Black patients with heart failure were more likely to be hospitalized for complications of the disease than whites with heart failure, in a new study.

They also tended to be younger and heavier, were less in shape and were more likely to have other significant health problems such as diabetes or high blood pressure.

However, black heart failure patients were just as likely to die from heart-related causes as whites. Researchers said weight and coexisting diseases may play a larger role in the risk of death than race.

"The main difference between the two groups was in rehospitalization risk," said Dr. Robert Mentz, a cardiology researcher at Duke University in Durham, North Carolina, who led the new study.

However, it was unclear why blacks with heart failure were hospitalized more often, he added.