A new study reveals that American Indian adults have 2-3 times higher rates of heart failure compared to other racial and ethnic groups in the U.S. Researchers developed a risk prediction tool specifically for American Indian populations, finding that smoking, type 2 diabetes, kidney damage, previous heart attacks, and high blood pressure are major modifiable risk factors.
Lead author Dr. Irene Martinez-Morata from Columbia University explains, “Implementation of our proposed risk prediction scale in clinical practice can contribute to optimized risk assessment and to the development of preventive strategies to reduce heart failure events and deaths in American Indian communities.”
The study analyzed data from over 3,000 American Indian adults across 13 tribes. It found that type 2 diabetes increased 10-year heart failure risk by 74%, while smoking doubled the risk over 5-10 years. High blood sugar levels increased risk by 23% even in those already diagnosed with diabetes.
Dr. Martinez-Morata notes that multiple complex factors contribute to these health disparities: “American Indian communities have suffered historical injustices in exposure to contaminants, health care accessibility and other sociodemographic factors resulting in a long history of health disparities.”
A 2020 American Heart Association statement highlighted rising cardiovascular disease rates among American Indians over the past 50 years, citing limited healthcare access, poverty, and historical trauma as key factors. This new risk prediction tool could help address the underreporting of disease burden in these underrepresented communities.
See “Proposed risk factor tool finds heart failure rates are higher among American Indian adults” (August 21, 2024)
