American-Indians much more vulnerable to suffer from heart failure, study finds

New Delhi, Aug 21(IANS) American-Indians (native Americans) are more likely to suffer from heart failure when compared to other communities like the Hispanics, African-Americans, a latest study has found.

The study was conducted by Columbia University’s Mailman School of Public Health in New York City, with a total of 3,000 participants.

Researchers developed a scale to predict heart failure risk in American Indian people using data from the Strong Heart Study. Using easily accessible resources, the low-cost risk prediction equation addresses kidney damage and type 2 diabetes treatment.

The study found that heart failure incidence was 2- to 3-fold higher in participants of the Strong Heart Study than in other population-based studies, publishing their below-mentioned findings in the Journal of the American Heart Association.

High blood sugar levels, smoking, elevated albumin, previous heart attacks, older age, type 2 diabetes, and high blood pressure were associated with higher risk of heart failure.

Blood sugar control is crucial to reduce heart failure risk, even among patients with established diabetes.

Smoking increases heart failure risk over 5-10 years, while elevated albumin in urine indicates kidney damage.

Previous heart attacks are 7 times higher, older age is 70-80 per cent higher, type 2 diabetes increases by 74 per cent and high blood pressure by 43 per cent at 10 years.

“Implementation of our proposed risk prediction scale in clinical practice can contribute to optimised risk assessment and to the development of preventive strategies to reduce heart failure events and deaths in American Indian communities and populations with a high burden of type 2 diabetes, which have been underrepresented in previous studies,” said lead study author Irene Martinez-Morata M.D at Columbia University’s Mailman School of Public Health in New York City.

The solution exists though.

To reduce chronic disease risk, adopt a healthy, balanced diet, including vegetables, salads, protein, and carbohydrates. Regular physical activity, at least 150 minutes per week, is crucial for healing and disease prevention.

Get adequate sleep for 7 to 8 hours per night and avoid toxic substances like drugs, smoking, and alcohol, Dr Manisha Arora, director of Internal Medicine at CK Birla Hospital told IANS.

And above all, let not anything get to your heart, a heart pun that is the antidote to many heart problems.

–IANS

ts/pgh