Among children with one or more ambulatory visit for eczema, non-Hispanic blacks have more visits, Rxs
THURSDAY, Oct. 12, 2017 (HealthDay News) — Non-Hispanic black children have lower health care utilization for eczema, according to a study published online Sept. 27 in the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology.
Using data from the two-year cohorts of the 2001 to 2013 Medical Expenditure Panel Surveys, Alexander H. Fischer, M.D., M.P.H., from the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine in Baltimore, and colleagues performed a cohort study involving 2,043 non-Hispanic white (reference), non-Hispanic black, and Hispanic white individuals aged under 18 years with caregiver reported eczema. The authors assessed health care utilization over a two-year follow-up period by race/ethnicity.
The researchers found that the likelihood of reporting an ambulatory visit for eczema was lower for non-Hispanic blacks than whites (adjusted odds ratio, 0.69) among all children with eczema. Among those with one or more ambulatory visit for eczema, more visits and prescriptions were reported by non-Hispanic blacks than whites (adjusted incidence ratio, 1.68 and 1.22, respectively); they were also more likely to report a dermatology visit for eczema (adjusted odds ratio, 1.82).
“Our findings suggest disparities in health care utilization for eczema among non-Hispanic black children despite utilization patterns suggestive of more severe disease,” the authors write.
Two authors disclosed financial ties to the pharmaceutical industry.
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