Study: Hostility harder on hearts of blacks

[flashl]

BALTIMORE — A cynical and mistrustful personality apparently leads to greater blood pressure fluctuations for blacks than whites, which could help explain blacks' higher heart disease rates, a Duke University researcher reported Friday at the American Psychosomatic Society meeting here.

Large variations in systolic blood pressure have been linked to the development of heart disease, says psychologist James Lane. So has a suspicious, hostile personality. Overall, blacks tend to score higher on tests for such hostility, he says.

Lane and co-author Redford Williams examined whether the most hostile — those in the upper third on the test — had more blood pressure variability than less hostile people. The team had 152 healthy whites and blacks wear blood pressure cuffs and took more than 50 measurements from them over 24 hours.

The most hostile whites had no more blood pressure variability than less hostile whites or blacks. But the most hostile blacks had about 25% more variability in their systolic blood pressure readings than the others.

"Hostility may be a more important heart disease risk factor for blacks than whites," Lane says.

USA Today

[Horse with no Name]

1. This sounds like hogwash

The "angry Black person" having a heart attack because they are angry instead of addressing the real issues of why Black people are at a higher risk than White people.

>>>snip
The death rate for black women due to heart disease is 553 deaths in a population of 100,000 persons (Casper, et al., 1999). According to the National Center of Health Statistics, the ratio of black/white women deaths due to heart diseases is 1.5 (Duelberg, 1992). It is also noted that although the life expectancy of black women has increased over the last 10 years, they are still likely to die 5 years earlier than white women (Duelberg, 1992). It's been suggested that the disparity which exist between black and white women in the mortality rates due to heart disease may be a result of differences in education level and income. According to the Report of the Public Health Service Task Force on Women's Health Issues black women are much more likely to be poor than white women (Edwards, et al., 1991). Education level and income are independently related to increased smoking behaviors as well as a tendency to overeat and not exercise which in turn are risk factors for heart disease (Hanson, 1994; Duelberg, 1992).

>>>snip
Many of the approaches to treatment for diseases have in the past been based on the erroneous belief that race is a biological concept and therefore illnesses are related to a group's genetic or biological makeup (Williams, Lavizzo-Mourney & Warren, 1994). This belief has served the larger political power structure because it has allowed research and subsequent treatment measures to ignore the societal and environmental influences or causes of diseases (Williams et al., 1994). Underprivileged minority neighborhoods were exposed to asbestos, lead, toxic chemicals, poor waste removal practices, and limited or inexperienced health care providers could be ignored (Krieger, 1999). This has in essence provided reasonable excuses to explain the secondary ways in which minorities have been treated in this country's health care system, either in poor quality or limited access to services.

Kreiger (1999) explored the ways in which the health of blacks is or can be detrimentally affected by discrimination. She listed residential and occupational segregation as a factor that relates to health risks. Blacks living in poorer neighborhoods which may lack quality supermarkets that supply affordable healthy food choices (Kreiger, 1999). This may lead to diets with high cholesterol and salt content (junk foods) which increases the risk of hypertension. The obvious availability of stores selling alcoholic beverages ("forties") and tobacco in black neighborhoods, along with the high levels of consumption in order to blunt the psychosocial stress often found in high crime and high poverty communities (Kreiger, 1999). These factors put residents at risk of high blood pressure. This is of concern because hypertension (high blood pressure) is an independent risk factor of heart disease. According to Casper and colleagues (1999) black women are more likely to die of heart disease related to hypertension (9%) and ischemic heart disease (54%) than any other form of cardiovascular disease (CVD).

>>>snip
According to Anderson, blacks are less likely to receive appropriate medical care such as coronary angiography, bypass surgery, angioplasty, and chemodialysis, than whites (cited in Williams, Lavizzo-Mourney & Warren, 1994). This outcome is also observed when health insurance and clinical status was adjusted. Black women are 40% less likely than white men to be referred for cardiac catheterization when they arrive at emergency rooms with chest pain (Schulman, et al., 1999). Physicians are also less likely to detect acute cardiac ischemia, acute infarction, or unstable angina pectoris in minority patients (Pope, et al., 1999). Blacks also have less access to health care due to insufficient health insurance coverage (Williams, Lavizzo-Mourney & Warren, 1994). According to the Health Insurance Status of Workers and Their Families (1996, cited by Agency for Health Care Quality and Research), 22% of working black women lack health insurance coverage.

http://clearinghouse.missouriwestern.edu/manuscripts/175.asp

[flashl]

2. Yep ...

Feb. 26, 2004 letter from Racial and Ethnic Health Disparities Coalition Member Organization

Dear Majority Leader Frist and Minority Leader Daschle:

The undersigned organizations are writing to thank you for your continued support for the elimination of racial and ethnic disparities in health and health care. And, like you, we are steadfastly committed to eliminating health disparities. As you are aware, disparities in health and health care continue to cost families and the nation far too much – in pain, suffering, illness, disabilities, premature deaths, and economically.

Collectively and individually, we are very encouraged by the attention that you have brought to this national health crisis. We appreciate the assistance provided through your leadership and efforts. And,we applaud your expressions of support.

"We know that African Americans, Hispanics and Native Americans die younger and suffer from heart disease, diabetes and HIV/AIDS at higher rates than everyone else. These numbers are unacceptable. We are beginning to understand why, and as majority leader I am going to address them."

“A year and a half ago, a major report was released by the distinguished Institute of Medicine. That report, entitled "Unequal Treatment," confirmed what many people had long known, or at least suspected: In America, minorities receive poorer quality health care than non-minorities -- even when both groups have roughly the same insurance coverage, the same income, the same age and the same health conditions. This is more than a minority issue or a health care issue. It is a moral issue. ……… We must end these deadly disparities in health care.”

As we are all keenly aware, communities of color are disproportionately burdened by acute and chronic diseases. Communities of color, also, are subjected to disparities in the quality of care they receive. This occurs across the full spectrum of disease categories, and in medical and surgical procedures. The compilation of Federal government findings and scientific studies – from those outlined in the 1985 Report of the Secretary’s Task Force on Black and Minority Health, to the 2002 IOM Study entitled,Unequal Treatment: Confronting Racial and Ethnic Disparities in Health Care, to those on HIV/AIDS,cancer, heart disease and all that fall in between – document a compelling case for a national Federal response. Indeed, racial and ethnic disparities in health and health care are an ongoing national crisis in health that must be addressed comprehensively.

It is against this backdrop of continuing disparities that we respectfully request that you combine your efforts and work to ensure enactment of an elimination of health disparities bill that –
• Implements the IOM Unequal Treatment Study recommendations;
• Reduces the number of uninsured;
• Ensures delivery of quality health care;
• Responds to the cultural and linguistic voids in care;
• Effectively addresses data collection, reporting, analysis and utilization;
• Strengthens the health care safety net infrastructure;
• Ensures accountability;
• Strengthens the Office for Civil Rights and the Office of Minority Health;
• Enhances research opportunities;
• Appropriately funds elimination of health disparities programs and projects including the Minority HIV/AIDS Initiative, REACH, OCR and OMH;
• Establishes community health empowerment zones;
• Fosters innovative outreach programs;
• Reduces disease and related complications;
• Promotes wellness and prevention;
• Increases workforce diversity throughout the health arena; and
• Establishes offices of minority health at key Federal agencies including CMS and FDA.

Clearly, the measure must not weaken existing minority health programs and funding. Please know that we are fully committed to working with you to help ensure enactment of such legislation.

We strongly believe that the elimination of racial and ethnic disparities in health and health care is within your combined reach. The American people in general and communities of color in particular are counting on you. Please – work together -- far too many lives are at stake. It is against this backdrop of health challenges and opportunities that we, the undersigned organizations, request a meeting with you.

We look forward to working with you on this national health crisis.

[arundhatiroyfan]

3. The same would apply to whites..

if they were treated worse. The solution for this problem is obvious: Treat African-Americans better.

[Dabinci]

4. I think this is mostly due to eating habits

blood pressure is, IMO, due in major part to the eating habits of blacks as opposed to whites. More fat consumption by the former.