Researchers say Black families at increased risk for genetic heart condition

CHARLESTON, S.C. (WCSC) – Researchers warn that Black families may be at an increased risk for developing a genetic heart disease over other patients.

A five-year study done by the Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center focused on the impacts dilated cardiomyopathy had on varying demographics of patients and their families. The Medical University of South Carolina was one of several leading institutes.

The study enrolled 1,220 diagnosed patients and 1,693 first-degree relatives. Out of those numbers, 40% of Black patients had a greater risk of a family member inheriting the disease, and 39% of Black patients had at least one affected family member compared to 28% of white patients.

“When I started writing this study and discussing this with the National Institutes of Health back in 2012 and 2013, it was clear we had almost no genetic information on dilated cardiomyopathy in patients other than white patients,” cardiologist Ray Hershberger says.

Researchers are still working to figure out why this connection exists.

Dilated Cardiomyopathy affects 1 in 250 Americans. The South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control reported 12,210 deaths from heart disease in 2021. Of those patients, 3,223 of them were Black.

Health professionals call dilated cardiomyopathy a silent killer. It is a genetic disease that can grow quietly for months or years before symptoms start to show. For this reason, most patients do not realize they are at risk.

Dilated Cardiomyopathy is when the left chamber of the heart weakens and grows larger than its normal size, making it difficult to pump blood effectively and risking heart failure.

Heart failure most often targets patients in their mid-40s, but health professionals are growing concerned about how it can also impact young patients.

“Dilated cardiomyopathy is the most common diagnosis leading to heart transplant, so it causes a lot of morbidity, mortality,” Hershberger says.

Health professionals say knowing your family history and going in for early screenings could be lifesaving, especially with a disease that can be asymptomatic.

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