{"title":"Impact of race and socioeconomic deprivation on clinical outcomes and healthcare utilization in pediatric multiple sclerosis.","authors":"Kelsey E Poisson, Stacey S Cofield, Jayne M Ness","doi":"10.1177/20552173241274586","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Health disparities in adult-onset multiple sclerosis have been identified in the Black/African American (AA) population. A higher relapse rate has been suggested in Black/AA patients with pediatric-onset MS (POMS), but little work explores healthcare utilization and social determinants of health (SDOH).</p><p><strong>Objective: </strong>To evaluate racial, ethnic, and socioeconomic disparities in POMS outcomes.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>Retrospective chart review identified 31 eligible patients diagnosed with POMS at Children's of Alabama between 2013 and 2023. Demographics, outcomes, and healthcare utilization over 2 years from diagnosis were collected. Patient addresses were connected to SDOH measures from the US Census. Bivariate analysis was performed using Fisher's Exact Test, Wilcoxin Test, and 2-sided t-test.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Black/AA children had a higher Expanded Disability Status Scale (EDSS) at first presentation (p = 0.0276) and were more likely to initiate fingolimod vs. glatiramer acetate (p = 0.0464). Living further from Children's of Alabama was associated with a higher most recent EDSS (p = 0.0301) and fewer neurology appointments (p = 0.0167). Families living in more socioeconomically deprived census tracts had significantly more hospital admissions.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>Black/AA POMS patients had a more severe initial presentation and were started on higher efficacy medication. We identified disparities in EDSS and healthcare utilization based on SDOH data linked to a child's home address.</p>","PeriodicalId":18961,"journal":{"name":"Multiple Sclerosis Journal - Experimental, Translational and Clinical","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":2.5000,"publicationDate":"2024-08-26","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11348346/pdf/","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Multiple Sclerosis Journal - Experimental, Translational and Clinical","FirstCategoryId":"1085","ListUrlMain":"https://doi.org/10.1177/20552173241274586","RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":null,"ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"2024/7/1 0:00:00","PubModel":"eCollection","JCR":"Q2","JCRName":"CLINICAL NEUROLOGY","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0
Abstract
Background: Health disparities in adult-onset multiple sclerosis have been identified in the Black/African American (AA) population. A higher relapse rate has been suggested in Black/AA patients with pediatric-onset MS (POMS), but little work explores healthcare utilization and social determinants of health (SDOH).
Objective: To evaluate racial, ethnic, and socioeconomic disparities in POMS outcomes.
Methods: Retrospective chart review identified 31 eligible patients diagnosed with POMS at Children's of Alabama between 2013 and 2023. Demographics, outcomes, and healthcare utilization over 2 years from diagnosis were collected. Patient addresses were connected to SDOH measures from the US Census. Bivariate analysis was performed using Fisher's Exact Test, Wilcoxin Test, and 2-sided t-test.
Results: Black/AA children had a higher Expanded Disability Status Scale (EDSS) at first presentation (p = 0.0276) and were more likely to initiate fingolimod vs. glatiramer acetate (p = 0.0464). Living further from Children's of Alabama was associated with a higher most recent EDSS (p = 0.0301) and fewer neurology appointments (p = 0.0167). Families living in more socioeconomically deprived census tracts had significantly more hospital admissions.
Conclusion: Black/AA POMS patients had a more severe initial presentation and were started on higher efficacy medication. We identified disparities in EDSS and healthcare utilization based on SDOH data linked to a child's home address.