Ethnic and Racial Differences in Autoimmune Liver Diseases

Purpose of the review

To discuss the ethnic and racial disparities observed in patients with autoimmune liver diseases, with special focus on epidemiology, patterns of inheritance, clinical presentation, and outcomes.

Recent findings

Black, Hispanics, and Asians with autoimmune hepatitis appear to have more aggressive clinical features, poorer initial response to standard therapy, and higher rates of complications including hepatocellular carcinoma, with worse survival than their White counterparts. African American and Hispanic patients with primary biliary cholangitis have more advanced disease at presentation and Hispanics appear to have lower rates of biochemical response to UDCA compared to non-Hispanics. African American patients with PSC are significantly younger at presentation and appear to have more aggressive liver disease when compared to European Americans.

Summary

The clinical presentation and outcomes of autoimmune liver diseases vary by ethnicity and race, with significant disparities reported in recent years. The goal of this review is to make clinicians aware of these differences to facilitate diagnosis and management of autoimmune liver diseases and eventually improve outcomes across various races and ethnicities.

     

Sex Differences in the Management of Advanced Heart Failure

Purpose of review

Heart failure (HF) is prevalent among women and remains a leading cause of morbidity and mortality in the United States. Currently, 3 million women live with HF and the prevalence is projected to continue to increase. The purpose of this review is to highlight sex differences in the use and response to evidence-based pharmacological, device, and advanced HF therapies, as well as explore emerging areas of research in sex differences in the treatment of HF.

Recent findings

Under-representation of women in clinical HF trials has limited our understanding of sex-related differences in the treatment and outcomes of HF.

Summary

Important sex differences exist in the use of evidence-based HF therapies and clinical response among women with HF. In general, women tend to obtain the same clinical benefit from evidence-based HF drug and device therapies, but the utilization rates of guideline-directed medical therapies remain poor compared to men. Future research efforts should focus on increasing the enrollment of women in HF trials to help gain helpful insight into sex-specific differences in treatment effects and subsequent clinical outcomes.

     

Racial and Ethnic Differences in the Management of Childhood Asthma in the United States

Objectives. We examined racial and ethnic differences in the management of childhood asthma in the United States and the extent that care conformed to clinical best practices. Methods. Two years of pooled data from the National Health Interview Survey were analyzed using logistic regression. The sample included all children between ages 2 and 17 years who had asthma currently and had been diagnosed with asthma by a doctor or health professional (n = 1757; 465 African-American, 212 Mexican-American, 190 Puerto Rican and other Hispanic, 806 white, non-Hispanic, and 84 children of other and multiple races and ethnicities). Results. African-American children with asthma were significantly less likely than white, non-Hispanic children to have taken preventive asthma medication, but more likely to have had an asthma management plan. Mexican-American and Puerto Rican and other Hispanic children did not differ significantly from white, non-Hispanic children in either receiving preventive asthma medication or having an asthma management plan. Caregivers of African-American and Puerto Rican and other Hispanic children were more likely to report that they or their child had taken a course or class on how to manage their child’s asthma. We did not find racial or ethnic differences in the extent children used quick-relief asthma medication or received advice about reducing asthma triggers in their home, school, or work environments. Conclusions. This work highlights a need for more research on racial and ethnic differences in asthma management. Implications for public health responses and racial and ethnic disparities in asthma morbidity are discussed.     

Sex-Specific Differences in Heart Failure: Pathophysiology,Risk Factors,Management, and Outcomes

Heart failure (HF) is a leading cause of hospitalisation, morbidity, and mortality in Canada. There are sex-specific differences in the etiology, epidemiology, comorbidities, treatment response, and treatment adverse effects that have implications on outcomes in HF. Sex-specific analyses of some HF trials indicate that optimal doses of drug therapies and benefit of device therapies may differ between male and female patients, but the trials were not designed to test sex differences. The under-representation of female participants in HF randomised controlled trials (RCTs) is a major limitation in assessing the sex-specific efficacy and safety of treatments. To ensure that female patients receive safe and effective HF therapies, RCTs should include participants proportionate to the sex-specific distribution of disease. This review outlines the sex-specific differences in HF phenotype and treatment response, and highlights disparities in services and gaps in knowledge that merit further investigation.     

Racial and Ethnic Differences in Preferences for End-of-Life Treatment

BACKGROUND  Studies using local samples suggest that racial minorities anticipate a greater preference for life-sustaining treatment when faced with a terminal illness. These studies are limited by size, representation, and insufficient exploration of sociocultural covariables. OBJECTIVE  To explore racial and ethnic differences in concerns and preferences for medical treatment at the end of life in a national sample, adjusting for sociocultural covariables. DESIGN  Dual-language (English/Spanish), mixed-mode (telephone/mail) survey. PARTICIPANTS  A total of 2,847 of 4,610 eligible community-dwelling Medicare beneficiaries age 65 or older on July 1, 2003 (62% response). MEASUREMENTS  Demographics, education, financial strain, health status, social networks, perceptions of health-care access, quality, and the effectiveness of mechanical ventilation (MV), and concerns and preferences for medical care in the event the respondent had a serious illness and less than 1 year to live. RESULTS  Respondents included 85% non-Hispanic whites, 4.6% Hispanics, 6.3% blacks, and 4.2% “other” race/ethnicity. More blacks (18%) and Hispanics (15%) than whites (8%) want to die in the hospital; more blacks (28%) and Hispanics (21.2%) than whites (15%) want life-prolonging drugs that make them feel worse all the time; fewer blacks (49%) and Hispanics (57%) than whites (74%) want potentially life-shortening palliative drugs, and more blacks (24%, 36%) and Hispanics (22%, 29%) than whites (13%, 21%) want MV for life extension of 1 week or 1 month, respectively. In multivariable analyses, sociodemographic variables, preference for specialists, and an overly optimistic belief in the effectiveness of MV explained some of the greater preferences for life-sustaining drugs and mechanical ventilation among non-whites. Black race remained an independent predictor of concern about receiving too much treatment [adjusted OR = 2.0 (1.5–2.7)], preference for dying in a hospital [AOR = 2.3 (1.6–3.2)], receiving life-prolonging drugs [1.9 (1.4–2.6)], MV for 1 week [2.3 (1.6–3.3)] or 1 month’s [2.1 (1.6–2.9)] life extension, and a preference not to take potentially life-shortening palliative drugs [0.4 (0.3–0.5)]. Hispanic ethnicity remained an independent predictor of preference for dying in the hospital [2.2 (1.3–4.0)] and against potentially life-shortening palliative drugs [0.5 (0.3–0.7)]. CONCLUSIONS  Greater preference for intensive treatment near the end of life among minority elders is not explained fully by confounding sociocultural variables. Still, most Medicare beneficiaries in all race/ethnic groups prefer not to die in the hospital, to receive life-prolonging drugs that make them feel worse all the time, or to receive MV. Electronic supplementary material  The online version of this article (doi:) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users. Source of support: Funding was provided by the National Institute on Aging (NIA) grant P01 AG19783 and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation 050488. Dr. Barnato was supported by NIA career-development grant K08 AG021921.     

Sex Differences in Heart Failure

Heart failure (HF) continues to be a major contributor of morbidity and mortality for men and women alike, yet how the predisposition for, course and management of HF differ between men and women remains underexplored. Sex differences in traditional risk factors as well as sex-specific risk factors influence the prevalence and manifestation of HF in unique ways. The pathophysiology of HF differs between men and women and may explain sex-specific differences in clinical presentation and diagnosis. This in turn, contributes to variation in response to both pharmacologic and device/surgical therapy. This review examines sex-specific differences in HF spanning prevalence, risk factors, pathophysiology, presentation, and therapies with a specific focus on highlighting gaps in knowledge with calls to action for future research efforts.     

窦性心率震荡对心力衰竭预后的评价

目的探讨窦性心率振荡（HRT）在心力衰竭预后中的预测价值。方法选择41例充血性心力衰竭（CHF）者和正常组进行24h动态心电图（DCG）监测和心脏超声检查,对左室射血分数（LVEF）、左室舒张末期内径（LVDD）、HRT、心率变异性（HRV）、Q-T间期离散度（QTd）进行对比,评估HRT对CHF预后的预测价值。结果死亡组与CHF无恶化组比TO明显增高（-0.02±1.15,-1.24±2.0;P〈0.05）、TS明显降低（1.22±0.92,3.81±1.62;P〈0.05）。发生室性心动过速/心室颤动组和未发生组TO、TS无统计学差异。在HRT、LVEF和HRV指标相关性分析中,TS与LVEF有相关性（P〈0.05）,与SDNN、HF呈显著相关性（P〈0.01）。单变量Cox回归分析结果显示TO和TS相结合、LVEF、TS、TO四个指标对CHF死亡的预测有显著的意义（P〈0.05）,多变量Cox回归分析结果显示TO和TS相结合对CHF死亡的预测有最显著的意义（P〈0.01）。结论在CHF者中,TS不仅对CHF死亡有预测价值,对CHF恶化也有预测能力。作为CHF预测指标,TO和TS相结合的预测价值远远高于LVEF,但对严重室性心律失常发生无预测价值。     

Racial/Ethnic Differences in Emergency Department Utilization and Experience

BackgroundPrevious work has demonstrated racial/ethnic differences in emergency department (ED) utilization, but less is known about racial/ethnic differences in the experience of care received during an ED visit.ObjectiveTo examine differences in self-reported healthcare utilization and experiences with ED care by patients’ race/ethnicity.DesignAdult ED patients discharged to community (DTC) were surveyed (response rate: 20.25%) using the Emergency Department Patient Experience of Care (EDPEC) DTC Survey. Linear regression was used to estimate case-mix-adjusted differences in patient experience between racial/ethnic groups.Participants3122 survey respondents who were discharged from the EDs of 50 hospitals nationwide January–March 2016.Main MeasuresSix measures: getting timely care, doctor and nurse communication, communication about medications, receipt of sufficient information about test results, whether hospital staff discussed the patient’s ability to receive follow-up care, and willingness to recommend the ED.Key ResultsBlack and Hispanic patients were significantly more likely than White patients to report visiting the ED for an ongoing health condition (40% Black, 30% Hispanic, 28% White, p<0.001), report having visited an ED 3+ times in the last 6 months (26% Black, 25% Hispanic, 19% White, p<0.001), and report not having a usual source of care (19% Black, 19% Hispanic, 8% White, p<0.001). Compared with White patients, Hispanic patients more often reported that hospital staff talked with them about their ability to receive needed follow-up care (+7.2 percentile points, p=0.038) and recommended the ED (+7.2 points, p=0.037); Hispanic and Black patients reported better doctor and nurse communication (+6.4 points, p=0.008; +4 points, p=0.036, respectively).ConclusionsHispanic and Black ED patients reported higher ED utilization, lacked a usual source of care, and reported better experience with ED care than White patients. Results may reflect differences in care delivery by staff and/or different expectations of ED care among Hispanic and Black patients.Supplementary InformationThe online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s11606-021-06738-0.KEY WORDS: emergency department, patient experience, utilization, race, communication