Association of Race with Disease Expression and Clinical Outcomes among Patients with Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy

Abstract

Importance: Racial differences are recognized in multiple cardiovascular parameters, including left ventricular hypertrophy and heart failure, which are 2 major manifestations of hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. The association of race with disease expression and outcomes among patients with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy is not well characterized. Objective: To assess the association between race, disease expression, care provision, and clinical outcomes among patients with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. Design, Setting, and Participants: This retrospective cohort study included data on black and white patients with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy from the US-based sites of the Sarcomeric Human Cardiomyopathy Registry from 1989 through 2018. Exposures: Self-identified race. Main Outcomes and Measures: Baseline characteristics; genetic architecture; adverse outcomes, including cardiac arrest, cardiac transplantation or left ventricular assist device implantation, implantable cardioverter-defibrillator therapy, all-cause mortality, atrial fibrillation, stroke, and New York Heart Association (NYHA) functional class III or IV heart failure; and septal reduction therapies. The overall composite outcome consists of the first occurrence of any component of the ventricular arrhythmic composite end point, cardiac transplantation, left ventricular assist device implantation, NYHA class III or IV heart failure, atrial fibrillation, stroke, or all-cause mortality. Results: Of 2467 patients with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy at the time of analysis, 205 (8.3%) were black (130 male [63.4%]; mean [SD] age, 40.0 [18.6] years) and 2262 (91.7%) were white (1351 male [59.7%]; mean [SD] age, 45.5 [20.5] years). Compared with white patients, black patients were younger at the time of diagnosis (mean [SD], 36.5 [18.2] vs 41.9 [20.2] years; P