We have applied gene counting and restriction endonuclease mapping techniques to the study of two American black families in which there were one or more cases of HbH disease. We found deletions of three of the four normal alpha-globin genes in individuals with HbH disease. In two of these individuals, the chromosome containing the single alpha gene could have originated by crossing over betwee...

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE Risk factors for intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH) vary by location. Incidence rates of ICH are known to be higher in American blacks than whites, but how rates may differ by hemorrhage location is unknown. We sought to define incidence rates for different ICH locations in a biracial population. METHODS All hospitalized patients age > or =20 years with spontaneous ICH were...

Background and aims: Blacks have a higher rate of chronic medical conditions (CMC), disability, and depressive symptoms compared to Whites. The present study compared Blacks and Whites for bidirectional associations between CMC, disability, and depressive symptoms over a 25-year period. Methods: Data came from all five waves (1986, 1989, 1994, 2001, and 2...

The Utah Department of Health currently groups African-born blacks with U.S.-born blacks when reporting HIV/AIDS surveillance data. Studies suggest that categorizing HIV/AIDS cases in this manner may mask important epidemiological trends, and the distinct differences between these two populations warrant disaggregating data prior to reporting. The purpose of this study was to characterize the H...

To the Editor: In the letter “Article on Sodium Intake Should Include Ethnic Disclaimer,” Professor Hilliard states that “healthy blacks who consume more than 1,500 mg of sodium per day are at risk for hypertension and chronic kidney disease” and that “accumulation of irrefutable medical data on the subject” shows that “American blacks are 4 times more likely than whites to die of kidney failur...

Abstract Introduction Asthma is one of the leading respiratory illnesses in United States. African Americans/Blacks are particularly vulnerable to long-term effects this condition. In addition general healthcare inequities, may also have an increased vulnerability deleterious asthma enact on health behaviors such as sleep. Comparison between races for how much affects sleep would be useful addr...

CONTEXT Little is known about the relationship between race/ethnicity and depression among US blacks. OBJECTIVE To estimate the prevalence, persistence, treatment, and disability of depression in African Americans, Caribbean blacks, and non-Hispanic whites in the National Survey of American Life. DESIGN A slightly modified adaptation of the World Health Organization World Mental Health vers...

BACKGROUND Reducing health disparities remains a major public health challenge in the United States. Having timely access to current data on disparities is important for policy and program development. Accordingly, we assessed the current magnitude of disparities in cardiovascular disease (CVD) and its risk factors in the United States. METHODS AND RESULTS Using national surveys, we determine...

Normative neuropsychological data for U.S. racial/ethnic minorities are limited. Extant norms are based on small, regional groups that may not be nationally representative. The objectives of this study were to (1) provide norms for a modified Symbol Digit Modalities Test (M-SDMT) based on a nationally representative sample of African Americans, Caribbean Blacks, and non-Latino Whites (NLW) livi...

The notion of business development as a partial cure to the economic condition of blacks is not a new one, but black leaders have never unanimously agreed that business ownership is an effective instrument of economic success. The violence and civil disorders of the 1960s, however, spurred strong interest in programs to develop and promote both urban black business and black-owned and controlle...