Heart failure is the single biggest medical problem that blacks face. They are twice as likely to suffer from it as are whites. Nearly five million Americans experience heart failure - usually a weakness in the heart muscle that reduces the pumping of blood to the rest of body. About 20 percent of them are African-American. The lack of proper circulation results in a buildup of fluid in organs, triggering severe congestion in tissues and swelling, most often in arms and legs.
Heart disease causes patients to become extremely tired and short of breath.
Details about the clinical trial, involving 600 African-Americans, will be announced next Saturday by the Association of Black Cardiologists in Orlando, Fla., just before the American College of Cardiology's annual meeting. She will be NitroMed's clinical investigator. The trial will, for the first time, include a significant number of African-American women, she said. Participants will use either BiDil or a placebo with their current medications. The goal is to measure quality of life, reduced need for hospitalization, and improvement of heart function.