African Americans May Face Greater Mortality Risks After Common Surgery To Prevent Stroke, JNMA Study Suggests

1/22/2002

From: Reese Stone or Alisa Mosley, 202-347-1895 both of the National Medical Association

WASHINGTON, Jan. 22 -- African Americans may be significantly more likely than whites to die shortly after undergoing a common surgical procedure to prevent stroke, according to a study published in the January issue of the Journal of the National Medical Association. Byron Kennedy of the Yale University School of Medicine's Department of Epidemiology and Public Health conducted the study, "Does Race Predict Short-Term Mortality After Carotid Surgery? The Results of a Meta-Analysis."

Kennedy found that African American patients' risk of short-term death after carotid surgery may be more than 40 percent greater than white patients' risk. Kennedy examined the likelihood of death among blacks and whites within 30 days of carotid endarterectomy (CEA), a surgical procedure to clear plaque from the carotid artery leading to the brain. Earlier research has shown that African Americans are less likely than whites to undergo CEA, despite higher rates of ischemic stroke and stroke-related disability and mortality.

Greater coexisting medical risks may account for African Americans' higher post-operative CEA mortality rates, the study's author explains. Underlying illnesses such as diabetes and hypertension are often more prevalent among blacks than whites. Clinicians, particularly surgeons, should carefully balance the benefits of carotid surgery against the risk factors of African American patients, Kennedy suggests.

The study's author analyzed data from three earlier studies of CEA mortality. The meta-analysis sample of 224,554 patients included 5,569 African Americans and 218,985 whites.

------ The National Medical Association is the oldest and largest professional organization representing the interests of African American physicians, with more than 25,000 members.