This week in New York City, hip-hop legends joined forces with medical professionals to raise awareness about a rare heart condition that disproportionately impacts Black Americans.
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Longtime radio host and journalist Sway Calloway moderated a panel discussion between University of Maryland hoops standout-turned-Brand Jordan exec Howard H. White, University of Maryland cardiologist Dr. Albert Hicks, and rapper Doug E. Fresh and Columbia University neurologist Dr. Olajide Williams, the two co-founders of Hip Hop Public Health. The event was a collaboration between Hip Hop Public Health and BridgeBio Pharma Inc., manufacturers of the prescription drug Attruby, which treats ATTR-CM.
What is ATTR-CM?
The American Heart Association defines ATTR-CM (Transthyretin Amyloid Cardiomyopathy) as a condition that occurs when an excessive amount of a natural protein builds up around the heart, making it more difficult for the organ to pump blood throughout the body. Black people are already more at risk for cardiac issues in general: we’re twice as likely to be hospitalized for heart issues, and we have a 50 percent higher rate of heart-related deaths. But 1 in 25 Black Americans carry a genetic variant associated with ATTR-CM, and the disease is often misdiagnosed or undiagnosed — because families are unfamiliar with the genetic variant in their family, and symptoms are overlooked until it’s too late…