Black women face large gaps in stroke treatment

Black stroke patients, especially women, are less likely than white patients to receive a lifesaving clot-removal procedure and consistently experience poorer health outcomes. New research finds that racial, geographic and socioeconomic factors influence stroke treatment and outcomes across the United States, with disparities across all levels of stroke severity. “Addressing disparities in access to specialized stroke systems, particularly for underserved communities, will be critical to improving outcomes for all patients,” says Natália Vasconcellos, neurology resident at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital and primary author on one of the studies. “Our findings show that significant barriers remain.”