Social Determinants Of Health

Self-perceived social status among Hispanic and Latino individuals living in the U.S. was associated with good CV health as measured by the American Heart Association’s Life’s Simple 7 scores, researchers reported.

Medicare eligibility was associated with sharp reductions in racial and ethnic disparities in health insurance coverage, access to care and self-reported health, according to findings published in JAMA Internal Medicine.

Individuals with CVD and greater burden regarding social determinants of health were less likely to practice COVID-19 risk mitigation measures such as personal protection and social distancing, a speaker reported.

Patients with low socioeconomic status and unhealthy lifestyles had elevated risk for mortality and incident CVD, researchers reported.

Among South Asian residents in the U.S., larger social network size, including family and nonfamily members, was independently associated with their likelihood of ideal CV health, researchers reported.

The American Heart Association and Association of Black Cardiologists launched a joint data challenge to better understand the effects of social and structural determinants of health in HF.

For this issue, Cardiology Today spoke with Editorial Board Member Laxmi Mehta, MD, FACC, FAHA, FNLA. She is a noninvasive cardiologist and professor of medicine in the division of cardiovascular medicine at The Ohio State University. She holds the Sarah Ross Soter Endowed Chair in Women’s Cardiovascular Health, is the section director of preventive cardiology and women’s cardiovascular health and director of lipid clinics and is the vice chair of wellness for the department of internal medicine at Ohio State.

Now is a time of transition in our nation. As physicians, regardless of our background or upbringing, we hold positions of power and privilege in society. We must use our power to give voice to our patients and communities.

As the COVID-19 pandemic persists, the National Kidney Foundation’s Spring Clinical Meetings will again be held virtually, presenting program organizers with a unique set of challenges, according to program chair Mitchell H. Rosner, MD.

A recent study in patients with Parkinson’s disease highlighted the link between visual dysfunction and cognitive decline, as well as greater white matter degeneration. The FDA also approved Gocovri extended-release tablets for patients with PD. Read these and more recent stories below.