H420 BLOG #4

Gender Differences related to Stroke

Studies have found that gender makes a difference when it comes to having a stroke. Men have been found to be treated better than women for treatment for a stroke. One study found that women admitted to hospitals with symptoms of stroke were less likely to be given tissue plasminogen activator (tPA), which treats stroke, than compared to men. Women were 30% less likely to have tPA compared to men. Another study looked at people who arrived at the hospital within 3 hours of the start of their stroke symptoms (the critical time when tPA must be given) and found that men were still more likely to be given the clot buster than women. Women were found to be 19% less likely than men to receive tPA. Researchers believe that more research needs to be conducted in order to figure out what triggers this gender gap however, some experts do believe that one reason for this gap is that women put off getting medical attention when a stroke is suspected longer than men. Other experts believe that mental confusion among women is more common during stroke then men which may change the way emergency medical service personnel perceive the situation.

I was unaware of the gender differences related to stroke treatment before reading this article. I always figured that women and men received fair treatment regarding strokes. I found it interesting that there was a 30% difference among men and women when receiving tPA during stroke treatment. This difference to me seems like a fairly large gap which in return makes me very concerned. This article provides us with compelling evidence that this topic is important. With women receiving tPA 19% less than men within the first 3 hours of stroke treatment. The article reminds us that more research needs to be conducted in order to figure out exactly what triggers this gender gap. There were two reasons that the article talked about that could take part in this gap among women and men. The first one mentioned was that women put off getting medical attention longer during stroke then men. The other reason was the idea that women and mental confusion during stroke is more present during stroke then men. I definitely feel that this gender difference significantly impacts the publics health, especially women. By not providing women with the proper stroke treatment they are more prone to death due to stroke or other major complications than men are. I think it is important to address this issue so that physicians, emergency care personnel, and stroke victims are aware of this gender gap. Education is one strategy to address in order to decrease this gap. Educating health care professionals on women and men and how they react during strokes and which drugs to administer are all important factors. By doing this we can help eliminate this gender gap regarding strokes. After reading the article I felt like researchers only focused on the tPA gap between men and women. It would have been interesting to see if there were any other gender gaps relating to stroke between men and women. I would also like to look into whether or not more research has been done related to tPA and reasons why women are not receiving it during the right time or why they are not receiving it at all. Overall I found this article very interesting and informative.

H420 BLOG #3

Utah Blacks Face Significant Health Disparities

In Utah, Black residents have higher rates of:

1. Smoking



2. Uninsurance



3. Infant mortality

In Utah, the Black population is approximately 400,000 people. This is about 1.5% of Utah's overall population. Blacks smoke and lack health insurance at twice the rate of the entire state population as well as there being nearly 50% of Black women that do not receive adequate medical care. Black infants also have twice the risk of death as infants than do other races in this state.

I was aware of this problem before reading this article. In H420 we have talked about the various disparities that Blacks in the United States face on a day to day basis. The top three disparities among Blacks in Utah were listed above and are often ignored in today's society. There is sufficient evidence that shows that Blacks in Utah do have higher rates of smoking, uninsurance, and infant mortality rates. I believe that the reason for this is because of the way our society views the Black population. Blacks are also often living in poorer communities which in return leads to the three disparities that I have mentioned above.

The article did present us with some compelling evidence that this topic is important to address however, I don't feel like it presented ENOUGH information. The article talked about how Blacks smoke and lack health insurance at twice the rate of the entire state population in Utah. These are compelling numbers! The article also stated that nearly 50% of Black women in Utah do not receive adequate medical care. The question is WHY? This is most likely due to lack of medical coverage or inadequate services. Another piece of evidence that this article talked about was that Black infants have twice the risk of death as infants than do other races in this state. Could this be because of the inadequate care that Black women are receiving? The lack of health insurance?

I definitely believe that this problem is significantly impacting our nations health, especially those in the Black community. By not providing adequate care to those in need we as a country are slowly running ourselves into the ground. We should be able to provide care to all individuals no matter their race or socioeconomic status. By not providing adequate care to Black women we are seeing higher rates of infant mortality. I believe that this is a topic that should be addressed because it is important for people to understand and be aware of the disparities that go on in many of our lives.

The article discussed one strategy for addressing this problem which was focusing on how Utah was going to decrease infant mortality rates. The article talked about how state officials plan on targeting low-income and minority women with a program that promotes wellness before pregnancy. Utah's health department received a $1 million federal grant to fund the program. By taking action and doing this program Utah state hopes to decrease infant mortality rates as well as teach minority and lower income women the importance of wellness and nutrition. In return they are hoping it will reduce the number of infant mortality rates.

After reading this article I was a little disappointed. I felt that this article did not have enough information about the disparities that Blacks face in today's society. I believe that the article could have gone into a little more depth about the topic and that the article could have provided us with more statistics. However, I do think that it is important to acknowledge that this article was written in hopes that someone would read it and become more aware about this issue. That is great and I hope that after reading this blog you will go out and read more about health care disparities among the Black population.