Racial Differences in Heart Age and Impact on Mortality

Heart age is an estimate of the age of a person's cardiovascular system given their cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk factors. The difference between a person's chronological age and heart age (excess heart age) represents their added CVD risk. To examine racial differences in excess heart age and whether race impacts the association between excess heart age and CVD mortality. This analysis included 5110 participants (2449 non-Hispanic white, 1287 non-Hispanic black, and 1374 Mexican-American) from the NHANES III who were free of CVD. Heart age was calculated using the sex-specific non-laboratory-based Framingham risk prediction functions. Multivariable Cox proportional-hazards regression models were used to evaluate the relationship (overall and by race) between excess heart age and CVD mortality. Mean excess heart age was greatest in non-Hispanic blacks (13.0 years), followed by Mexican-Americans (10.5 years), and non-Hispanic whites (8.5 years); p