Despite a declining death toll from hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) in the United States, persisting discrepancies may occur between different demographic groupings. In this study, researchers analyzed the mortality rates from HCM among Americans more than or equal to 15 years old across the country from 1999 to 2019. A cross-sectional analysis of the Centers for Disease Control CDC’s Wide-Ranging Online Data for Epidemiological Research database was used to evaluate the development of HCM-related death rates over time. Annual percent changes in the age-adjusted death rate were calculated, as were 95% CIs. Global, racial/ethnic/age and geographical categories were analyzed using joinpoint regression to determine if there were any discernible patterns. HCM between 1999 and 2019 caused 39,200 deaths. In 2019, the age-adjusted death rate was 5.4, down from 11.2 in 1999. Male patients, Black patients, and patients more than or equal to 75 years old had higher mortality rates. The overall mortality rate fell significantly during the research period in large urban counties.
Moreover, California had the nation’s highest death rate when accounting for age. Mortality rates due to HCM have gone down across the board in the United States during the past 20 years. HCM-related mortality rates have decreased overall, but persistent racial and geographical differences need to be explored further.
Source: ahajournals.org/doi/full/10.1161/CIRCHEARTFAILURE.121.009292
