Presence Of Rib Notching As An Indicator Of Hypertension And Its Sequelae In Cardiovascular Diseases In An Historic African American Skeletal Population

as an Indicator of Hypertension and its Sequelae Diseases in Abstract Background : Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the leading cause of death in the United States and around the world. A plethora of scientific findings identify African Americans as having the highest rates of CVD in comparison to other racial/ethnic groups in the United Sates. Associated with a wide range of congenital and chronic cardiac disorders, rib notching is a pathognomonic notches were not included in the data. Results : From the 53 individuals that were identified as having rib notching, 44 of them were due to cardiovascular ailments while the others were due to pathologies that could potentially lead to hypertension if left untreated. Males were more likely to have rib notching when compared to their female counterparts. Conclusion : From the results of this study, a strong link is observed between CVD and rib notching. This makes rib notching assessment a useful diagnostic tool for historical skeletal samples or for confirming previous diagnoses of CVD. This study also provides a major improvement to our understanding of CVD in historical African American populations. The historical context of diseases now rampant in the African American community can inform clinicians in their efforts to develop precision interventions designed to treat CVD in this vulnerable population.