Hispanic stroke patients less likely to receive clot-busting drugs in

Hispanic stroke patients admitted to hospitals in the border states of California, Arizona, New Mexico and Texas were less likely than non-Hispanics in the same border states to receive clot-busting drugs and more likely to die, according to research presented at the American Stroke Association's International Stroke Conference 2014.

Researchers analyzed stroke care for Hispanic and non-Hispanic patients according to demographics and clinical characteristics in states bordering Mexico and states not on the Mexican border. They found:

• Of the nearly 35,000 Hispanic stroke patients, 21,130 were admitted in border states and 13,774 in non-border states.
• Only 4.8 percent of Hispanic patients in border state hospitals received clot-busting drugs compared to 5.7 percent of non-Hispanic patients in border state hospitals.
• Hispanic stroke patients were 30 percent more likely than non-Hispanics to die in border state hospitals.
• There was no notable difference in death rates between Hispanic and non-Hispanic stroke patients in non-border state hospitals. Researchers say more study is needed to determine why clot-busters are underutilized in Hispanics admitted in border states but not in other states.