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A Cleveland doctor is shining a spotlight on a lesser-known鈥攂ut life-threatening鈥攈eart condition.

The disease, hereditary cardiac amyloidosis, also disproportionately affects the Black community, said Dr. Charles Modlin, MetroHealth鈥檚 medical director of the Office of Inclusion, Diversity and Equity .  

It鈥檚 hereditary and almost exclusively affects Black people, especially those with Caribbean descent, Dr. Modlin said.

He will moderate a from 6:30-7:30 p.m.

The name of the disease is long but Modlin doesn鈥檛 expect people to memorize it.

鈥淭hey may not remember this whole long name, hereditary cardiac amyloidosis, but they can remember they heard about a disease state that causes heart failure and other symptoms: leg swelling, arm swelling, wrist swelling, shortness of breath,鈥� he said.

It鈥檚 not known how many people are affected by the disease because it鈥檚 often misdiagnosed as other health issues. It鈥檚 hereditary and almost exclusively affects Black people, especially those with Caribbean descent, Modlin said.

鈥淚t鈥檚 estimated that up to 3 percent of all African Americans in the nation actually have this genetic defect,鈥� he said. 鈥淗aving the genetic defect does not mean the individual will necessarily manifest this disease, but it鈥檚 something we need to know about.鈥�

The disease is treatable if caught early enough, Modlin said, which is why he wants to raise awareness of it. Symptoms usually begin to show up when people reach 50-60 years old. 

As a Black surgeon and physician, Modlin said it鈥檚 important for him to shine a light on health disparities.

Heart specialist Dr. Bryan Smith of the University of Chicago Medical Center will lead a presentation during the town hall. You can register for the event to receive information on how to join the Zoom call.

The event is sponsored by Pfizer.