Racial and Gender Discrimination when Tailoring Medical Management to Hypertension Treatment in Latin America.

Abstract

Discrimination in cardiovascular healthcare, particularly concerning hypertension treatment, is a significant and complex issue in Latin America, driven by biases related to gender, ethnicity, and economic status. Although cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the leading cause of death worldwide, disparities in healthcare delivery endure, especially impacting marginalized populations. Women, ethnic minorities, and economically disadvantaged groups encounter considerable barriers, including underrepresentation in clinical research, delayed diagnoses, and unequal access to guideline-recommended treatments. Economic disparities maintain a divided healthcare system in which the quality of treatment often directly correlates with socioeconomic status, reinforcing inequities and adversely affecting health outcomes in lower-income communities. Ethnic discrimination, stemming from deeply ingrained social biases, leads to inadequate care and limited access to advanced medical technologies, disproportionately impacting indigenous and Afro-descendant populations. Addressing these systemic inequities requires comprehensive strategies that ensure equitable participation in clinical trials, develop tailored public health policies sensitive to socioeconomic and cultural contexts, and implement targeted educational initiatives. Healthcare systems must actively dismantle entrenched biases, improve access for economically disadvantaged communities, and guarantee that ethnic minorities receive treatment of equal quality. The Inter-American Society of Hypertension emphasizes that removing these discriminatory barriers reduces the burden of cardiovascular disease and enhances overall health outcomes across Latin America. This document endorses consensus recommendations detailed in positions 1 through 4, which tackle specific challenges related to personalized care, racial biases in treatment algorithms, socioeconomic healthcare inequalities, and gender disparities in hypertension management.