To compare patient reported outcomes in Blacks/African Americans with Whites participating in IBD Partners Kids & Teens, in order to identify possible racial health care disparities in pediatric inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) as future targets for improvement.
Cross-sectional analysis comparing patient reported outcomes in Black/African American with White patients, age 9-18 years, with IBD participating in the IBD Partners Kids & Teens cohort from 8/2013 to 4/2018. Secondary outcomes included number of IBD-related hospitalizations and surgeries, current medication use, and disease activity.
We included 401 patients with Crohn’s disease [White=378 (94%); Black/African American=23 (6%)]. For children with Crohn’s disease, Black/African American patients compared with White patients reported less anxiety (40.7 versus 47.5, P=0.001) and fatigue (44.3 versus 48.4, P = .047) despite more frequently reported treatment with biologics (91% versus 61%, P=0.006) and antibiotics (17% versus 5%, P=0.03) and history of hospitalizations (81% versus 52%, P=0.02).
Black/African American children with Crohn’s disease were less likely to report anxiety or fatigue than Whites, despite an apparent more severe disease course reflected by greater reported frequency of treatment with biologics and antibiotics and history of hospitalizations.

Copyright © 2020. Published by Elsevier Inc.

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