Evidence for Age and Sex Differences in the Secondary Prevention of Stroke in Scottish Primary Care

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Abstract
Background and Purpose— Secondary preventive measures play an important role in the reduction of stroke, the third largest cause of death in Scotland. We investigated whether sex, age, or deprivation differences existed in the secondary prevention of stroke in primary care. Methods– A retrospective cross-sectional study using a computerized database with 61 practices (377 439 patients) to identify group differences in secondary preventive therapy between March 2003 and April 2004 for 10 076 patients with a diagnosis of any stroke. Results— Women with any stroke were more likely than men to be prescribed a thiazide (odds ratios [OR], 1.60; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.46 to 1.75) but less likely to be prescribed an angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor (OR, 0.73; 95% CI, 0.67 to 0.81). Women with ischemic stroke were less likely to receive either an antiplatelet or warfarin (OR, 0.84; 95% CI, 0.75 to 0.94) or statin therapy (OR, 0.82; 95% CI, 0.74 to 0.90) than men. Women with atrial fibrillation rece...