Socioeconomic Disparities ID'd in Thrombolysis, Thrombectomy Use

THURSDAY, Nov. 2, 2023 (HealthDay News) -- There are socioeconomic disparities in use of thrombolysis or thrombectomy for acute ischemic stroke in Canada, according to a study published online Nov. 1 in Neurology.

Foad Taghdiri, M.D., from the University of Toronto, and colleagues examined the association between neighborhood-level material deprivation and odds of receiving intravenous thrombolysis or thrombectomy for acute ischemic stroke in a population-based cohort study involving all community-dwelling Ontario residents hospitalized with acute ischemic stroke between 2017 and 2022. Data were included for 57,704 patients.

The researchers found that compared with patients in the least deprived group (quintile 1), those in the most materially deprived group (quintile 5) were less likely to be treated with thrombolysis or thrombectomy (16.6 versus 19.6 percent; adjusted odds ratio, 0.76). The association was observed for thrombolysis (13.0 versus 15.3 percent) and thrombectomy (6.4 versus 7.8 percent) separately (adjusted odds ratios, 0.78 and 0.73, respectively). Between the middle three quintiles and the least deprived group, there were no significant differences observed. After additional adjustment for hospital type, these associations persisted; no interaction was seen between material deprivation and hospital type.

"Our study underscores the need for tailored interventions to address socioeconomic disparities in access to acute stroke treatments, including educational and outreach programs to increase awareness about the signs and symptoms of stroke in various languages and efforts to distribute resources more equitably across neighborhoods," coauthor Amy Ying Xin Yu, M.D., also from the University of Toronto, said in a statement.

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