PEMBROKE PARK, Fla. – A report released on Tuesday shows the United States birth rate increased slightly in 2021 but remains well below pre-pandemic levels.
The report showed 86,000 fewer births in 2021 than in 2019.
The slight one-percent increase last year from 2020 was likely the result of pregnancies put off during the early months of the pandemic.
A new study out of South Florida found that race and substance use history can lead to bias in the treatment of heart attacks, increasing health disparities.
“Black patients with a history of cocaine use who presented with a heart attack were about 25 percent less likely to receive a catheterization and about 40 percent less likely to receive revascularization compared to white patients,” said Dr. Michael Dangl with the University of Miami-Jackson Memorial Hospital.
A national sample of Black patients with a history of cocaine use found they were less likely than white patients to get critical treatments despite Black patients being more likely to have insurance and being less likely to abuse other stimulants that can cause heart attacks.
The study author suggested that creating more diversity in the cardiology field and providing racial and implicit bias training could improve health equity in the treatment of heart attacks.
Another national study found that treatment for heart attacks dropped about 30 percent during the pandemic and that to have the best outcome treatment is needed within the first 90 minutes of symptoms.
Heart disease is the leading cause of death in the U.S.