October 2024

RHEUMATOLOGY

SOCIAL DETERMINANTS OF HEALTH AND DISPARITIES IN LUPUS NEPHRITIS OUTCOMES

Rosalind Ramsey-Goldman, MD, contributed to a study which investigated the influence of social determinants of health (SDoH) on the outcomes of lupus nephritis (LN), a complication of systemic lupus erythematosus. LN disproportionately affects young women, particularly those from minority racial and ethnic backgrounds. Disparities in LN incidence, treatment and outcomes have been well-documented, but the underlying causes remain poorly understood.

The primary objective of the study was to estimate the pooled odds of poor LN outcomes in patients with adverse SDoH compared to those without adverse SDoH. In the analysis, poor LN included mortality, cardiovascular disease and end-stage kidney disease.

The secondary objective was to examine the odds of poor LN outcomes within specific SDoH domains, such as individual, healthcare, community and health behaviors. The pooled odds of poor outcomes were calculated using a random effects model.
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The study aimed to develop a framework that sheds light on the multidimensional impact of SDoH on LN outcomes. This involved analyzing the observed combined pooled odds of poor outcomes in subsets of patients with two or more adverse SDoH and comparing them to the expected additive and multiplicative pooled odds.
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Read the full study to discover the results>
Rosalind Ramsey-Goldman, MD, the Gallagher Research Professor of Rheumatology at Northwestern Medicine

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