Burden of Valvular Heart Diseases in a Racially and Ethnically Diverse Population: The Bronx‐Valve Registry

BACKGROUND: Valvular heart disease (VHD) is a major focus of cardiovascular medicine, but limited data are available for racial and ethnic minorities. The aim was to assess the burden and clinical correlates of VHD in a highly diverse area of the United States. METHODS AND RESULTS: Individuals with echocardiographic diagnosis of native VHD between January 2010 and December 2019 at a quaternary care health system of the Bronx (New York, USA) were included. Prevalence and correlates of VHD were assessed per each racial and ethnic group. From a total of 330 570 adult echocardiograms, 80 584 individuals were diagnosed with VHD and included in the final study population. Stratified by race and ethnicity, 38.0%, 23.2%, 2.1%, and 36.7% were non-Hispanic Black, non-Hispanic White, Asian, and Hispanic, respectively. The mean age was 67.7±16.3 years, with non-Hispanic Black, non-Hispanic Asian, and Hispanic individuals being younger and having a higher burden of comorbidities. The prevalence of VHD increased with age, irrespective of race or ethnicity. In people aged ≥75 years, tricuspid and mitral regurgitation were the most prevalent VHD (21.1% and 16.1%, respectively). Non-Hispanic White individuals more frequently had tricuspid regurgitation, mitral regurgitation, and multiple VHDs, but among those aged <65 years, these were more frequent in non-Hispanic Black individuals. CONCLUSIONS: Our Bronx-Valve Registry illustrates that the burden of VHD is high, increases with age, and varies among racial and ethnic groups. When diagnosed with VHD, non-Hispanic Black, non-Hispanic Asian, and Hispanic individuals are younger and with a higher burden of comorbidities. Appropriate resources and strategies need to be implemented to minimize racial and ethnic disparities and promote equity in VHD diagnosis and cardiovascular risk factor management. REGISTRATION: URL: https://clinicaltrials.gov. Unique Identifier: NCT05453526.