Disadvantaged people in the society are at an increased risk of suffering from stroke. According to the Lancet Global Health, globally, stroke is the second leading cause of death.
“Its influence on mortality differs between different country income categories, being the fourth leading cause of death in low-income countries, second in lower-middle-income and upper-middle-income countries, and third in high-income countries,” Lancet states in its research report, Stroke Fatality in Sub-Saharan Africa.
This is echoed by what a study by scientists from the American Heart Association established. According to this study, multiple social disadvantages known as social determinants of health (SDH) nearly triple the risk of stroke. This risk is more prevalent in people aged seventy five years and below.
“We found significant health disparities that have a profound impact on vulnerable populations. These disadvantages include having a low education, poor income, living in an impoverished neighbourhood or village, being black, and lacking health insurance,” said Dr. Evgeniya Reshetnyak who led the study. The team of researchers in this study examined health, racial, and geographical factors of 27,813 adults in the United States.
Everything you need to know about Hepatitis C liver inflammation
“People with a combination of three or more social determinants of health were nearly two and a half times more likely to have incident stroke. Black women were particularly more likely to have a greater risk of stroke due to their disproportionately higher number of social disadvantages,” the study said.
Also, people with health social determinants that were related to health were more likely to have underlying factors such as high blood pressure and Type 2 diabetes. According to Dr. Reshetnyak, these findings call for early health policies and interventions that target younger populations who are exposed to social health determinants.
“Stroke disparities can be significantly reduced through early interventions. This means that health care practitioners must pay special attention to patients from disadvantaged social backgrounds,” Dr. Reshetnyak said.
This study was published in the journal Stroke Journal Report. It was echoed by a study that was conducted by Kenyatta National Hospital and Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital in 2018. This local study found out that the high rate of stroke occurrence in Sub-Saharan Africa is due to poor health outcomes.
In the same vein, according to data from the World Stroke Organization, up to 17 million people suffer from cases of stroke annually in the world. A third of these patients die while another third are permanently disabled. In developing countries such as those in the Sub-Saharan region, stroke causes more deaths than HIV/Aids, malaria and tuberculosis.
