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Racism in Systemic Lupus Erythematosus
Comparing perceptions in African-American and white patients
Perceptions of racism in healthcare were more common in African-American (AA) patients than in white (WH) patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) and were associated with depression, according to a study of 163 AA and 180 WH patients with SLE. Researchers found:
• 56.0% of AA patients vs 32.8% of WH patients had high perceptions of racism in healthcare.
• The difference remained (OR=4.75) after adjusting for background, identity, and healthcare experiences.
• Female sex and lower trust in physicians were also associated with high perceived racism.
• Odds of having greater disease damage were higher in AA patients than WH patients, as were odds of having moderate to severe depression.
• When adjusted for sociodemographic and clinical disparities, racial disparities in disease damage and depression were no longer significant.
• Among AA patients, higher perceived racism was associated with moderate to severe depression, even after adjusting for sociodemographic and clinical variables.
Citation: Vina ER, Hausmann LR, Utset TO, Masi CM, Liang KP, Kwoh CK. Perceptions of racism in healthcare among patients with systemic lupus erythematosus: a cross-sectional study. Lupus Sci Med. 2015 Aug 20;2(1):e000110. doi: 10.1136/lupus-2015-000110.