Racial Differences in Control of Blood Vessel Tone and Blood Flow

Launched by NATIONAL HEART, LUNG, AND BLOOD INSTITUTE (NHLBI) · Dec 9, 2002

Keywords

ClinConnect Summary

Black Americans have a greater morbidity and mortality related to cardiovascular diseases compared to whites. The cause for this phenomenon is probably multifactorial and includes differences in pathogenesis, risk factor patterns, genetic background, behavioral variables, strategies for education and prevention, and socioeconomic factors. Recent evidence suggests that acceleration of some of the processes related to vascular biology may account for the greater prevalence of cardiovascular disease in blacks. A diminished vasodilator response of the microvasculature has been shown in African ...

Gender

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Eligibility criteria

• • Black and white normal volunteers, approximately matched for age and sex, will be included in the study.
• • All subjects must be capable of rendering informed consent for all procedures.
• • Volunteers with a history or evidence of present or past hypertension (BP greater than 140/90), diabetes mellitus, hypercholesterolemia (plasma cholesterol greater than 200 mg/dL), cardiac disease, peripheral vascular disease, coagulopathy, chronic smoking (2 pack-years or more), obesity (20% greater than ideal body weight), hyperhomocysteinemia (plasma homocysteine greater than 17 umol/1) or any other disease predisposing them to vasculitis will be excluded from the study.
• • No pregnant women.
• • Volunteers who are taking any medication will be excluded.