Patient resources
These ready-to-print patient education materials can inform patients
Everyone deserves to be made aware of healthcare disparities
Close the Gap worked with the epidemiological team at the University of Washington’s Strategic Analysis, Research & Training (START) Center. We also collaborated with Boston Scientific’s clinical and health economic teams to create patient educational materials.
Cardiovascular disease is the top killer of Black Americans in the United States1
Race and ethnicity
Black Americans and heart disease
Coronary artery disease (CAD) happens when cholesterol-containing deposits (plaque) build up on the inner walls of coronary arteries over time. Black Americans are at greater risk for cardiovascular disease and stroke than White Americans.2
Black Americans and heart disease (English PDF)
Black Americans and heart disease (Spanish PDF)
Latino Americans and heart disease
Cardiovascular disease is the #2 killer of Hispanic and Latinx people in the United States behind cancer. And Hispanic and Latinx women are significantly less aware than white women that cardiovascular disease is their leading cause of death.3
Latino Americans and heart disease (English PDF)
Latino Americans and heart disease (Spanish PDF)
Heart failure in Hispanics Latinos
Heart failure can be associated with risk factors, such as diabetes and high blood pressure, in Hispanics/ Latinos in the United States.
Heart failure in Hispanics Latinos (English PDF)
Heart failure in Hispanics Latinos (Spanish PDF)
Heart failure in the Black community
Young Black American men and women (35-64 years), have a higher death rate than white men and women respectively from heart failure.7 This is a higher death rate from heart failure than any other demographic in the United States.
Heart Failure in the Black Community (English PDF)
Heart Failure in the Black Community (Spanish PDF)
Women and heart disease
Sometimes, coronary artery disease (CAD) can lead to a heart attack. While many people feel heart disease symptoms during stress, physical activity or even at rest, women often don’t have the same symptoms as men when having a heart attack.8
Women and heart disease (English PDF)
Women and heart disease (Spanish PDF)
Heart failure in women
Heart failure is a chronic, progressive condition where the heart muscle is not able to pump enough blood to meet the body’s needs for blood and oxygen. In the United States, one woman dies every minute from heart disease.
Heart failure in women (English PDF)
Heart failure in women (Spanish PDF)
Black women and atrial fibrillation
Atrial Fibrillation (AFib) is an ‘electrical issue’ that affects the two top chambers of the heart. AFIB increases the risk of stroke by 5x.5
Black women and AF (English PDF)
Black women and AF (Spanish PDF)
What women and people of color need to know about peripheral artery disease
Peripheral artery disease (PAD) is a serious circulation problem that affects the arteries that carry blood to the arms and legs. Blacks in the United States are twice as likely to have PAD than white people.7
Women, people of color and PAD (English PDF)
Women, people of color and PAD (Spanish PDF)
Questions for patients to ask
Questions to ask your doctor
Patients can print this checklist of heart disease-related questions they can ask their primary care providers or specialist, to help them move along the care pathway.
Questions for your doctor (English PDF)
Questions for your doctor (Spanish PDF)
See the Close the Gap patient site
Direct your patients to our patient-specific website for a personalized cardiovascular risk assessment, a Find a Doctor tool, and more.
Heart and vascular disease insights
At-a-glance insights into disease-specific risk factors and disparities can help you implement outreach plans that work for people living with and at risk of cardiovascular disease in your community.
References:
- American Heart Association (2019). Heart Disease and Stroke Statistics – 2019 update
- U.S. Department of Health and Human Services – Office of Minority Health
- Virani SS, et al.; on behalf of the American Heart Association Council on Epidemiology and Prevention Statistics Committee and Stroke Statistics Subcommittee. Heart disease and stroke statistics—2021 update: a report from the American Heart Association [published online ahead of print January 27, 2021]. Circulation. doi: 10.1161/CIR.0000000000000950
- Harris, R. Nelson, L. Muller, C. Buchwald, D. (2015). Stroke in American Indians and Alaska Natives: A Systematic Review. American Journal of Public Health.
- National Stroke Association. What is Atrial Fibrillation.
- American Heart Association – Heart Attack Symptoms in Women (2015).
- Shu, J. Santulli, G. (2018). Update on peripheral artery disease: epidemiology and evidence-based facts. Atherosclerosis