Black-White differences in infectious disease mortality in the United States

Objectives. This study determined the degree to which Black-White differenc es in infectious disease mortality are explained by income and education an d the extent to which infectious diseases contribute to Black-White differe nces in all-cause mortality. Methods. A sample population of the National Longitudinal Mortality Study f rom 1979 through 1981 was analyzed and followed up through 1989. Results. Infectious disease mortality among Blacks was higher than among Wh ites, with a relative risk of 1.53 after adjustment for age and sex and 1.3 4 after further adjustment for income and education. Death from infectious diseases contributed to 9.3% of the difference in all-cause mortality. Conclusions. In the United States, infectious diseases account for nearly 1 0% of the excess all-cause mortality rates in Blacks compared with Whites.