There are suggestions in the literature that medical care can play an important role in reducing racial differences in the severity and progression of disease. For example, compared to whites, Hispanics and Chinese, African Americans show an accelerated disease process in the development of congestive heart failure (CHF) suggesting that the aggressive control of hypertension and diabetes could prevent incident CHF in blacks.142 Recent research suggests that although there has been progress in increasing awareness in the black community regarding hypertension and getting blacks into treatment, major challenges persist with regards to the effectiveness of treatment and blood pressure management. National data reveals that compared to whites, blacks are more likely to have hypertension, more likely to be aware of their disease, more likely to be pharmacologically treated, but less likely to achieve control of blood pressure, given treatment.14 These differences could reflect racial differences in the quality of care and/or differences in exposure to stressors that could affect blood pressure control.
