Minority Health Summit 2003: Report of the Outcomes Writing Group

Discovering the Full Spectrum of Cardiovascular Disease: Minority Health Summit 2003: Report of the Outcomes Writing Group -- Benjamin et al. 111 (10): e124 -- Circulation
Despite the steady decline in cardiovascular disease
(CVD) mortality during the past 30 years,1 CVD remains
the No. 1 killer of adults across all racial/ethnic groups
in the United States.2 Observational studies have been central
to understanding the epidemiology of CVD, including its
incidence, prevalence, predictors, and prognosis. Until recently,
the majority of epidemiological studies have been
based predominantly, or even exclusively, on middle-class,
white, non-Hispanic cohorts. Hence, the generalizability of
the findings to all populations has been uncertain. The lack of
information on the epidemiology of CVD in racial/ethnic
minority groups and people of lower socioeconomic status
(SES) is particularly problematic in light of data that underscore
the undue burden of CVD and its risk factors in
racial/ethnic minorities and poor people.3