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African-American Women Less Likely to Receive Proper Care for Heart Disease

Aired August 26, 2003 - 11:42   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.


LEON HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: In the meantime, we're going to move onto our daily dose of health news this morning. Heart disease in women and some startling findings in black and white. A new study finds that black women are at greater risk but receive less treatment for heart disease.
Medical news correspondent Dr. Sandra Fryhofer is here with more details on that. I almost called you Sanjay Gupta, sorry about that. It's a reflex. But this is very troubling and very interesting, at the same time.

DR. SANDRA FRYHOFER, CNN MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: It is, Leon. And we have known for quite awhile that heart disease is the leading killer of all women in this country. But this new study finds that African-American women are twice as likely as white women to have heart disease, and to die from it. Yet, they're less likely to receive adequate treatment.

The African-American women in the study were less likely to have blood their pressure and cholesterol levels under control. They were also less likely to receive other preventive treatments, they were 10 percent less likely to get aspirin therapy, and almost 30 percent less likely to receive cholesterol lowering medications.

The researchers used data from the HERS study, which was a large trial that looked at more than 2,500 women with heart disease and followed them for more than four years. Eight percent of the women were African-American.

And although this study is the first to look at quality of medical treatment, risk factor control, along with outcomes all simultaneously, it's not the first time we have heard about this disparities in health care. Just last year the Institute of Medicine released a report finding that minorities receive lower quality health care than whites even when insurance status, income, age and severity of condition are the same.

The committee also found that disparities in health care were associated with worse outcomes and higher death rates in minorities.

HARRIS: Look deeper through these numbers and reports and the facts for us if you will because you hate to think doctors are biased in some sort of way and may be acting -- treating black women differently because of the race or whatever.

One of the things that I have heard is perhaps minorities are not nearly as compliant. They don't follow the rules of the suggestions of the doctors and go to the visits and all that sort of thing as much as they should. Is that at all in play here?

FRYHOFER: Well, Leon, that's a good point. It's hard to know exactly what -- how to explain these differences.

However the African-American women in this study seem to be just as compliant as the white women when it came to follow up visits and taking study medications. And although this study was not designed to measure differences in physicians prescribing behaviors, these African-American women were actually taking more extensive medications than white women, which rules out some economic factors.

The African-American women did have higher rates of high blood pressure, diabetes and high cholesterol, so poorer control of risk factors may account for part of the difference, but it's not clear whether this under treatment was the fault of patients or their physicians.

What is clear is that these women need to get more involved, they need to be better informed and ask questions to help make sure that they get the care they need. African-American women are at high risk when it comes to heart disease.

And although this should translate into more aggressive treatment, that does not seem to be happening and women are suffering as a consequence. Doctors also need to take heed of these results as well. And the next step is to focus on finding interventions that will narrow the gaps in health care so everyone no matter what their color has the best chance for a good outcome.

HARRIS: Very interesting. You would think in this day and age we wouldn't have to have this kind of conversation, now. But people are people. Very interesting. Dr. Sandra Fryhofer, thank you very much. (UNINTELLIGIBLE) we appreciate that report.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com




for Heart Disease>


Aired August 26, 2003 - 11:42   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
LEON HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: In the meantime, we're going to move onto our daily dose of health news this morning. Heart disease in women and some startling findings in black and white. A new study finds that black women are at greater risk but receive less treatment for heart disease.
Medical news correspondent Dr. Sandra Fryhofer is here with more details on that. I almost called you Sanjay Gupta, sorry about that. It's a reflex. But this is very troubling and very interesting, at the same time.

DR. SANDRA FRYHOFER, CNN MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: It is, Leon. And we have known for quite awhile that heart disease is the leading killer of all women in this country. But this new study finds that African-American women are twice as likely as white women to have heart disease, and to die from it. Yet, they're less likely to receive adequate treatment.

The African-American women in the study were less likely to have blood their pressure and cholesterol levels under control. They were also less likely to receive other preventive treatments, they were 10 percent less likely to get aspirin therapy, and almost 30 percent less likely to receive cholesterol lowering medications.

The researchers used data from the HERS study, which was a large trial that looked at more than 2,500 women with heart disease and followed them for more than four years. Eight percent of the women were African-American.

And although this study is the first to look at quality of medical treatment, risk factor control, along with outcomes all simultaneously, it's not the first time we have heard about this disparities in health care. Just last year the Institute of Medicine released a report finding that minorities receive lower quality health care than whites even when insurance status, income, age and severity of condition are the same.

The committee also found that disparities in health care were associated with worse outcomes and higher death rates in minorities.

HARRIS: Look deeper through these numbers and reports and the facts for us if you will because you hate to think doctors are biased in some sort of way and may be acting -- treating black women differently because of the race or whatever.

One of the things that I have heard is perhaps minorities are not nearly as compliant. They don't follow the rules of the suggestions of the doctors and go to the visits and all that sort of thing as much as they should. Is that at all in play here?

FRYHOFER: Well, Leon, that's a good point. It's hard to know exactly what -- how to explain these differences.

However the African-American women in this study seem to be just as compliant as the white women when it came to follow up visits and taking study medications. And although this study was not designed to measure differences in physicians prescribing behaviors, these African-American women were actually taking more extensive medications than white women, which rules out some economic factors.

The African-American women did have higher rates of high blood pressure, diabetes and high cholesterol, so poorer control of risk factors may account for part of the difference, but it's not clear whether this under treatment was the fault of patients or their physicians.

What is clear is that these women need to get more involved, they need to be better informed and ask questions to help make sure that they get the care they need. African-American women are at high risk when it comes to heart disease.

And although this should translate into more aggressive treatment, that does not seem to be happening and women are suffering as a consequence. Doctors also need to take heed of these results as well. And the next step is to focus on finding interventions that will narrow the gaps in health care so everyone no matter what their color has the best chance for a good outcome.

HARRIS: Very interesting. You would think in this day and age we wouldn't have to have this kind of conversation, now. But people are people. Very interesting. Dr. Sandra Fryhofer, thank you very much. (UNINTELLIGIBLE) we appreciate that report.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com




for Heart Disease>