The Effect of Health Care Disparities on Complications and Mortality in Sickle Cell Disease

Discussion:The data indicates that the rate of complications from SCD have risen since 1999. With newer therapies and better understanding, the life expectancy of SCD patients has risen over time, nearly doubling from 1951 to 2018. The increased frequency of complications may be attributed to better survivorship and a rising number of older SCDs patients. However, our data also suggests that insurance status plays a significant role in the complication rate of SCD. The uninsured and patients with Medicaid have significantly increased risk of developing disease complications and resultant mortality. This could be the result of reduced access to care and health disparities due to race, socioeconomic status and insurance status.DisclosuresNo relevant conflicts of interest to declare.

Source: Blood - November 21, 2018 Category: Hematology Authors: Perimbeti, S. P., Hou, K. Y., Ramanathan, S., Woodard, A., Kyung, D., Wang, Q., Crilley, P. A., Ward, K., Styler, M. Tags: 903. Outcomes Research-Non-Malignant Hematology Source Type: research