Deaths from heart failure linked to atrial fibrillation have surged nationwide, but the burden has not been shared equally. A sweeping study of U.S. mortality data from 1999 to 2024 reveals that Black and Latino populations face alarming disadvantages.
While non-Hispanic White individuals recorded the highest overall death rates, the steepest increases in recent years occurred among Black and Latino groups. By middle age, Black adults experienced a far greater risk of dying from heart failure than White adults of the same age. One analysis in the report found younger and middle-aged Black adults had mortality rates nearly three times higher than their White peers.
Latino communities also saw dramatic rises in deaths tied to atrial fibrillation and heart failure. By 2024, their age-adjusted mortality rate had tripled compared with 1999, highlighting a growing vulnerability. American Indian and Alaska Native populations showed similar upward trends, underscoring how heart rhythm disorders deepen existing health inequities.
Researchers point to a tangle of factors behind these disparities: higher rates of hypertension, diabetes, and obesity, along with structural barriers to timely diagnosis and specialized cardiac care. Rural communities—where Black, Latino, and Native families are disproportionately represented—reported higher mortality rates than metropolitan areas, widening the gap.
The authors warn that without targeted, equity-focused interventions, these racial disparities will continue to drive avoidable deaths. They call for improved access to cardiovascular specialists, prevention programs, and culturally tailored care strategies to blunt the trend.
See: “Trends in United States mortality among patients with atrial fibrillation/flutter related heart failure (1999–2024): disparities by gender, race/ethnicity and region” (July 29, 2025)
