Intersectionality of inequalities in revascularization and outcomes for acute coronary syndrome in England: nationwide linked cohort study

Background Inequalities in access to care for women, people of non-white ethnicity, who live in areas of social deprivation, and with multiple long-term conditions lead to inequity of outcomes. We investigated the intersectionality of these causes of health inequality on coronary revascularization and clinical outcomes for admissions with acute coronary syndrome (ACS). Methods and results We included hospital admissions in England for types of ACS from April 2015 to April 2018 and linked Hospital Episode Statistics to the Office for National Statistics mortality data. The primary outcome was time to all-cause mortality. Time-to-event analyses examined the associations of sex, ethnicity, and socioeconomic deprivation with revascularization. Of 428 700 admissions with ACS, 212 015 (48.8%) received revascularization within 30 days. Women, black ethnicity, multimorbid, and frail patients were less likely to undergo revascularization. South Asian ethnicities had higher [hazard ratio (HR) = 1.15, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.14–1.17] revascularization rates and comparable risk-adjusted survival but higher re-admission rates when compared to other ethnic groups. Women had higher 1-year all-cause [25.5% vs. 14.7%—ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI); 24.9% vs. 18.7%—non-ST-elevation myocardial infarction (NSTEMI)] and cardiovascular (22.6% vs. 13.2%—STEMI; 20.3% vs. 15.6%—NSTEMI) mortality than men. After adjusting for confounders, women had a lower all-cause mortality when compared to men. Discussion Outcomes attributed to women and people of South Asian ethnicity may be attributable to age, comorbidity and frailty at presentation. Black ethnicity, geography, and social deprivation may be sources of inequality. These findings highlight the unmet need and may provide potential targets for interventions that address inequalities.