Researchers at St. Michael's Hospital suggest socioeconomic inequities may be preventing millions of people in the U.S. from getting standard medications to prevent heart attacks and strokes. Their research looked into the issue after U.S. guidelines were expanded to recommend that cholesterol-lowering statins may be used to prevent heart disease, and not just treat it, in individuals at high risk because of conditions such as obesity. The findings suggest about 18 million new American adults should take statins, two-thirds of whom are from disadvantaged background. They either had low education, low income or were non-white. The authors say those are the very groups who are the least likely to have health insurance and least likely to receive recommended medication.
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