Hispanic Women With Multiple Live Births Face Increased Risk Of Heart Disease

A study on Hispanic women shows that some are more likely to develop heart disease after having multiple children, according to recent findings presented at the American Heart Association's Scientific Sessions 2014.

The latest study involved 855 Hispanic women 45 years and older who participated in the Endocardiographic Study on Latinos, with populations coming from Chicago, Miami, San Diego and the parts of New York.

After a thorough analyzation of data, researchers found that Hispanic women with five or more successful births were much more likely to develop cardiovascular disease than those with none or fewer births. Previous data showed that about 12 percent of Hispanic women had six or more lives births, while close to 5 percent had no live births.

Findings revealed that 85 percent of women with five or more live births were more likely to suffer from ventricular diastolic dysfunction, which can lead to an abnormal relaxation phase of the heart in the future.

Furthermore, their research also showed that 61 to 63 percent of women with two to four live births suffered from diastolic dysfunction.

"Further studies are needed to determine the functional changes that occur and their harmful consequences on diastolic function and whether these changes translate into heart failure," concluded lead study author Shivani Aggarwal, M.B.B.S., in a news release.

On a similar note, a recent report from the Pew Research Center notes that Hispanics represent a quarter of the nation's youngest residents, accounting for about 26 percent of the population younger the age 1.