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(Circulation. 2006;114:2757-2759.)
© 2006 American Heart Association, Inc.

Editorial

Racial and Ethnic Differences in Blood Pressure

Biology and Sociology

Daniel W. Jones, MD; John E. Hall, PhD

From the Center for Excellence in Cardiovascular–Renal Research, Department of Medicine, Department of Physiology and Biophysics, University of Mississippi Medical Center.

Correspondence to Daniel W. Jones, MD, Office of the Vice Chancellor, University of Mississippi Medical Center, 2500 North State Street, Jackson, MS 39216-4505. E-mail djones@ovc.umsmed.edu

Key Words: Editorials • hypertension • obesity • stress

An extract of the first 250 words of the full text is provided, because this article has no abstract.

In the last few years, much attention has been given to racial and ethnic differences in health measures. Not surprisingly, much of the work in this area is being done in the United States. Not only does our unique racial and ethnic diversity offer opportunities for study, but the social and political issues related to this diversity have driven a need to understand the disparities in health related to these differences.

Article p 2780

These racial and ethnic differences in health measures are seen clearly in cardiovascular disease risk factors and outcomes for Americans of African descent, or African Americans (AAs), compared with those of European descent, or European Americans (EAs). Compared with EAs, AAs have higher mortality rates for most cardiovascular diseases, including coronary heart disease and stroke. These differences are magnified at younger ages.¹

Prevalence rates for key risk factors differ for AAs, with higher rates for hypertension, obesity, and diabetes mellitus, and lower rates for dyslipidemia. Additionally, the cardiovascular consequences imposed by various risk factors differ by race. Compared with hypertensive EA men and women and AA men, AA women with hypertension have a substantially greater relative risk for heart disease. Conversely, AA women have a substantially lower relative risk for diabetes mellitus than EA women.²

The disparities in cardiovascular outcome are large and significant, and the disparities in outcome have worsened in the last 2 decades.³ Appropriately, much attention is being given to understanding these differences.

For a number of years, this important area of study . . . [Full Text of this Article]

This article has been cited by other articles:

				R. Wexler and D. Feldman Letter by Wexler and Feldman Regarding Article, "Ethnic and Gender Differences in Ambulatory Blood Pressure Trajectories: Results From a 15-Year Longitudinal Study in Youth and Adults" Circulation, May 22, 2007; 115(20): e477 - e477. [Full Text] [PDF]