The effects of race and socioeconomic status on immunomodulator and anti-tumor necrosis factor use among ambulatory patients with inflammatory bowel disease in the United States.

OBJECTIVES: Health-care disparities exist for patients of minority race and low socioeconomic status (SES) in many chronic disease states, but little is known regarding health-care disparities for patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). Using nationally representative data, we sought to determine whether use of immunomodulators and anti-tumor necrosis factor (TNF) agents differed by race/ethnicity and SES among ambulatory patients with IBD.

METHODS: We used data from the National Ambulatory Medical Care Survey and the National Hospital Ambulatory Medical Care Survey from 1998 to 2010. We identified visits associated with IBD and the medications associated with those visits. Race/ethnicity and SES were characterized. The frequency of immunomodulator and anti-TNF use over time was assessed. We performed analyses accounting for the survey's complex multistage probability sampling design. Associations between race/ethnicity, SES and IBD medication use were identified.

RESULTS: A total of 26,400,000 visits for patients with IBD occurred in the United States from 1998 to 2010. Seventy-six per cent of visits were for whites, 9% were for blacks, 7% were for Hispanics, and 2% were for Asians. Sixty-one per cent of visits were privately insured, whereas 7% had Medicaid coverage. From 1998 to 2010, the proportion of visits associated with immunomodulators increased from 6 to 13%, whereas the proportion associated with anti-TNF agents increased from <1 to 14%. In adjusted analyses, visits with Medicaid were three times more likely to be associated with immunomodulators than visits with private insurance, but there were no race/ethnicity-based differences in immunomodulator use. There were no race/ethnicity- or SES-based differences in anti-TNF therapy.

CONCLUSIONS: Using nationally representative data over a 13-year time period, we found no evidence of disparities in medical therapy for IBD among visits with minority race/ethnicity or low SES.