Fact Sheets

Heart Disease and Stroke:
Facts About African Americans

What comes to mind when you think of heart disease?
A middle-aged white man dying suddenly from a heart attack? Well think again. Cardiovascular disease, including stroke, is the leading cause of death for African-American men and women — claiming the lives of over 100,000 annually. In 1997, cardiovascular disease accounted for 33.8 percent of deaths among black men and 41.3 percent among black women, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention of the National Center for Health Statistics. Overall, more than 950,000 people die a year due to cardiovascular disease — more than any other disease.

Did you know that … ?

• Cardiovascular disease and stroke cause 41.2 percent of all American deaths — 1 out of 2.4 deaths.
• African-Americans are at greater risk for cardiovascular disease and stroke death than whites.
• More than 2,600 Americans die each day of cardiovascular disease, an average of 1 death every 33 seconds.
• Compared with whites, young African-Americans have a two-to-three-fold greater risk of ischemic stroke (caused by a clogged blood vessel), and African-American men and women are more likely to die of stroke.
• The 1997 death rates for stroke were 61.5 for white males and 88.5 for African-American males; and 57.9 for white females and 76.1 for African-American females.
• For non-Hispanic African-Americans age 20 and older, 36.7 percent of men and 36.6 percent of women have high blood pressure, a leading cause of stroke.
• African-Americans and whites in the southeastern United States have a greater prevalence of high blood pressure and higher death rates from stroke than those from other regions of the country.
• As many as 30 percent of all deaths in hypertensive African-American men and 20 percent of all deaths in hypertensive African-American women may be attributable to high blood pressure.
• Compared with whites, African-Americans develop high blood pressure at an earlier age, and it is more severe at any decade of life. As a result, African-Americans have a 1.5 times greater rate of heart disease death and a 1.8 times greater rate of fatal stroke.
• 68.3 percent of African-American females are overweight and 38.2 percent are obese.
• African-Americans are one of the least active groups in terms of overall physical inactivity.

Warning Signs for Heart Attack are:

• Uncomfortable pressure, fullness, squeezing or pain in the center of the chest lasting more than a few minutes
• Pain spreading to the shoulders, neck or arms
• Chest discomfort with lightheadedness, fainting, sweating, nausea or shortness of breath

Warning Signs for Stroke are:

• Sudden weakness or numbness of the face, arm or leg on one side of the body
• Sudden dimness or loss of vision, particularly in one eye
• Sudden, unexplained severe headaches
• Unexplained dizziness, unsteadiness or sudden falls, especially along with other symptoms

Do you know the link between Cholesterol and Heart Disease … ?

High blood cholesterol is a risk factor for heart disease. Half of black men and 54 percent of black women have too much cholesterol, a soft, fat-like material in the blood. Cholesterol is a made naturally by the body, but also comes from eating animal products including meats, eggs and dairy. Fruit, vegetables and cereals don’t have cholesterol.

Cholesterol can be reduced by eating fewer foods containing cholesterol and exercising. Medications may lower cholesterol for some.

To control risk of Heart Disease:

• Lose weight
• Become physically active
• Moderate alcohol intake
• Reduce salt intake
• Stop smoking and avoid second-hand smoke

For additional information:

Call the American Heart Association at 1-800-AHA-USA1 or log onto www.americanheart.org for additional information about heart disease, science news, programs, and CPR training.

Request materials about stroke prevention, call the American Stroke Association at 1-888-4STROKE or check out www.strokeassociation.org For more information about life after a stroke, contact the Stroke Family "Warmline" at 1-800-553-6321.

Sources: Cardiovascular Disease and African-Americans, The African-American Community Health Advisory Committee, www.next-stop.com/aachac/cardio.html, African-Americans and Cardiovascular Disease Biostatistical Fact Sheet, American Heart Association, www.amhrt.org/statistics/biostats/index

California Black Health Network’s

QUALITY ASSURANCE PROJECT

For more information about controlling heart disease and stroke call the California Black Health Network, at 619/295-5413 or visit the program’s web site at http://www.cbhn.org

If you would like to become a partner of THE QUALITY ASSURANCE PROJECT and help spread the word about cardiovascular disease in your community, call 619/295-5413 or check our web site at www.cbhn.org