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Understanding racial disparities in the care of patients with irritable bowel syndrome: The need for a unified approach
Author(s) -
Sasegbon Ayodele,
Vasant Dipesh H.
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
neurogastroenterology and motility
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.489
H-Index - 105
eISSN - 1365-2982
pISSN - 1350-1925
DOI - 10.1111/nmo.14152
Subject(s) - irritable bowel syndrome , socioeconomic status , ethnic group , referral , medicine , health equity , quality of life (healthcare) , psychiatry , family medicine , environmental health , pathology , nursing , population , public health , political science , law
Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is a highly prevalent disorder of gut‐brain interaction, which significantly erodes the quality of life of those it affects. Recent studies have confirmed that its prevalence varies quite markedly between countries, implying that it is affected by cultural and socioeconomic factors. In an important study, Silvernale at al. have recently reported racial disparities including potential referral biases, with reduced opportunities to access specialist care and differing patterns of healthcare utilization affecting ethnic minority populations with IBS. Similar disparities have also been reported for other gastrointestinal disorders. In this paper, we, therefore, discuss the potential implications of such disparities and how they can impact clinical outcomes, and discuss ways in which this problem could be addressed, and highlighting areas for future research.