Racial Differences in Heart Age and Impact on Mortality

Area of Science:

• Cardiovascular epidemiology
• Health disparities research
• Preventive cardiology

Background:

• Heart age estimates cardiovascular system's age based on risk factors.
• Excess heart age quantifies additional cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate racial differences in excess heart age.
• To determine if race modifies the association between excess heart age and CVD mortality.

Main Methods:

• Analysis of 5110 NHANES III participants without CVD.
• Heart age calculated using Framingham risk functions.
• Cox proportional-hazards models assessed excess heart age and CVD mortality risk by race.

Main Results:

• Mean excess heart age was highest in non-Hispanic blacks (13.0 yrs), followed by Mexican-Americans (10.5 yrs) and non-Hispanic whites (8.5 yrs).
• Each 10-year increase in excess heart age correlated with a 65% higher CVD mortality risk.
• The association between excess heart age and CVD mortality was stronger in non-Hispanic whites compared to Black and Mexican-American participants.

Conclusions:

• Non-Hispanic Black and Mexican-American individuals exhibit greater excess heart age than non-Hispanic whites.
• The CVD mortality risk for a given level of excess heart age appears more significant in non-Hispanic whites.
• Further research is needed to guide interventions aimed at reducing ethnic health disparities in cardiovascular disease.