Hospital records for all new thoracic aortic disease diagnoses in England between April 2013 and March 2018 (33,793 patients with complete follow-up) were analysed for one-year all-cause death, early elective intervention, imaging surveillance and genetics referral. Older patients, women and people from deprived areas had higher one-year mortality, Asian and Black patients and those in deprived areas were less likely to receive early treatment, and deprived patients were less likely to be referred for genetic screening. Regional variation in treatment and surveillance persisted after adjustment for baseline differences.
Why it is interesting: Shows inequality at several points in one cardiovascular pathway, in treatment, surveillance and genetic referral, within a single national cohort.