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CHARLESTON, S.C. (WCSC) – Researchers are warning that Black families may be at higher risk of developing a genetic heart disease than other patients.
A five-year study conducted by The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center focused on the impact of dilated cardiomyopathy on various demographics of patients and their families. The Medical University of South Carolina is one of several leading research institutions.
The study enrolled 1,220 diagnosed patients and 1,693 first-degree relatives. Of these numbers, 40% of black patients have a family member at increased risk of inheriting the disease, and 39% of black patients have at least one family member affected by the disease, compared to 28% of white patients. Ta.
“When I wrote this study and began discussing it with the National Institutes of Health in 2012 and 2013, it was clear that there was very little genetic information about dilated cardiomyopathy in non-white patients,” said the cardiologist. says Ray Hershberger.
Researchers are still working to understand why this relationship exists.
Dilated cardiomyopathy affects 1 in 250 Americans. The South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control reported 12,210 deaths from heart disease in 2021. Of those, 3,223 were black.
Medical experts call dilated cardiomyopathy a silent killer. This is a genetic disease that can grow silently for months or years before symptoms begin to appear. Because of this, most patients are unaware that they are at risk.
Dilated cardiomyopathy is a condition in which the left ventricle of the heart weakens and becomes larger than its normal size, making it difficult to pump blood effectively and putting people at risk for heart failure.
Although heart failure often targets patients in their mid-40s, medical experts are increasingly concerned about how heart failure may also affect younger patients.
“Dilated cardiomyopathy is the most common diagnosis leading to heart transplantation and causes significant morbidity and mortality,” Professor Hershberger says.
Medical experts say knowing family history and getting tested early can save lives, especially for illnesses that may have no symptoms.
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