Overview

• Findings released June 5 by University of Leicester researchers at the British Cardiovascular Society conference draw on nearly 155,000 GP records from 2000 to 2022 to assess aortic stenosis management in England.
• Women diagnosed with aortic stenosis were 11% less likely to be referred to specialist care and 39% less likely to undergo valve replacement than men.
• Patients in England’s most deprived areas experienced 7% lower referral rates and were 4% less likely to receive valve replacement procedures compared with those in the least deprived areas.
• Black patients were 48% less likely and south Asian patients 27% less likely to receive aortic valve replacement than white patients.
• Funded by the National Institute for Health and Care Research and supported by the British Heart Foundation, the study’s authors have called for further research into the root causes of these treatment disparities.