Abstract 137: Neighborhood Income and 30-day Readmissions for Stroke and Transient Ischemic Attack

Abstract

Background: Residence in a socioeconomically challenged neighborhood is associated with increased stroke incidence and shorter post-stroke survival. Little is known about the relationship between socioeconomic status and 30-day post-stroke readmissions. We used a nationally representative readmission database that includes both insured and uninsured patients to determine whether there is a relationship between community-level income and 30-day readmissions after stroke and transient ischemic attack (TIA). Methods: Hospitalizations were identified in the 2013 Nationwide Readmissions Database for patients aged ≥18y with subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH; ICD-9 430), intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH; ICD-9 431), ischemic stroke (IS; ICD-9 433, 434, 436), and TIA (ICD-9 435). We used mixed logistic regression models with hospital-specific random effects to assess the relationship between community income level (measured according to the median household income quartile for a patient’s ZIP code) and 30-day readmissions. Models were stratified by age and adjusted for demographic and clinical characteristics. Results: There were 7,061 hospitalizations for SAH, 17,325 for ICH, 212,306 for IS, and 67,606 for TIA. In unadjusted analyses, 30-day readmission rates decreased with increasing income quartile for younger patients hospitalized with IS and SAH (figure). In adjusted analyses, this association persisted only among those with IS aged 18-44y for whom each quartile increase in income was associated with a 7% decrease in 30-day readmission (figure). There were no significant associations between income and 30-day readmission for SAH, ICH, and TIA. Conclusions: Overall, community income was not associated with readmission for hemorrhagic stroke and TIA, but higher income was associated with lower 30-day readmission for younger IS patients. Possible explanatory factors such as better access to post-stroke care warrant further research for this subgroup.