A study by the Direction de la recherche, des études, de l’évaluation et des statistiques (Drees) published on Wednesday, February 9, reveals social inequalities in health related to stroke: in particular, a higher incidence rate among people with the lowest standard of living and less care in specialized units.
Between 2014 and 2017, according to a study by Drees published on February 9, the 25% of people with the lowest standard of living have a 40% higher risk of stroke than the 25% of the most affluent people. It is among the 45-64 year olds that the rate of occurrence is the most marked, almost twice as high as in the same age group among the most well-off.
Not only a significant social inequality in the face of stroke regarding risksd, but also for management in specialized hospital departments. For ischemic strokes (related in general to an occlusion of a cerebral artery by a blood clot, they account for 80 to 85% of stroke cases), only 52% of patients were treated in neuro-vascular units (UNV), the most suitable service for these cases. A low standard of living is associated with a lower chance of being cared for, minus 10% compared to the better-off. Moreover, these chances decrease with age: the number of these UNV beds being limited, they would be reserved primarily for the youngest patients.
There are several sequelae that can occur following a stroke, the most common of which are paralysis and language disorders. Here too, the 25% of the most modest people have a 22% increased risk of paralysis that persists beyond 24 hours, and 11% for language disorders.
In 2019, some 123,000 people were hospitalized for a stroke. More than a quarter of these patients (27%) die within a year, 23% for ischemic strokes and up to 41% for hemorrhagic strokes (usually caused by a rupture of small arteries causing blood to enter the brain).
Even there, according to Drees, “it appears that a high standard of living is associated with an 11% decrease in the risk of death at one year”.
