Outcomes by race and etiology of patients with left ventricular systolic dysfunction.

Previous studies have shown that blacks have worse long-term outcomes than whites who have systolic heart failure. The reasons for these racial differences remain unclear. We investigated the effect of race and etiology of heart failure on outcomes of patients who had left ventricular (LV) systolic dysfunction.

Racial differences in the outcomes of patients with diastolic heart failure.

Background: More than half of all patients with congestive heart failure have preserved left ventricular systolic function. This is particularly common in African American patients, yet there have been few studies examining the long-term natural history of this disorder in African-American and white patients.

Methods: We studied 2740 white and 563 African American patients with class II to IV symptoms and preserved systolic function (ejection fraction >40) identified in the Duke Cardiovascular Databank from 1984 to 1996.

The influence of left ventricular hypertrophy on survival in patients with coronary artery disease: do race and gender matter?

Objectives: We sought to determine the overall prognostic importance of left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH) among patients with coronary artery disease (CAD), as well as to determine whether this risk varies as a function of race or gender.

Background: Left ventricular hypertrophy is more prevalent among blacks and women than their counterparts. Blacks and women also have higher mortality with coronary disease.