First Heart Failure Hospitalization Occurs Earlier for Some Racial, Ethnic Groups

MONDAY, Sept. 8, 2025 (HealthDay News) — First heart failure hospitalization occurs at a significantly younger age for non-Hispanic (NH) Asian, NH Black, and Hispanic adults than for NH White adults, according to a study published online in the Sept. 9 issue of the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.

Xiaoning Huang, Ph.D., from the Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine in Chicago, and colleagues characterized the age at first heart failure hospitalization across racial and ethnic groups, including NH Asian, NH Black, Hispanic, and NH White adults captured in Get With The Guidelines-Heart Failure (GWTG-HF).

Overall, 2, 24, 7, and 67 percent of the 42,252 patients with first captured heart failure hospitalization self-identified as NH Asian, NH Black, Hispanic, and NH White, respectively. The researchers found that at the time of first heart failure hospitalization, NH Asian, NH Black, and Hispanic patients were significantly younger than NH White patients (70.6, 60.1, and 65.4 versus 73.6 years, respectively). There were significant associations for differences in social and clinical risk factors across groups with younger age at first heart failure hospitalization by 1.2, 12.5, and 7.4 years for NH Asian, NH Black, and Hispanic versus NH White patients, respectively.

“Our study shows that social risk factors, including insurance status and area-level educational and economic opportunities, played a major role,” Huang said in a statement. “These factors often limit people”s access to quality health care and shape people”s health long before they develop heart problems.”

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