Urban-rural inequalities in IV thrombolysis for acute ischemic stroke: A nationwide study.

ABSTRACT:

Introduction

Rural residency has been associated with lower reperfusion treatment rates for acute ischemic stroke in many countries. We aimed to explore urban-rural differences in IV thrombolysis rates in a small country with universal health care, and short transport times to stroke units.

Patients and methods

In this nationwide cohort study, adult ischemic stroke patients registered in the Danish Stroke Registry (DSR) between 2015 and 2020 were included. The exposure was defined by residence rurality. Data from the DSR, Statistics Denmark, and the Danish Health Data Authority, were linked on the individual level using the Civil Registration Number. Adjusted treatment rates were calculated by balancing baseline characteristics using inverse probability of treatment weights.

SUBMITTER: Buus SMO 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11418494 | biostudies-literature | 2024 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature