Blacks in the United States tend to have sudden cardiac arrest an average of six years earlier than whites, Chugh said.
In his study, he found other major differences as well. “Blacks, in addition to being younger, tended to have more diabetes, more high blood pressure and more kidney problems, or chronic renal disease,” he said.
Chugh said he isn’t certain what’s driving the differences in sudden cardiac arrest between blacks and whites. It’s possible it might be genetics, cultural differences in lifestyle or other factors, he suggested. Inadequate health coverage may be another factor, he said.
The study is published in the July 20 online edition of the American Heart Association journal Circulation.
Chugh and his team collected data on almost 1,300 white people and more than 120 black people. They all had experienced sudden cardiac arrest between 2002 and 2012.
Sudden cardiac arrest happens about 350,000 times a year in the United States, Chugh said. Survival is no higher than 10 percent, he added. Many people die almost instantaneously, often with no prior warnings, according to the researchers.
While most whites who suffer sudden cardiac arrest are over age 65, most blacks are under age 65, Chugh said.