Race, Gender, and Age Differences in Heart Failure-Related Hospitalizations in a Southern State: Implications for Prevention.
Circ Heart Fail. 2010 Dec 22;
Authors: Husaini BA, Mensah GA, Sawyer D, Cain VA, Samad Z, Hull PC, Levine RS, Sampson UK
BACKGROUND: -Since heart failure (HF) is the final common pathway for most heart diseases, we examined its 10-year prevalence trend by race, gender, and age in Tennessee. METHODS AND RESULTS: -HF hospitalization data from the Tennessee Hospital Discharge Data System were analyzed by race, gender and age. Rates were directly age-adjusted using the Year 2000 standard population. Adult (age 20+) in-patient hospitalization for primary diagnosis of HF (HFPD) increased from 4.2% in 1997 to 4.5% in 2006. Age-adjusted hospitalization for HF (per 10,000 population) rose by 11.3% (from 29.3 in 1997 to 32.6 in 2006). Parallel changes in secondary HF admissions were also noted. Age-adjusted rates were higher among blacks than whites and higher among men than women. The ratios of black to white by gender admitted with HFPD in 2006 were highest (9:1) among the youngest age categories (20-34 and 35-44 years). Furthermore, for each age category of black men below 65 years, there were higher HF admission rates than for white men in the immediate older age category. In 2006, the adjusted rate ratios for HFPD in black to white men aged 20-34 and 35-44 years were OR=4.75, CI (3.29-6.86) and OR 5.10, CI (4.15-6.25) respectively. Hypertension was the independent predictor of HF admissions in black men age 20-34 years. CONCLUSIONS: -The higher occurrence of HF among young adults in general, particularly among young black men, highlights the need for prevention by identifying modifiable biological and social determinants in order to reduce cardiovascular health disparities in this vulnerable group.
PMID: 21178017 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher]