Blacks and whites have a similar prevalence of reduced left ventricular ejection fraction in the general population: The Dallas Heart Study (DHS)

BackgroundThe objective of the study was to evaluate racial differences in the prevalence of left ventricular (LV) dysfunction. Few data compare the relative frequency of reduced LV ejection fraction (EF) (LVEF) in blacks and whites. Because of the higher prevalence of risk factors for heart failure in blacks, including hypertension, obesity, and LV hypertrophy, we hypothesized that LV dysfunction would also be more common in this ethnic group.MethodsIn the DHS, a probability-based sample of Dallas County, we performed cardiac magnetic resonance imaging on 1335 black and 858 white participants aged 30 to 67 years to measure LVEF and volumes. We compared the prevalence of reduced LV EF and distribution of ventricular volumes in the 2 ethnic groups.ResultsThe prevalence of a reduced LVEF, whether defined as <50%, <55%, or <60%, did not appear to be different between black versus white women (P ≥ .7 for each) or men (P ≥ .4 for each). Similar findings were seen using a recently defined sex-specific threshold (men <55% and women <61%) for low EF (P = .1). Mean LV end-diastolic and end-systolic volumes indexed to body surface area were also comparable in black and white men (P ≥ .3) and women (P ≥ .1).ConclusionsDespite having a higher prevalence of risk factors for heart failure, blacks as compared with whites did not have a higher prevalence of reduced LVEF in the general population.