Montefiore Einstein has been awarded a $5.2 million grant from the National Institutes of Health to conduct an in-depth study on heart failure in Hispanic populations. Heart failure, a prevalent cardiac condition affecting over 6 million people in the United States, impairs the heart's ability to effectively pump blood. The intricate interplay between the heart and aorta, crucial for efficient blood distribution throughout the body, remains a subject of limited data, particularly among Hispanic individuals. The research, led by Principal Investigator Dr. Carlos Jose Rodriguez, investigates the potential link between aortic stiffness and the heart/aorta relationship in adults at risk of heart failure. The team hypothesizes that individuals at risk for heart failure, particularly those with aortic stiffness and an inefficient heart/aorta relationship, are more likely to develop clinical heart failure compared to those with normal heart/aorta function. To explore this hypothesis, the study will assess vascular and cardiac function in 1,500 Hispanic participants from four centers across the country: Bronx, NY; San Diego, CA; Miami, FL; and Chicago, IL. Upon completion of the research, Dr. Rodriguez and his team will compare their findings with data from non-Hispanic white and Black individuals in the Framingham Heart Study and the Jackson Heart Study. Their aim is to identify both commonalities and disparities among racial and ethnic groups.

Dr. Rodriguez expressed the team's aspirations, saying, "We hope our study leads to new ways of identifying people at high risk of heart failure or for detecting it earlier, providing an opportunity to intervene to prevent severe disease. Our ultimate aim is to lower the burden of heart failure in this under-studied population."