Black Americans have a higher likelihood of developing hypertension or high blood pressure compared to their white counterparts. Current research indicates that there are numerous genetic changes that affect their risk. A study that incorporated approximately 30,000 black Americans at 20 sites across Louisiana indicated how genes impact blood pressure in African American men. The study pointed out that a large number of the gene discoveries have been in white people while research failed to recognize any genes that are linked to high blood pressure. Genes account for approximately 45 to 55 percent of an individual’s risk for hypertension ( Giles et al., 2005). The four genetic variations identified in the research conducted in Louisiana further affect other ethnic and racial groups. Lifestyle, obesity, and diet represent other risk factors for hypertension. The study further indicated the role of other genes in enhancing the risk of hypertension in African American men in Louisiana. Alongside their disproportionate suffering, high blood pressure happens earlier in life for African American men compared to people of other ethnic ancestries.
It is therefore fundamental to research the African American men in Louisiana to correctly understand the genetic vulnerability to high blood pressure. Recent findings published in the American Journal of Human Genetics indicate that although it is not clear how genes control blood pressure, pathways of blood pressure might result in the prospective development of drug targets for blood pressure. Whereas socioeconomic status does not elaborate all the racial dissimilarities in the rates of hypertension, low socioeconomic status depicts a stronger sign of high blood pressure among African American men in Louisiana. Reduced socioeconomic status alongside lack of health insurance makes it hard for these people to attain enough health care ( Zhang et al., 2012). In Louisiana, African American men diagnosed with sicknesses at later phases of life. Obesity is positively related to hypertension. About two-thirds of African American men in Louisiana are overweight. In the African American society, cultural dietary patterns in addition to the fear of social stigmatization instigate changes in diet modification.
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Growing disparities and disease pattern among men in Louisiana are traits of stroke epidemic and heart disease and the African American men are the most affected. These people suffer excessively from hypertension. During the 2000 to 2005 era, while over half of African American men knew they had hypertension, 60% were receiving treatment while 34% had the disease under control ( Giles et al., 2005). The degree of African American men in Louisiana aware of their condition was same as that of white men but smaller in relation to that of African American women. For African American men in Louisiana, beliefs regarding hypertension are diverse but are often not clinical in origin, often among the people of lower socioeconomic status, lower levels of education and older age. For instance, some African American men in Louisiana trust there is a distinction between high blood pressure and hypertension.
Among the people who differentiate the two terminologies, hypertension is regarded as a condition that results from anger, anxiety, and stress. Numerous studies have found a connection between hypertension levels and racism in African American men in Louisiana. Professed racism adds to low self-esteem and stress, which can negatively impact hypertension. The connection between exposure to discrimination and hypertension among African American men in Louisiana varies based on socioeconomic status ( Zhang et al., 2012). Greater economic and social resources, as well as the resulting enhanced capability to challenge and name discrimination, are protective elements among African American men in Louisiana.
References
Giles, T. D., Berk, B. C., Black, H. R., Cohn, J. N., Kostis, J. B., Izzo, J. L., & Weber, M. A. (2005). Expanding the definition and classification of hypertension. The Journal of Clinical Hypertension , 7 (9), 505-512.
Zhang, Y., Li, W., Wang, Y., Chen, L., Horswell, R., Xiao, K., ... & Hu, G. (2012). Increasing prevalence of hypertension in low income residents within louisiana state university health care services division hospital system. European journal of internal medicine , 23 (8), e179-e184.
