Could it have anything to do with the stress of being African American in this country - the inequality, the discrimination in school and work, the danger from law enforcement and the justice system, and the unequal medical care?
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I am forever amazed by the lack of studies done for sudden cardiac death (SCD) associated to arrhythmias. Often we blame diet, stress, lack of exercise, blood pressure control, meditation, et.al, but don't do studies for genetic conditions that predispose people for conditions that actually are the cause of death. Aren't cardiac arrhythmias are undiagnosable after death and therefore are impossible to rule as the cause of death?
In the youth population (<18yo), studies have shown black basketball players are more likely to die from sudden cardiac arrest than other athletes. Why would that be the case?
I think it is time to reduce the number of SCD's by doing better research on living patients in order to find the root cause. 350,000 deaths annually is too many and the disparity of 2 to 1 black versus white deaths is unacceptable.
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@Eric
In the studies involving youth basketball players, did they also control for stress, diet, blood pressure among those youth? When all variables are controlled for, that is when I can agree that genetics are involved. But, we still would have to account that stressful maternity is most prevalent among black women. And so, blacks may likely inherit conditions like, high blood pressure, at birth.
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Is there any chance there could be statistical health effects caused by living in a climate different from your genetic ancestors ? Everyone knows that Africa has no snow .... Do people whose ancestors were from cold climates have more problems adjusting to warm weather and vice versa?
@Kay
The only differences in climate that I can think of would be the distribution of sun throughout the year. In warmer regions of the world, you get a lot of sun and sun produces vitamin D, a major hormone that influences health in many ways. Thought vitamin D deficiency does cause health problems down the road, I don't think that is the problem in this case.
We were taught in med school and residency that black patients respond better to diuretics for high blood pressure. However these tend to cause low potassium and magnesium,
which can cause cardiac arrhythmias (potentially fatal: V tach, V fib). I wonder if the study controlled for these?
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@Dr. C.K.
And this is why as a person of color, I prefer to be proactive and in control of my health rather than be at the mercy of biased doctors who don't have the best treatment in mind.
And I will continue to arm myself with knowledge on health forever.
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Why is diet not mentioned in this article? Diet plans a central role in health and many Blacks do not have access to healthy fruits and vegetables or have the financial means to purchase them.
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Really no one should be surprised by this disparity. Anyone who is should read “Medical Apartheid” by Harriet Washington.
Has science stooped so low as to advance the notion that biological conclusions can be reached about African-Americans based on the deplorable and unscientific Jim-Crow one-drop rule?
I don't thinks there are genetic differences between whites and blacks. I think this is just another scheme to reassure the white superiority/black inferiority complex being justified through scientific research for centuries.
I believe it is stress differences between whites and blacks. Even, if we account for different socioeconomic statues, age, weight, health status, etc, blacks face the extra burden of microaggression, subtle, and overt racism, having to prove themselves in whatever they do and in whatever field they are in. Oftentimes, it is an hostile environment, either in the workplace or neighborhood that triggers these stresses. We know that stress raises cortisol and epigenetically alters the genome for the worse. Stress causes inflammation, burning out the immune system overtime. This all comes in addition to poor lifestyle like diet and exercise.
So, I blame it on daily interactions of being Black more so than genetics.
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@Frank great sarcasm
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@aspblom
Would you like to elaborate on what you mean by "great sarcasm?"
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They didn’t mention dealing with racism your whole life. That doesn’t help.
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My sister is a nurse and she said meditation, reading and diet are not on the list of to do's for many. When you live a certain way and expect a different outcome we are all living in the dark.
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They didn't mention diet. Could be a major factor.
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@Anne Zimmerman This is true. The two major factors in these cases is diet along with the increased stresses of being black in the USA. Genetics plays a minor role. It's irresponsible for researchers to not have those at the top of their lists. This study cannot be taken seriously with those factors being left out.
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