A National Institutes of Health (NIH)-supported study found that cardiovascular-related deaths have declined over the past two decades, but disparities remain. Inequities are mostly driven by differences in race and ethnicity, geographic location, and access to care, among other factors. The findings, recently published in Circulation (Circulation July 2022), reviewed three papers. Each paper – published by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis (MESA) – discussed data surrounding cardiovascular disease-related deaths in the U.S. Two of these three papers specifically focused on the racial and ethnic disparities presented within these datasets, while the third focused on climate, specifically temperature, as a factor in cardiovascular-related deaths.
Adjusting their study of overall and cardiovascular deaths among Black, white, Hispanic, and Asian Americans, researchers considered other attributes to these deaths, including social, lifestyle, and clinical factors. They found that older adults, men, and Black...
