Race/Ethnicity and Clinical Outcomes in Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy: Insights from a Latin American Center

Background: In hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM), the association of race/ethnicity with disease expression and clinical outcomes is not well characterized, most studies evaluating ethnic disparities in this pathology are derived from registries in North America and Europe, the purpose of this study is to assess the possible association of race/ethnicity with different relevant clinical outcomes in a university hospital in Colombia; Methods: This was an analytical cross-sectional study of patients with HCM between January 2011 and June 2024, patient data were analyzed from an institutional cardiomyopathy registry, two groups were defined for analysis, five clinical outcomes were defined for comparative analysis. Results: A total of 97 patients were included, 19.5% self-identified as Afro-Colombian, the average age was 55.8 years, the median left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) was 65%, no statistically significant differences were identified in other echocardiographic characteristics, the most commonly observed hypertrophic pattern was asymmetric septal hypertrophy in both groups, a trend toward a higher proportion of late gadolinium enhancement >15% was observed in the Afro-Colombian group, and no significant differences were found in implantable cardioverter-defibrillator placement, septal reduction techniques, ventricular arrhythmia, or atrial fibrillation.; Conclusions: This study provides valuable insights into hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) in an underrepresented population, highlighting potential ethnic disparities in disease presentation and management