ISLAMABAD, April 01 (Online): An estimated 60 millionTrusted Source women in the US (equal to 44% of the population) live with some form of cardiovascular disease (CVD).<\/p>\n
Additionally, 1 in 5 deaths among women stems from CVD \u2014 with those from racial and ethnic minorities at greater riskTrusted Source.<\/p>\n
\u2018Traditional\u2019 contributing factors, such as obesity, smoking, diabetes, and high cholesterol, is frequently considered by doctors when assessing a patient\u2019s CVD risk.<\/p>\n
However, a new scientific statementTrusted Source from the American Heart Association (AHA), published in its journal Circulation, highlighted that medical professionals must look beyond these when monitoring and treating CVD in women, especially those from underrepresented groups.<\/p>\n
\u201cIn comparison to other women, Black women in the US (including African American and Afro Caribbean) have the highest rate of heart disease,\u201d stated Dr. Heather M. Johnson,a preventive cardiologist at Boca Raton Regional Hospital, part of Baptist Health South Florida, who was not involved with the report.<\/p>\n
The AHA researchers stated that \u201cnontraditional\u201dsocio-economic factors \u2014 such as discrimination and environment \u2014 must be considered if the gap in CVD treatment and survival between whites and racial and ethnic groups is to be reduced.<\/p>\n
Many of these are often overlooked but can significantly affect health risks, care, and outcomes.<\/p>\n
\u201cUnderstanding both traditional and nontraditional risk factors are important to prevent heart disease, but also to support the early diagnosis and treatment of heart disease in women,\u201d Johnson told Healthline.<\/p>\n
How bias, discrimination, and racism can affect your health
\nIn the statement, the researchers said: \u201cBehavioral and environmental factors and social determinants of health \u2026 disproportionately affect women of underrepresented races and ethnicities.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThese factors result in a higher prevalence of CVD and significant challenges in the diagnosis and treatment of cardiovascular conditions,\u201d they added.<\/p>\n
Five social determinants of health were emphasized in the AHA\u2019s statement. But what are they and how do they influence CVD?<\/p>\n
Discrimination
\nThe AHA noted that discriminatory barriers faced by ethnic communities lead to high levels of stress. This, in turn, contributes to CVD issues such as inflammation and hypertension.<\/p>\n
ResearchTrusted Source also highlights that minority groups can encounter racial bias and stereotyping from white healthcare providers \u2014 which may lead to patients having their concerns dismissed or receiving poorer care.<\/p>\n
\u201cStudies show this is often due to the activation of stereotypes that influence clinical judgment,\u201d said Heather Orom, PhD, associate professor of community health and health behavior at the University at Buffalo.<\/p>\n
Furthermore, when actions are perceived as racially motivated or discriminatory, this can \u201cput a wedge between provider and patient and create an environment of mistrust,\u201d said Dr. Deborah L. Crabbe, a professor of medicine at the Temple Heart and Vascular Institute at Lewis Katz School of Medicine.<\/p>\n
As a result, she told Healthline, \u201cpatients may not follow through with care recommendations and may even seek other providers, perhaps delaying care for their medical condition.\u201d<\/p>\n
Language barriers
\nUnderstanding medical terms and phrasing can be tricky enough for patients at the best of times. However, things are complicated further when the doctor and patient don\u2019t share the same first language.<\/p>\n
\u201cLanguage barriers can reduce patients\u2019 satisfaction with their care, care quality, and safety,\u201d explained Orom.<\/p>\n
Furthermore, she told Healthline, such barriers can hinder the doctor-patient relationship, prevent patients from advocating for themselves, and inhibit the doctor from understanding the full complexity of a patient\u2019s condition and their life circumstances.<\/p>\n
Environment
\nThe AHA statement revealed that \u201cenvironmental factors, such as air pollution, high long-term arsenic exposure, and cadmium and lead exposure, have been linked to CVD.\u201d<\/p>\n
Studies show minority groups are more likely to live in areas with more air pollutionTrusted Source and closer proximity to toxic waste and other hazards.<\/p>\n
\u201cFor decades, polluting industries, waste facilities, and other sources of exposure, such as highways systems, have been more likely to be placed in neighborhoods of color,\u201d Orom revealed. \u201cThis stems from the fact these communities have had less political and economic clout.\u201d<\/p>\n
Assimilation to a different culture
\nThe AHA statement didn\u2019t expressly state how acculturation or assimilation to a different culture can impact CVD.<\/p>\n
However, \u201cthis is an important factor for CVD that often is missed,\u201d stated Dr. Yu-Ming Ni, a cardiologist at MemorialCare Heart and Vascular Institute at Orange Coast Medical Center.<\/p>\n
For instance, he shared with Healthline that older studiesTrusted Source of Japanese individuals showed those who traveled to Hawaii and then to the continental U.S. had higher CVD rates than their peers who stayed in Japan.<\/p>\n
Healthcare access
\nIt was noted in the AHA statement that \u201cthere is evidence that SDOH factors experienced in youth, such as \u2026 inability to access healthcare or inability to afford care, may affect heart health into adulthood and contribute to CVD risk factors and outcomes in adulthood.\u201d<\/p>\n
Research shows that Black, Hispanic, Asian-American, and Native individuals are less likely to have health insurance.<\/p>\n
But healthcare access isn\u2019t only about insurance, said Crabbe. For example, \u201c[it also] includes geographic access to a particular health care service.\u201d<\/p>\n
Orom concurred, stating there is a typically \u201clack of high-quality healthcare facilities in neighborhoods where people of color have historically lived.\u201d<\/p>\n
Other social burdens can limit access, too. For example, United States Census Bureau data shows that ethnic minority groups are generally poorer compared to white populations. Poverty can prevent individuals from purchasing necessary medications, for example.<\/p>\n
Finally, Michele Horan, a registered nurse and COO of Healthy Alliance, shared that other daily stressors \u2014 such as care responsibilities and the potential of eviction \u2014 can reduce the capacity of underserved communities to access healthcare.<\/p>\n
\u201cIn most cases, these urgent situations are prioritized over one\u2019s health and well-being,\u201d Horan told Healthline. \u201cAddressing life challenges, in my experience, will almost always surpass healthcare, accessible or not.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
ISLAMABAD, April 01 (Online): An estimated 60 millionTrusted Source women in the US (equal to 44% of the population) live with some form of cardiovascular disease (CVD). Additionally, 1 in 5 deaths among women stems from CVD \u2014 with those from racial and ethnic minorities […]<\/p>\n
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