Researchers find gene that may put Black Americans at higher risk for heart failure
BOSTON - Massachusetts researchers found a gene variant that could put some Black Americans at higher risk for heart failure and death, and the variant is not particularly rare.
Researchers at Brigham and Women's Hospital and Duke University pooled data from four NIH-funded studies and found that a genetic variant, found in 3% to 4% of Black Americans, increases their risk of heart failure, beginning in their 60s, and death, beginning in their 70s.
Carriers of the gene died on average 2 to 2.5 years earlier than expected, and given that nearly half a million Black Americans who carry this gene are now over the age of 50, the researchers estimate that approximately a million years of life will be lost due to this gene variant.
The researchers say that patients and their healthcare providers should be aware of this risk so they can be monitored closely and offered the newest therapies.