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Abstract
Background and aims Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (SLE) is more common in minorities, who also tend to be more socially disadvantaged. Some studies have shown a disparity in access to care and medication prescribed in minorities and socially disadvantaged people with SLE. The purpose of this study was to examine the association between socioeconomic factors including gender, race, and median household income and medication prescribed in our SLE cohort.
Methods The study design was a retrospective cohort single centre study. A review of electronic medical record yielded 115 patients that were included in the cohort. General demographic information including age, gender, zip code and serological testing was obtained through chart review and recorded in the database. Supplemental socioeconomic information for each zip code in Southwest Virginia was obtained from the United States Government Census website. The data was analysed by Kruskal-Wallis Test, Mann-Whitney U Test using SAS9.3.
Results Among the 113 patients, there was no relationship between socioeconomic factors and medication prescribed. There was no statistical relationship between gender and medication prescribed. There was no statistical relationship between race and medications. More importantly, no statistical relationship exists between median household income and medications prescribed.
Conclusions There was no relationship between socioeconomic factors and the medications prescribed in SLE within our cohort. This may relate to treatment standardisation of SLE and the increasing awareness of the “treat to target” ethos in rheumatology. The limitations of this study include the small sample size and it’s restriction to a single centre.
