Racial and Ethnic Differences in Patient Age at First Hospitalization for Heart Failure

Area of Science:

• Cardiology
• Public Health
• Health Disparities

Background:

• Heart failure (HF) burden disproportionately affects various racial and ethnic groups.
• Understanding age-related disparities in HF is crucial for targeted interventions.
• Existing research highlights variations in HF prevalence and outcomes across diverse populations.

Purpose of the Study:

• To analyze the age of first heart failure (HF) hospitalization across different racial and ethnic groups.
• To quantify the impact of social risk factors on observed racial and ethnic differences in HF hospitalization age.
• To identify specific factors contributing to disparities in early HF onset.

Main Methods:

• Utilized data from the Get With The Guidelines-Heart Failure (GWTG-HF) registry (2016-2019).
• Included patients hospitalized for HF with no prior diagnosis.
• Employed Oaxaca-Blinder decomposition to assess contributions of clinical and social factors to age differences.

Main Results:

• Non-Hispanic (NH) Asian, NH Black, and Hispanic patients were significantly younger at first HF hospitalization than NH White patients.
• Average ages at first HF hospitalization: NH Asian (70.6), NH Black (60.1), Hispanic (65.4), NH White (73.6 years).
• Social and clinical factors accounted for substantial age differences: 1.2 years (NH Asian), 12.5 years (NH Black), and 7.4 years (Hispanic).

Conclusions:

• Non-Hispanic Asian, non-Hispanic Black, and Hispanic individuals experience first HF hospitalization at younger ages than NH White individuals.
• A significant portion of these age disparities is attributable to differences in social and clinical risk factors.
• Addressing social determinants of health is critical to mitigating HF disparities.