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Robers MV, Amezcua L. Current opinion: Racial and ethnic health disparities in multiple sclerosis: considering the social determinants of health. Curr Opin Neurol 2024; 37:245-251. [PMID: 38506756 DOI: 10.1097/wco.0000000000001264] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/21/2024]
Abstract
PURPOSE OF REVIEW We discuss racial and ethnic disparities in multiple sclerosis (MS), outcomes, and social determinants of health (SDoH). We also provide essential considerations needed to bridge the gap in inequalities, including broader representation of racial and ethnic people in clinical trials and research in general and the inclusion of better measures of living conditions. RECENT FINDINGS The incidence and prevalence of MS have become more diverse in the USA. There is increased recognition that racial and ethnic health disparities and inequities exist due to adverse social conditions. Clinical trials have failed to be inclusive and diverse. Training in health disparity is an essential priority of funding sources, and designing clinical trials that consider the barriers these populations face can close significant gaps. SUMMARY The incidence, prevalence, and awareness of MS have seen an incline in diverse racial and ethnic populations. Health disparities exist in MS with Black, Hispanic, and indigenous populations appearing to have worse outcomes. SDoH play a significant role in causing these health disparities. Accessibility to clinical trials and treatment are barriers these populations face. Strategic and earnest interventions considering SDoH are critically needed to develop solutions that collectively improve health and MS care for all.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael V Robers
- Department of Neurology, Barrow Neurological Institute, Phoenix, Arizona
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Dykes EM, Zaid GK, Ngorsuraches S, Meador W. Descriptive Analysis of Health Disparities Between Black and White People With Multiple Sclerosis in the Deep South. Int J MS Care 2024; 26:167-173. [PMID: 38966398 PMCID: PMC11223039 DOI: 10.7224/1537-2073.2023-084] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 07/06/2024]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Black people with multiple sclerosis (MS) have a worse disease course and higher rates of progression than White people with MS. Contributing factors to health disparities are understudied. METHODS Data were collected retrospectively from the electronic medical records of 500 people with MS treated between 2013 and 2022 at a university comprehensive MS center in a southern state. Multiple logistic regression analyses were used to determine the associations between 2 disability outcomes (ie, low vs high Expanded Disability Status Score [EDSS] and ambulatory assistance [AMB] requirements) and age, sex, body mass index (BMI), MS type, disease duration, hypertension status, diabetes status, smoking status, adjusted gross income, and health insurance type for Black people with MS and White people with MS. RESULTS Of the cohort, 39.2% identified as Black people with MS and the rest were White people with MS. Approximately 80% of White people with MS had relapsing MS (RMS) vs almost 90% of Black people with MS. Black people with MS were more likely to have a higher EDSS (OR 5.0, CI 3.0-8.4) and AMB (OR, 2.8; 95% CI, 1.6-4.8) than White people with MS. Among White people with MS, women (OR, 0.5; 95% CI, 0.3-0.9) and people with RMS (OR, 0.13; 95% CI 0.06-0.3) were less likely to have higher EDSS scores. Among Black people with MS, neither female sex nor RMS status was associated with a lower risk of having a higher EDSS (OR, 0.685; P = .43 and OR, 0.394; P = .29, respectively). CONCLUSIONS The disparity in disability outcomes between Black people with MS and White people with MS may be driven by more disabling courses for Black people with RMS and by female sex, though further study is needed to determine causes for this outcome.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elissa M. Dykes
- From the University of Alabama at Birmingham Heersink School of Medicine, Birmingham, AL
| | - Ghaida K. Zaid
- Department of Neurology, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL
| | | | - William Meador
- Department of Neurology, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL
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Rotstein DL, Freedman MS, Lee L, Marrie RA, Morrow SA, McCombe JA, Parks NE, Smyth P, Konig A, Vyas MV. Predicting time to serologic diagnosis of AQP4+ NMOSD based on clinical factors and social determinants of health. Mult Scler Relat Disord 2024; 83:105434. [PMID: 38242051 DOI: 10.1016/j.msard.2024.105434] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/03/2023] [Revised: 12/27/2023] [Accepted: 01/06/2024] [Indexed: 01/21/2024]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Early serologic diagnosis and initiation of targeted therapy are associated with better outcomes in aquaporin-4 IgG positive (AQP4+) neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder (NMOSD). OBJECTIVE To determine predictors of time to serologic diagnosis of AQP4+ NMOSD. METHODS In CANOPTICS, a multi-centre, Canadian cohort study of NMOSD, we retrospectively evaluated time from the first clinical attack to first positive AQP4-IgG serology. We used a multivariable negative binomial regression model to evaluate possible predictors of time to diagnosis. RESULTS We identified 129 participants with AQP4+ NMOSD from 7 centres. Diagnostic delay of >1 month was observed in 82 (63.6 %). Asian compared to European (White) ethnicity (IRR:0.40, 95 % CI:0.21-0.78), female sex (IRR:0.56, 95 % CI:0.32-0.99), later calendar year (IRR:0.84, 95 % CI:0.81-0.86), and hospitalization for the first attack (IRR:0.35, 95 % CI:0.20-0.62) were associated with shorter times to serologic diagnosis. We did not observe any overall effect of Afro-Caribbean ethnicity, but in exploratory analyses, Afro-Caribbean individuals with low income had longer times to diagnosis. CONCLUSION More than 60 % of patients with NMOSD experienced delays to AQP4-IgG serologic diagnosis in this cohort. Given evidence of more adverse long-term outcomes in Afro-Caribbean individuals with NMOSD, intersectional effects of ethnicity and social determinants of health merit further study.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dalia L Rotstein
- St. Michael's Hospital, 30 Bond St., Toronto, Ontario M5B 1W8, Canada; Department of Medicine, University of Toronto, 6 Queen's Park Crescent West, 3rd floor, Toronto, Ontario M5S 3H2, Canada.
| | - Mark S Freedman
- Department of Medicine, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada; Ottawa Hospital Research Institute, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
| | - Liesly Lee
- Department of Medicine, University of Toronto, 6 Queen's Park Crescent West, 3rd floor, Toronto, Ontario M5S 3H2, Canada; Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre, University of Toronto, 2075 Bayview Avenue, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Ruth Ann Marrie
- Departments of Medicine and Community Health Sciences, Max Rady College of Medicine, Rady Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
| | - Sarah A Morrow
- Western University, London, Ontario, Canada; London Health Sciences Centre, London, Ontario, Canada; University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada
| | | | | | | | - Andrea Konig
- St. Michael's Hospital, 30 Bond St., Toronto, Ontario M5B 1W8, Canada
| | - Manav V Vyas
- St. Michael's Hospital, 30 Bond St., Toronto, Ontario M5B 1W8, Canada; Department of Medicine, University of Toronto, 6 Queen's Park Crescent West, 3rd floor, Toronto, Ontario M5S 3H2, Canada
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