A Wayne State University School of Medicine study has found that an overwhelming majority of African-American patients with hypertension also suffered hidden heart disease caused by high blood pressure even though they displayed no symptoms. The study - "Subclinical Hypertensive Heart Disease in African-American Patients with Elevated Blood Pressure in an Inner-City Emergency Department" - was conducted by Phillip Levy, M.D., associate professor of emergency medicine, and was recently published online in Annals of Emergency Medicine. Nine of every 10 patients tested suffered hidden heart damage caused by high blood pressure, the study found. "These results present a tremendous opportunity to screen for heart disease before it becomes symptomatic, especially in a population with high rates of hypertension," Levy said. "If we can detect incipient heart disease early, we have a better shot at treating it before it turns into a full-blown health emergency. Our study is also a strong reminder that emergency patients with chronic disease - in this case, hypertension - are generally a high-risk group."

http://detroit.cbslocal.com/2012/06/10/wsu-study-finds-hidden-heart-disease-in-african-americans-with-high-blood-pressure/
http://www.news-medical.net/news/20120611/Majority-of-African-American-patients-with-hypertension-suffer-from-hidden-heart-disease.aspx