Social position and ethnic origin do not affect access to medical care in people with coronary heart disease

Abstract

QuestionDo people from different social and ethnic groups have the same access to appropriate medical care for coronary heart disease?Study designProspective cohort study.Main resultsCoronary heart disease was higher in people from low social position than people from high social position, and was higher in South Asians than Caucasians (data not shown). Although exercise electrocardiography, angiography and revascularisation were used more often by people with lower social status, adjusting for clinical need showed no association between the use of cardiac procedures and social status (see Results table 1). The use of cardiac procedures was higher for South Asians than Caucasians (see Results table 2), and South Asians were more likely to take secondary heart disease prevention drugs.Authors’ conclusionsSocial status and ethnicity do not affect access to medical care for people with coronary heart disease. The use of medical care reflects people's clinical needs and does not explain why people from low social position or with South Asian ethnicity have a high risk of coronary heart disease.