Black men more likely to die from their first heart attack

(Special from EuroWeb.com) — After studies earlier last month revealed that African Americans are more likely to die younger, new studies stating that black men are twice more likely to die from their first heart attack have been found. According to findings, it is reported that only a few Black people survive a heart attack in the United States of America.

Such studies have disappointed experts who feel that Black people in the U.S. are not diagnosed with cardiac problems until it is too late for them, all of which is pointing to racial discrimination in the U.S. healthcare system as the Blacks have less access to healthcare facilities.

Heart disease is very common among men and women in the United States. Reports reveal that more than 610,000 deaths occur every year in the U.S. due to heart diseases, which is one in four deaths on average.

Cardiovascular problems can be caused by several issues such as improper diet, being overweight, smoking, and lack of exercise. All these factors can easily have an impact on the performance of the heart.

According to research, a lot of cardiovascular problems and risk factors among the black population are due to their biological differences and institutionalized differences in access to healthcare. However, it is also possible that the Blacks themselves might not be reaching out to and get a check-up by their doctors despite the initial indications.

Doctors say that sometimes people do not realize or give importance to the mild symptoms of a heart attack. They are not aware of the severe consequences they will have to face. They think that heart attacks only occur when they have severe chest pains. Due to a lack of knowledge, people avoid going to the doctors because they simply do not realize the need to. They assume that they are fine when in reality they just suffered a heart attack.

It is important to recognize the condition of the heart, especially for Black people in the U.S., so that proper medicine and treatment can be provided in time to save their lives. For this purpose, increased public awareness about the symptoms of heart attacks is necessary and should be taken care of by the health care department of the U.S. Additionally, more healthcare facilities need to be made accessible to the blacks to ensure that no Black has to suffer from lack of treatment.

This article originally published in the September 11, 2017 print edition of The Louisiana Weekly newspaper.