Assessing Racial and Ethnic Health Disparities in a Diverse Cohort with Pediatric Inflammatory Bowel Disease.

Abstract

Objective: To identify racial and ethnic disparities in disease phenotype, treatment, and outcome in an diverse cohort of children with pediatric inflammatory bowel disease (IBD).

Study design: Patients aged 7 through 18 with IBD diagnosed at a single institution between March 2020 and June 2021 with self- or parent-identified race and ethnicity of non-Hispanic (NH) Black, NH-White, or Hispanic were included. Demographics, Centers for Disease Control/Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry Social Vulnerability Index, Childhood Opportunity Index, disease phenotype, time to diagnosis, treatment, and healthcare utilization were compared between the racial and ethnic groups.

Results: Ninety-seven patients were included. 18.6% of the cohort self- or parent-identified as NH-Black, 53.6% as NH-White, and 27.8% as Hispanic. Ulcerative colitis was found to be significantly more common in Hispanic patients. Hispanic patients were also significantly more likely to be hospitalized at time of diagnosis and have more emergency department visits within 2 years of diagnosis compared with non-Hispanic White patients.

Conclusions: Race and ethnicity may affect the diagnosis and treatment of pediatric IBD, and these findings should serve as a foundation for establishing equitable care. Larger cohorts are needed to validate these findings.