To compare the processes of stroke care delivery, in-hospital mortality, and disability at discharge between immigrants and Colombians with ischemic stroke or transient ischemic attack at a tertiary center in Bogotá from January 1, 2020, to December 31, 2022.

• Colombia has welcomed millions of immigrants, especially from Venezuela. The  Venezuela-Colombia corridor was named one of the top 20 international migration country-to-country corridors. There’s a growing body of literature on stroke care and outcomes in immigrants who live in high-income countries. However, little is known about stroke care in immigrants who move to developing countries. 

• A retrospective cohort study, between January 1, 2020, and December 31, 2022, of adults seen in the emergency department, or hospitalized with ischemic stroke/transient ischemic attack, in a tertiary center of Bogota (with a standardized protocol for stroke management). Odds ratios were calculated to compare processes of stroke care delivery, in-hospital mortality, and disability at discharge between immigrants and Colombians.

•  621 patients with ischemic stroke or transient ischemic attack were included, of whom 67 (10.7%) were immigrants. 95.5% of immigrants came from Venezuela. Immigrants were younger than Colombians at the time of stroke/transient ischemic attack (median age 60 years vs 70 years; p <0.001). Coronary disease had a lower proportion in the migrant population (6.1% vs 14%; p= 0.059). We did not find significant differences in acute stroke management, disability at discharge, thrombolysis, and in-hospital mortality between immigrants and Colombians.

• We found significant differences only in the median age of presentation and the odds of coronary disease. The small sample size of migrants may have limited our ability to detect other key associations. This underscores the need for larger, more comprehensive studies, particularly in developing countries, to better understand migrant health outcomes and guide more targeted healthcare policies."