African-Americans Have Different Plaque

African-Americans have more non-calcified plaque than others, which may increase their heart attack risks, U.S. researchers say.

Researchers at the Medical University of South Carolina in Charleston say whites had more calcified plaque but African-Americans had non-calcified soft deposits deep in the walls of the arteries.

“The African-Americans and Caucasians we studied had approximately the same amount of plaque in their arteries, but different kinds of plaque,” Dr. John Nance Jr. says in a statement.

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“This study confirms that the coronary artery disease pathways that lead to acute cardiovascular events are different for Caucasians and African Americans,” study co-author Dr. U. Joseph Schoepf says in a statement. {snip}

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The findings were presented at the annual meeting of the Radiological Society of North America in Chicago.