AHA Scientific Sessions 2026 AbstractNov 7, 2026, 01:09 GMT

Hispanic adults with heart failure had lower death risk

The relative rate of death over five years was lower among Hispanic adults than matched non-Hispanic White adults, with a hazard ratio of 0.846.

Paper by Anas Alahmad, Rhiannon Olivarez-Kidwell, Majd Fayad Nimer Al-Ahmad, Mohannad Al-ahmad · University of California, San Francisco · Jordan University of Science and Technology

A heart cross-section sits between groups of upright figures; the denser dark blue-green group has a brain with a larger damaged patch than the gray group.

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Populations

Studied:: Cohort study of adults with incident heart failure, against matched non-Hispanic White adults (Multicenter)
What changed:: Over 5 years, all-cause mortality was lower in Hispanic adults than matched peers (HR 0.846, 95% CI 0.826-0.868)
The catch:: Differences in health or care not captured by matching could explain the survival gap
Why it’s aging research:: It looks at how biology varies with age or lifespan.

Editor of record: Boris Djordjevic · AgingResearch.News

Paper

Hispanic/Latino and non-Hispanic White adults aged 18 or older with newly diagnosed heart failure were compared in an observational cohort study of 69,039 matched pairs. Using a US health records network, researchers matched patients on 33 health, social and demographic characteristics.

Over five years, Hispanic patients had lower relative rates of death and major heart and blood vessel complications. However, they had higher stroke risk and higher hospitalization rates for acute heart failure—a sudden onset or worsening of symptoms. The mortality advantage appeared both below age 65 and at 65 or older. The excess stroke risk was larger and persisted in younger adults. Their excess hospitalization risk was also greater. In older adults, the excess stroke risk weakened over time, and the excess hospitalization risk resolved by five years.

Why it matters

Across age groups, survival alone may not capture the burden of heart failure. The authors highlighted unmet prevention needs among younger Hispanic adults with the condition.

Caveats

Differences in health or care not captured by the matching could still have contributed to the survival gap. The conference abstract did not specify the exclusion criteria, limiting how precisely the findings can be applied to other heart failure patients.