Socioeconomics affects heart bypass outcome

By Abigail Mellier, May 7th, 2013 | Lifestyle | 0 Comments

People experiencing social deprivation are more likely to have problems after a heart bypass,
Although coronary artery bypass is known to help people at risk of heart attack, the outcome is variable. Researchers in Bristol, England, report on the study to show how social factors impact on heart bypass results in the national population,

The researchers looked at a group of 3,578 bypass patients, classifying them on a well-known scale of social deprivation. This showed that higher scores were linked to younger age, and more risk factors like obesity and smoking. The study revealed that those in the highest social deprivation group were more likely to have complications such as a further heart attack after the bypass. This was compared to the group having the lowest scores for sociial deprivation. The study underlines the important of socioeconomic status in health and suggests that narrowing the inequality gap is essential for improving the nation’s health.