Key result
Living in medically vulnerable regions with outside diagnosis is linked to ~16% more hypertension complications.
Why the study?
Hypertension complications can be alleviated with medical services, but regional disparities in service provision may exist.
Does living in a medically vulnerable region and being diagnosed outside the residential area increase the risk of complications in patients with hypertension?
Cohort (n=246,490)
Does living in a medically vulnerable region and being diagnosed outside the residential area increase the risk of complications in patients with hypertension?
Regional healthcare disparities significantly impact clinical outcomes, as hypertensive patients living in medically vulnerable areas and seeking diagnosis outside their region face a higher risk of cardiovascular, cerebrovascular, and renal complications.
Answers are grounded in this paper and cite their sources.
Regional disparities may elevate hypertension complication risks; leaves open whether targeted interventions improve outcomes.
Objective: Complications associated with hypertension can be alleviated by providing necessary medical services. However, there may be disparities in their provision depending on regional differences. Thus, this study aimed to examine the effects of regional healthcare disparities on complications in patients with hypertension in South Korea. Methods: Data from the National Health Insurance Service National Sample Cohort (2004-2019) were analyzed. The position value for the relative composite index was used to identify medically vulnerable regions. The diagnosis of hypertension within the region was also considered. The risk of complications associated with hypertension included cardiovascular, cerebrovascular, and kidney diseases. Cox proportional hazards models were used for statistical analysis. Results: A total of 246,490 patients were included in this study. Patients who lived in medically vulnerable regions and were diagnosed outside their residential area had a higher risk of complications than those living in non-vulnerable regions and were diagnosed outside the residential area (hazard ratio: 1.156, 95% confidence interval: 1.119-1.195). Conclusion: Patients living in medically vulnerable regions who were diagnosed outside their residential areas were more likely to have hypertension complications regardless of the type of complication. Necessary policies should be implemented to reduce regional healthcare disparities.
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Yun et al. (2023) conducted a cohort in Hypertension (n=246,490). Living in a medically vulnerable region and diagnosed outside residential area vs. Living in a non-vulnerable region and diagnosed inside residential area was evaluated on Hypertension complications (cardiovascular, cerebrovascular, and kidney diseases) (HR 1.156, 95% CI 1.119-1.195, p=<0.0001). Living in a medically vulnerable region and being diagnosed outside the residential area significantly increased the risk of hypertension complications compared to living in a non-vulnerable region and being diagnosed locally (HR 1.156).
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