have the highest hypertension rates in the world. African American women are also the least physically active group of women in the United States. Now’s the time that we focus on changing the narrative on heart health and African American women.”

Dr. Brewer says African American women face a high burden of negative social determinants of health, such as chronic stress related to factors like food insecuri-