Patients with allergic fungal rhinoinusitis (AFRS) are more likely to be Black and either have no
insurance or subsidized insurance, according to results of a systematic review published in Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery. Zachary Soler, MD, MSc, and colleagues conducted a meta-analysis of 21 articles (1,605 patients) on the link between social determinants of health, such as race and insurance status, and AFRS compared with chronic
rhinosinusitis (CRS). The proportion of Black patients with AFRS, chronic rhinosinusitis with
nasal polyps (CRSwNP), and chronic rhinosinusitis without nasal polyps (CRSsNP) was 58.0%,
23.8%, and 13.0%, respectively, which was significantly higher in AFRS versus CRSwNP
(P<0.0001) and CRSsNP (P<0.0001). The proportion of patients who were either uninsured or
covered by Medicaid among the AFRS, CRSwNP, and CRSsNP populations was 31.5%, 8.6%,
and 5.0%, respectively, which was also significantly higher in AFRS compared with CRSwNP (P<0.0001) and
CRSsNP (P<0.0001). “This study confirms that [patients with AFRS] are more
likely to be Black and either uninsured or on subsidized insurance than their CRS counterparts,”
Dr. Soler and colleagues wrote.
