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Heart disease is the No. 1 killer of adult Americans. That's why scientists continue to make cardiology research a priority. This week on Healthwatch we'll talk about some recent findings in heart research. African-Americans face a higher risk for heart disease than some other groups do. Researchers at UT Southwestern Medical Center have found that one factor may be that African-Americans have higher heart weight than other groups.
Dr. Mark Drazner, the UT Southwestern cardiologist who led the study, says this condition is associated with every negative heart outcome, including heart attacks, strokes and heart failure. The increased heart weight appears to be caused by high blood pressure, which means that blood pressure screening is especially important within the African-American community.
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August 2005
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