Coronary artery disease in blacks

Coronary artery disease (CAD) is the leading cause of death in black Americans, accounting for 25% of all deaths. Risk factors for CAD that have been established in white populations also have a high prevalence in black populations. Some risk factors, such as hypertension, have a greater prevalence in blacks. Risk factor reduction for this population remains as great a problem as it is for whites and other minority groups. The major challenges for nursing lie in implementing and evaluating primary and secondary prevention strategies beginning with children and extending to the elderly.