Chronic disease epidemiology among elderly black Americans

The epidemiologic risk factors in elderly African-American population for major chronic diseases are higher than the elderly white population. African-American elderly women are 1.5 to 2.5 times more susceptible to chronic illnesses than white women. Moreover, the African-American elderly population is growing at a faster rate than elderly white population. Diseases like cancer, cerebrovascular disease, hypertension and diabetes, that are responsible for causing the maximum number of deaths, are analyzed.