In Black communities, certain health issues come up often in everyday conversations, hospitals, and health reports. This is not by chance. Factors like income, access to care, environment, and sometimes genetics all play a role in shaping health outcomes. These factors can influence how diseases start, how serious they get, and how they are treated. Knowing which conditions are most common, what can be prevented, and what can be managed helps you protect your health and advocate for the care you need.
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Heart Disease
Many people are unaware they have heart disease until a crisis occurs. Heart disease covers several conditions, including coronary artery disease, which reduces blood flow to the heart and can cause a heart attack.
Why Us?
Heart disease is the leading cause of death in the U.S., and Black Americans are 54 percent more likely to die from it than white Americans. High blood pressure, obesity, and diabetes are more common in Black communities and put extra strain on the heart. For example, 58 percent of Black adults have high blood pressure, which can be partly due to genetics, according to the American Heart Association. The organization also points out that limited access to health care and healthy food are added challenges in Black communities.
Symptoms
Common symptoms include chest pain, neck or jaw pain, heartburn, extreme tiredness, and shortness of breath. The American Heart Association says women may also have “silent” symptoms that are often missed, such as anxiety, stomach pain, vomiting, and shoulder pain.
What You Can Do
Changing your habits can lower your risk of a heart attack. The American Heart Association suggests eating less red meat, picking low-calorie snacks, and drinking water instead of sugary drinks.
Regular exercise is important, too. Adults should aim for 150 minutes of moderate activity each week. Even small changes, like taking the stairs, make a difference. For children ages 6 to 17, at least 60 minutes of moderate exercise is recommended every day.
Lupus
Lupus is a long-term autoimmune disease where the body attacks its own healthy tissue. It can cause inflammation and pain in the skin, joints, and organs. The Lupus Foundation of America says the cause is unknown, but hormones, the environment, and genetics may all be involved.
Why Us?
According to the Lupus Foundation of America, Black American women are two to three times more likely to get lupus than white women and often have a shorter life expectancy after diagnosis. Limited access to specialists, late diagnoses, and ongoing stress can make outcomes worse.
Symptoms
Lupus can affect many parts of the body, so symptoms vary from person to person. Common signs include ongoing pain, fatigue, swollen joints, headaches, mild fevers, and sensitivity to sunlight. Some people get a butterfly-shaped rash on their cheeks and nose, mouth sores, or lose hair.
What You Can Do
Lupus can be hard to diagnose. It cannot be cured, but it can be managed. If you think you might have lupus, keep track of your symptoms to share with your doctor. After diagnosis, a rheumatologist can create a treatment plan to control symptoms and protect your organs. Treatment may include anti-inflammatory medications, alternative options such as massage therapy or acupuncture, and lifestyle changes such as getting enough sleep and eating healthy foods.
Cancer
Cancer is a broad term for conditions in which cells grow uncontrollably and may spread to other parts of the body.
Why Us?
Black people are more likely than white people to be diagnosed with late-stage female breast, lung, and colon (colorectal) cancer. CDC data also show that Black people have the highest cancer death rates of any racial or ethnic group. Black men are about 70 percent more likely than white men to get prostate cancer and more than twice as likely to die from it. Not having insurance, money challenges, and living far from specialists are major reasons for these differences.
Symptoms
Female breast cancer symptoms include a new lump in the breast or underarm, a change in breast shape, dimpled skin, and skin around the breast that appears red, purple, or unusually dark. Still, many cases show no early symptoms, so regular self-exams and mammograms are critical.
Lung cancer symptoms include a persistent cough, coughing up blood, chest pain, hoarseness, unexplained weight loss, and shortness of breath. Symptoms often do not appear until the disease is advanced.
Colon cancer may not cause immediate symptoms, but people may experience stomach pain and notice blood in their stool.
What You Can Do
The CDC notes that in many instances, cancer can be prevented. Avoiding tobacco smoke, maintaining a healthy weight, and limiting alcohol intake are lifestyle changes that can lower your cancer risk.
Early detection is key. Follow recommended screening guidelines, such as annual or biannual mammograms, and discuss them with your doctor. Black men may start PSA testing at 40-45. Colon cancer screening begins at 45, using colonoscopy or at-home stool tests. And for lung cancer, adults between 50 and 80 who have a smoking history should be screened annually.
Know your family history, track your symptoms, and ask your care team about programs that can help lower the cost of cancer screening and treatment.
Asthma
Asthma is a chronic condition that inflames and narrows the airways, making breathing difficult. While it can develop at any age, it is especially prevalent among Black children and adults. It is also disproportionately deadly.
Why Us?
More Black Americans live with asthma than any other racial group in the U.S. In 2024, Black children were 60 percent more likely to have asthma than other children in the U.S., according to the Office of Minority Health. In 2021, Black adults were twice as likely to die from asthma.
A lot of this comes down to “long-standing differences in opportunities stemming from discrimination,” according to the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI). In other words, it’s largely connected to where Black people live and work. Asthma triggers in older housing with mold and pests, more exposure to air pollution, and less access to regular care all make it harder to keep asthma under control.
Symptoms
Coughing, wheezing, or chest tightness are known signs of asthma. Shortness of breath is another red flag, especially if it shows up at night or during physical activity. Symptoms can flare up when you’re around allergens, smoke, cold air, or pollution, so knowing your triggers is important.
What You Can Do
There’s no cure for asthma, but talking with your doctor about a personalized asthma action plan can make a big difference. Treatment may include prescribed medication that reduces airway constriction for short- and long-term control. Some people with asthma may use biologics, which are given by injection or infusion, according to the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America (AAFA).
Reducing exposure to triggers can also help prevent severe asthma attacks. Avoiding secondhand smoke, washing bedding weekly to limit dust mites, and vacuuming often may help keep symptoms under control and reduce trips to the emergency room (ER).
Sickle Cell Disease
Sickle cell disease, also called sickle cell anemia, is a lifelong inherited condition where red blood cells become a crescent or “sickle” shape.
Why Us?
According to the CDC, 90 percent of people with this disease in the U.S. are African American. People with the sickle cell trait inherit the gene from one parent and usually do not have symptoms. The disease happens when the gene comes from both parents.
Symptoms
Symptoms usually start around 6 months old and can include yellowing of the skin (jaundice), extreme tiredness, or swelling in the hands and feet. Over time, people may have severe pain episodes called “sickle cell crises” or feel very tired. According to the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, serious problems can include stroke, eye issues, and kidney disease. The CDC says people with sickle cell disease live about 20 years less than average.
What You Can Do
A blood test can find the hemoglobin linked to sickle cell disease, according to the Mayo Clinic. Screening is available for everyone, from newborns and unborn babies (using amniotic fluid testing) to older children and adults.
Ongoing care for sickle cell disease includes managing pain, getting vaccines, blood transfusions, and regular visits to a blood specialist to help prevent problems like stroke. While sickle cell disease usually lasts a lifetime, stem cell transplants may cure some children and teens. Many African Americans still face barriers to specialized care because of insurance and where they live.
Type 2 Diabetes
Diabetes, or what many in the Black community refer to as “sugar,” is a condition that occurs when blood glucose, which provides energy, is too high. But there’s nothing sweet about this serious health condition.
Why Us?
Black Americans are about 50 percent more likely than white Americans to be diagnosed with diabetes and face higher rates of complications and death. In 2022, Black Americans died 78 percent more often than other groups, according to the Office of Minority Health. Living in areas without healthy food options, having fewer safe places to exercise, and facing financial barriers all stack the odds against Black communities when it comes to prevention and management.
Symptoms
Common symptoms include feeling very thirsty or hungry, needing to urinate often, feeling tired, slow-healing sores, blurry vision, and numbness in your hands or feet. These signs can be mild at first.
What You Can Do
Obesity is heavily tied to diabetes. If an overweight person loses just 7 percent of their body weight, they can lower their risk of diabetes, according to the Mayo Clinic. Healthy eating, regular exercise, and checking your blood sugar often are important. Finding diabetes early and starting treatment can lower your risk of comorbidities like heart disease, kidney damage and liver disease.
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