Bridging the pulse: Exploring inequalities in diabetes and hypertension medication prescriptions in Spain’s immigrant and native communities

Abstract

Migrants often face barriers in accessing high quality healthcare, leading to unequal treatment. This research investigates the disparities in medication utilization for cardiovascular risk factors between immigrant and native-born populations in Spain. The study specifically examines differences in drug prescriptions for managing diabetes and hypertension, two key contributors to cardiovascular disease. We analyze administrative healthcare records to examine the probability of patients receiving prescriptions for antidiabetic and antihypertensive medications. Additionally, we assess the likelihood of patients undergoing tests to measure glycated hemoglobin levels and blood pressure, two crucial indicators for monitoring diabetes and hypertension management.The analysis is stratified across different levels of medical needs, by also controlling for individual socioeconomic status, physician diagnoses, biometric data and primary care centers fixed effects. The findings reveal that all immigrant groups have lower probabilities of being prescribed medications for diabetes and hypertension and this is especially true for people with higher levels of healthcare needs. These findings underscore the importance of addressing healthcare disparities to achieve more equitable outcomes for immigrant communities.