Is access to specialist assessment of chest pain equitable by age, gender, ethnicity and socioeconomic status? An enhanced ecological analysis

European Society of Cardiology: cardiovascular disease statistics 2021

AIMS

This report from the European Society of Cardiology (ESC) Atlas Project updates and expands upon the widely cited 2019 report in presenting cardiovascular disease (CVD) statistics for the 57 ESC member countries.

METHODS AND RESULTS

Statistics pertaining to 2019, or the latest available year, are presented. Data sources include the World Health Organization, the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation, the World Bank, and novel ESC sponsored data on human and capital infrastructure and cardiovascular healthcare delivery. New material in this report includes sociodemographic and environmental determinants of CVD, rheumatic heart disease, out-of-hospital cardiac arrest, left-sided valvular heart disease, the advocacy potential of these CVD statistics, and progress towards World Health Organization (WHO) 2025 targets for non-communicable diseases. Salient observations in this report: (i) Females born in ESC member countries in 2018 are expected to live 80.8 years and males 74.8 years. Life expectancy is longer in high income (81.6 years) compared with middle-income (74.2 years) countries. (ii) In 2018, high-income countries spent, on average, four times more on healthcare than middle-income countries. (iii) The median PM2.5 concentrations in 2019 were over twice as high in middle-income ESC member countries compared with high-income countries and exceeded the EU air quality standard in 14 countries, all middle-income. (iv) In 2016, more than one in five adults across the ESC member countries were obese with similar prevalence in high and low-income countries. The prevalence of obesity has more than doubled over the past 35 years. (v) The burden of CVD falls hardest on middle-income ESC member countries where estimated incidence rates are ∼30% higher compared with high-income countries. This is reflected in disability-adjusted life years due to CVD which are nearly four times as high in middle-income compared with high-income countries. (vi) The incidence of calcific aortic valve disease has increased seven-fold during the last 30 years, with age-standardized rates four times as high in high-income compared with middle-income countries. (vii) Although the total number of CVD deaths across all countries far exceeds the number of cancer deaths for both sexes, there are 15 ESC member countries in which cancer accounts for more deaths than CVD in males and five-member countries in which cancer accounts for more deaths than CVD in females. (viii) The under-resourced status of middle-income countries is associated with a severe procedural deficit compared with high-income countries in terms of coronary intervention, ablation procedures, device implantation, and cardiac surgical procedures.

CONCLUSION

Risk factors and unhealthy behaviours are potentially reversible, and this provides a huge opportunity to address the health inequalities across ESC member countries that are highlighted in this report. It seems clear, however, that efforts to seize this opportunity are falling short and present evidence suggests that most of the WHO NCD targets for 2025 are unlikely to be met across ESC member countries.

Impact of a community-based cardiovascular disease service intervention in a highly deprived area

Objective

To examine the effects on emergency hospital admissions, length of stay and emergency re-admissions of providing a consultant-led, community-based cardiovascular diagnostic, treatment and rehabilitation service, based in a highly deprived area in the North West of England.

Methods

A longitudinal matched controlled study using difference-in-differences analysis compared the change in outcomes in the intervention population, to the change in outcomes in a matched comparison population that had not received the intervention, 5 years before and after implementation. The outcomes were emergency hospitalisations, length of inpatient stay and re-admission rates for cardiovascular disease (CVD).

Results

Findings show that the intervention was associated with 66 fewer emergency CVD admissions per 100 000 population per year (95% CI 22.13 to 108.98) in the post-intervention period, relative to the control group. No significant measurable effects on length of stay or emergency re-admission rates were observed.

Conclusion

This consultant-led, community-based cardiovascular diagnostic, treatment and rehabilitation service was associated with a lower rate of emergency hospital admissions in a highly disadvantaged population. Similar approaches could be an effective component of strategies to reduce unplanned hospital admissions.

Electrophysiological properties of the South Asian heart

OBJECTIVE

The South Asian population has a lower burden of arrhythmia compared with Caucasians despite a higher prevalence of traditional cardiovascular risk factors. We aimed to determine whether this was due to differences in the electrophysiological properties of the South Asian heart.

METHODS

We performed a retrospective cohort study of South Asian and Caucasian patients who underwent an electrophysiology study for supraventricular tachycardia between 2005 and 2017. Surface ECG, intracardiac ECG and intracardiac conduction intervals were measured and a comparison between the two ethnic cohorts was performed.

RESULTS

A total of 5908 patients underwent an electrophysiology study at the Yorkshire Heart Centre, UK, during the study period. Of these 262 were South Asian and 113 met the eligibility criteria. South Asians had a significantly higher resting heart rate (p=0.024), shorter QRS duration (p=0.012) and a shorter atrioventricular (AV; p=0.001)) and ventriculoatrial (VA; p=0.013) effective refractory period (ERP). There was no difference in atrial or ventricular ERP. On linear regression analysis, South Asian ethnicity was independently predictive of a higher resting heart rate, narrower QRS and shorter AV-ERP and VA-ERP.

CONCLUSIONS

South Asians have significant differences in their resting heart rate, QRS duration and AV nodal function compared with Caucasians. These differences may reflect variations in autonomic function and may also be influenced by genetic factors. Electrophysiological differences such as these may help to explain why South Asians have a lower burden of arrhythmia.

Evidence for reduced susceptibility to cardiac bradycardias in South Asians compared with Caucasians

Objectives

To investigate ethnic differences in susceptibility to bradycardias in South Asian and white European patients in the UK by determining rates of permanent pacemaker (PPM) implantation for sinus node dysfunction (SND) and atrioventricular block (AVB) in each ethnic group.

Methods

We carried out a retrospective cohort study into new PPM implantation during the period from 1 May 2006 to 31 March 2014, in patients of South Asian and Caucasian ethnicity resident in Leicestershire, UK. Numbers of individuals at risk in each ethnic group were derived from UK National Census data of 2011. Crude, and age-standardised incidence rates and risk ratios per 1000 population of PPM implantation were calculated for Caucasians and South Asians.

Results

During the study period, 4883 individuals from the Leicestershire population of 980 328 underwent PPM implantation, a cumulative implantation rate of 4.98/1000 population. The population cumulative PPM implantation rate for SND was 1.74/1000, AVB 2.83/1000 and other indications 0.38/1000 population. The crude incidence in Caucasians (6.15/1000 population) was higher than in South Asians (1.07/1000 population) and remained higher after age standardisation (5.60/1000 vs 2.03/1000, P<0.001). The age-standardised cumulative PPM implantation rates were lower in South Asians for both SND (0.53/1000 in South Asians; 1.97/1000 in Caucasians, P<0.001) and AVB (1.30/1000 in South Asians; 3.17/1000 in Caucasians, P<0.001). Standardised risk ratios (95% CI) for PPM implantation in South Asians compared with Caucasians for all pacing indications, SND and AVB were 0.36 (95% CI 0.36 to 0.37), 0.27 (95% CI 0.27 to 0.28) and 0.41 (95% CI 0.41 to 0.42), respectively.

Conclusions

Rates of PPM implantation are lower in South Asians residing in the UK, compared with Caucasians. This observation raises the possibility of lower inherent susceptibility to bradycardias in South Asians compared with Caucasians. Studies aimed at identifying underlying mechanisms, including possible genetic differences, are warranted.

Equity of utilisation of cardiovascular care and mental health services in England: a cohort-based cross-sectional study using small-area estimation

Background

A strong policy emphasis on the need to reduce both health inequalities and unmet need in deprived areas has resulted in the substantial redistribution of English NHS funding towards deprived areas. This raises the question of whether or not socioeconomically disadvantaged people continue to be disadvantaged in their access to and utilisation of health care.

Objectives

To generate estimates of the prevalence of cardiovascular disease (CVD) and common mental health disorders (CMHDs) at a variety of scales, and to make these available for public use via Public Health England (PHE). To compare these estimates with utilisation of NHS services in England to establish whether inequalities of use relative to need at various stages on the health-care pathway are associated with particular sociodemographic or other factors.

Design

Cross-sectional analysis of practice-, primary care trust- and Clinical Commissioning Group-level variations in diagnosis, prescribing and specialist management of CVD and CMHDs relative to the estimated prevalence of those conditions (calculated using small-area estimation).

Results

The utilisation of CVD care appears more equitable than the utilisation of care for CMHDs. In contrast to the reviewed literature, we found little evidence of underutilisation of services by older populations. Indeed, younger populations appear to be less likely to access care for some CVD conditions. Nor did deprivation emerge as a consistent predictor of lower use relative to need for either CVD or CMHDs. Ethnicity is a consistent predictor of variations in use relative to need. Rates of primary management are lower than expected in areas with higher percentages of black populations for diabetes, stroke and CMHDs. Areas with higher Asian populations have higher-than-expected rates of diabetes presentation and prescribing and lower-than-expected rates of secondary care for diabetes. For both sets of conditions, there are pronounced geographical variations in use relative to need. For instance, the North East has relatively high levels of use of cardiac care services and rural (shire) areas have low levels of use relative to need. For CMHDs, there appears to be a pronounced ‘London effect’, with the number of people registered by general practitioners as having depression, or being prescribed antidepressants, being much lower in London than expected. A total of 24 CVD and 41 CMHD prevalence estimates have been provided to PHE and will be publicly available at a range of scales, from lower- and middle-layer super output areas through to Clinical Commissioning Groups and local authorities.

Conclusions

We found little evidence of socioeconomic inequality in use for CVD and CMHDs relative to underlying need, which suggests that the strong targeting of NHS resources to deprived areas may well have addressed longstanding concerns about unmet need. However, ethnicity has emerged as a significant predictor of inequality, and there are large and unexplained geographical variations in use relative to need for both conditions which undermine the principle of equal access to health care for equal needs. The persistence of ethnic variations and the role of systematic factors (such as rurality) in shaping patterns of utilisation deserve further investigation, as does the fact that the models were far better at explaining variation in use of CVD than mental health services.

Funding

The National Institute for Health Research Health Services and Delivery Research programme.

Association of increasing age with receipt of specialist care and long-term mortality in patients with non-ST elevation myocardial infarction

BACKGROUND

observational studies suggest that older patients are less likely to receive secondary prevention medicines following acute coronary syndrome (ACS).

OBJECTIVES

to examine the association of increasing age with receipt of specialist care and influence of specialist care on long-term mortality in patients with non-ST elevation myocardial infarction (NSTEMI).

DESIGN

a cohort study.

SETTING

National ACS registry of England and Wales.

SUBJECTS

a total of 85,183 patients admitted with NSTEMI between 2006 and 2010.

METHODS

logistic regression analyses to assess receipt of secondary prevention medicines (ACE inhibitor, β-blocker, statin, aspirin) by age group; multivariate Cox regression models to examine longitudinal effect of cardiologist care on all-cause mortality by age group.

RESULTS

mean age 72.0 years (SD 13.0 years), mean follow-up was 2.13 years. Older patients received less cardiologist care (70.2% of NSTEMI patients ≥85 years compared with 94.7% of patients <65) years and had more co-morbidity. Cardiologists prescribed more secondary prevention in all age groups than generalists, but this was mostly explained away by co-morbidity (receipt of statin crude OR 1.51 (1.27,1.80), fully adjusted OR 1.11 (0.92,1.33) in patients ≥85 years). Receiving cardiologist care compared with generalist care was associated with a decreased risk of death in all even after adjustment for co-morbidity, disease severity and secondary prevention; this benefit reduced incrementally with older age group (adjusted hazard ratio (HR) 0.58 (0.49,0.68) aged <65; 0.87 (0.82,0.92) aged ≥85).

CONCLUSION

older patients with NSTEMI were less likely to see a cardiologist, but reduced treatment by generalists was explained away by co-morbidity. Cardiologist care was associated with lower mortality in all age groups than a generalist, but this survival benefit was less pronounced in older patients.

Are there socioeconomic differences in outcomes of coronary revascularizations--a register-based cohort study

BACKGROUND

Earlier studies have reported socioeconomic differences in coronary heart disease incidence and mortality and in coronary treatment, but less is known about outcomes of care. We examined trends in income group differences in outcomes of coronary revascularizations among Finnish residents in 1998-2010.

METHODS

First revascularizations for 45-84-year-old Finns were extracted from the Hospital Discharge Register in 1998-2009 and followed until 31 December 2010. Income was individually linked to them and adjusted for family size. We examined the risk of major adverse cardiac events (MACEs), coronary mortality and re-revascularization. We calculated age-standardized rates with direct method and Cox regression models.

RESULTS

Altogether 69 076 men and 27 498 women underwent revascularization during the study period. Among men [women] in the 1998 cohort, 41% [35%] suffered MACE during 29 days after the operation and 30% [28%] in the 2009 cohort. Myocardial infarction mortality within 1 year was 2% among both genders in both cohorts. Among men [women] 9% [14%] underwent revascularization within 1 year after the operation in 1998 and 12% [12%] in 2009. Controlling for age, co-morbidities, year, previous infarction and disease severity, an inverse income gradient was found in MACE incidence within 29 days and in coronary mortality. The excess MACE risk was 1.39 and excess mortality risk over 1.70 among both genders in the lowest income quintile. All income group differences remained stable from 1998 to 2010.

CONCLUSIONS

In health care, more attention should be paid to prevention of adverse outcomes among persons with low socioeconomic position undergoing revascularization.

The impact of geographical distances to coronary angiography laboratories on the patient evaluation pathways in patients with suspected coronary artery disease. Results from a population-based study in Hungary

Introduction

Coronary artery disease (CAD) has been a leading cause of death in the western world for the last few decades, despite significant improvements in treatment and management. Diagnostic algorithms for the evaluation of patients with suspected CAD are based on available guidelines.

Aim

To evaluate the impact of geographical distances to coronary angiography laboratories on the patient evaluation pathways in patients with suspected CAD, from a population-based study in Hungary.

Material and methods

Depersonalised data of 29,202 patients identified by their pseudo-social security number were analysed. All patients underwent coronary angiography as an initial direct invasive investigation (DI) following an at least half-year-long stable period between 1 January 2004 and 31 December 2008.

Results

One hundred and thirty-five dominant primary cardiology centres (PCC) have been identified, from which 85 proved to have sample size more than 100 DIs in tertiary cardiology centres (TCC). The frequency of DIs showed a close correlation with PCC-TCC distances (r = –0.44, p < 0.001). A negative correlation could be demonstrated between the age of patients and PCC-TCC distances (r = –0.45, p < 0.001). Without significant change in the absolute mortality, the relative mortality increased with the increase in PCC-TCC distance (r = 0.25, p < 0.05).

Conclusions

The PCC-TCC distance has an important effect on patient pathways in subjects with suspected CAD.