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Stroke. 2002;33:268-275
doi: 10.1161/hs0102.101169
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(Stroke. 2002;33:268.)
© 2002 American Heart Association, Inc.


Original Contributions

Effect of Socioeconomic Status on Treatment and Mortality After Stroke

Moira K. Kapral, MD, MSc, FRCPC; Hua Wang, PhD; Muhammad Mamdani, PharmD, MA, MPH Jack V. Tu, MD, PhD, FRCPC

From the Institute for Clinical Evaluative Sciences (M.K.K., H.W., M.M., J.V.T.), Division of General Internal Medicine and Clinical Epidemiology, and Women’s Health Program, University Health Network (M.K.K), Clinical Epidemiology and Health Care Research Program and Division of General Internal Medicine, Sunnybrook and Women’s College Health Sciences Centre (J.V.T.), Department of Medicine, University of Toronto (M.K.K., M.M., J.V.T.), and the Department of Public Health Sciences, University of Toronto (J.V.T.), Toronto, Ontario, Canada.

Reprint requests to Dr Moira K. Kapral, Toronto General Hospital, 200 Elizabeth St, ENG-246, Toronto, Ontario, Canada M5G 2C4. E-mail moira.kapral{at}uhn.on.ca

Background and Purpose Socioeconomic status is associated with increased mortality from ischemic heart disease. We undertook a study to determine whether a similar association exists between socioeconomic status and stroke mortality.

Methods We linked hospital discharge abstracts and vital-status data for all patients with acute stroke admitted to hospitals in Ontario between April 1994 and March 1997. Socioeconomic status for each patient was inferred on the basis of median neighborhood income. We determined the risk of death at 30 days and 1 year; secondary analyses compared the use of medications, inpatient rehabilitation services, and carotid endarterectomy by socioeconomic status. We used multivariate analyses to adjust for age, sex, stroke type, comorbid conditions, and hospital and physician characteristics.

Results The study sample consisted of 38 945 patients. Each $10 000 increase in median neighborhood income was associated with a 9% reduction in the hazard of death at 30 days (adjusted hazard ratio 0.91, 95% CI 0.87 to 0.96) and a 5% reduction in the hazard of death at 1 year (adjusted hazard ratio 0.95, 95% CI 0.92 to 0.99). Patients in the lowest income quintile were less likely than those in the highest to receive in-hospital physiotherapy (58% versus 61%, P<0.001), occupational therapy (36% versus 47%, P<0.001), and speech pathology (21% versus 28%, P<0.001). There were no differences in the use of medications or carotid endarterectomy based on socioeconomic status. Waiting times for carotid surgery, however, were significantly longer in the lowest income quintile than the highest (90 days versus 60 days, P=0.002).

Conclusions Socioeconomic status affects mortality and access to some health services after stroke, even in a country with a universal health insurance program. Understanding and reducing these socioeconomic disparities should be a priority for future research.

Editorial Comment

Bernadette Boden-Albala, MPH, Guest Editor Ralph L. Sacco, MD, MS, Guest Editor



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