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For better chronic disease management, Boston University researchers recommend replacing the term “race” with underlying factors that indicate an increased risk for heart attacks and strokes.
“If other factors (instead of race itself) determine the risk differences, then the prediction equations should incorporate those factors that cause the differences in predicted risk between the races, rather than race itself. If we do not change our prediction strategy, there is a risk of labeling (stereotyping) Black people as high risk purely based on the color of their skin,” corresponding author Vasan Ramachandran, MD, FACC, said in a press release.
The American Heart Association/American College of Cardiology have created and endorsed equations that can be used to predict the risk that an individual will experience heart attacks or strokes over the next 10 years.