For a study, researchers sought to evaluate the clinical aspects of African American (AA) and White individuals with ANCA-associated vasculitis (AAV).
It was a chart analysis of cases from January 2003 to December 2018. Based on the year of diagnosis (±4 years), African American patients with AAV were identified and matched in a 1:2 ratio with White comparators. At the presentation, data on demographics, clinical and laboratory aspects, and results were obtained. To compare the characteristics of the groups, descriptive statistics were utilized.
About 32 of the 56 AA patients with AAV had complete data and were included in the analysis. AA patients were younger (47.5 vs 61.0 years, P=0.001) when compared to 64 comparable White patients with AAV. AA patients with granulomatosis with polyangiitis (GPA) (35 vs 55 years, P=0.0006) and microscopic polyangiitis (MPA) (55.5 vs 65.0 years, P=0.05) were younger than White patients. African American patients with GPA were more likely to be female (P=0.008), but African American patients with MPA were more likely to be male (P=0.03). There were no changes in illness symptoms, disease activity, or prognosis between AA and White AAV individuals.
AA individuals with AAV were diagnosed at a younger age than Whites in this single-center investigation; this was observed in both the GPA and MPA disease phenotypes. There were no other significant differences found. Future research is required to corroborate the findings and thoroughly define AAV disparities among racial/ethnic minorities.
