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A national study by researchers at Drexel University highlights various potential strategies for the prevention and management of heart failure among different racial/ethnic groups.
Dr. Longjian Liu, an associate professor at the School of Public Health, recently presented the research "Prevalence, Co-morbidity and Outcomes in Hospital Patients with Heart Failure for Whites and African-Americans: Implications and Benchmarks." Dr. Howard J. Eisen, Chief of Cardiology Division at Drexel College of Medicine, co-authored the report. See the full study and results here (PDF). |
The study was based on data from the 2004 National Hospital Discharge Survey, using patients 35 years of age or older with a first-reported diagnosis of heart failure. Census estimated population data was also used to calculate the age and gender-specific hospitalization rates for the study.
Heart failure poses an enormous public health burden. It is estimated that over 5 million Americans live with heart failure, 550,000 new cases are diagnosed yearly, with about 300,000 deaths reported each year.
The research was first presented at the American Heart Association’s 48th Cardiovascular Disease Epidemiology Annual Conference, March 13 -15, 2008, in Colorado Spring, CO.