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People who suffer from stroke may be more likely to receive treatment with blood clot-reducing drugs depending on social characteristics such as education, neighborhood and employment, according to a new study.
The study focused on individuals suffering from ischemic stroke, the most common type of stroke caused by a blockage of blood flow to the brain.
“Any barriers that prevent people suffering from stroke from receiving clot-busting drugs, known as thrombolytic therapy,” said study author Chanaka Nadeeshan Kahthuduwa, MD, PhD, MPhil, of the Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center in Lubbock. can have disastrous consequences.” Member of the American Academy of Neurology.
“Our study found that many factors such as race, insurance status, where a person lives, and other social determinants of health influence whether a person receives this important treatment.”
The study included 63,983 people with ischemic stroke identified through public health records in Texas. For race and ethnicity, 67% of participants were white, 18 percent were black and 27 percent were Hispanic, with some participants having more than one race and ethnicity.
Researchers determined that 7,198, or 11 percent, received blood clot-busting drugs.
The researchers then looked at social factors that can impact a person’s health, such as income, education, housing and access to health services. To rank participants based on these factors, they used US Census data and applied a measure called the Social Vulnerability Index. They divided the participants into four groups.
Of the 7,930 people in the group that suffered the least harm, 1,037 were given anticoagulant drugs. Of the 7,966 people in the group with the most damage, 964 received clot-busting drugs.
After adjusting for age, sex and education, the researchers found that those with the least damage were 13% more likely to receive clot-busting drugs than the other groups.
When looking specifically at race and ethnicity, black people were 10 percent less likely to receive this therapy than white people. Hispanic people were 7 percent less likely to receive this therapy than non-Hispanic people.
When looking at insurance coverage, researchers found that people who were on Medicare, Medicaid or Veterans Assistance and those who were uninsured were 23 percent and 10 percent, respectively, more likely to receive clot-busting drugs than those with private insurance. The chances were low.
After looking at location, the researchers found that participants who lived in rural areas were 40% less likely to receive treatment than those who lived in urban areas.
“Our results are worrying and highlight health care disparities,” Kahathuduwa said.
“This study demonstrates how social disadvantages can translate into worse stroke care. Further studies are needed to examine this relationship between society, the health care system, and stroke outcomes. New approaches to address these social factors are needed. “Finding an approach is essential to improving equity in stroke care and recovery.” (ANI)
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