RA Treatment Preferences Differ By Race

Main Category: Arthritis / Rheumatology
Article Date: 03 Nov 2008 - 3:00 PST

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African Americans are more wary of the risks of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) treatment and whites are optimistic about their benefits, according to research funded in part by the Arthritis Foundation and presented this week at the American College of Rheumatology Annual Scientific Meeting in San Francisco.

Research shows that African Americans and white Americans differ in their healthcare utilization. However, the reasons behind this difference are not apparent. To help clarify this observation, scientists at Yale University in New Haven, Conn., asked people with RA to complete a computer survey to examine how they make trade-offs between specific risks and benefits of RA treatments. The respondents evaluated the following 10 attributes: chance of remission, symptom improvement, radiographic progression, route of administration, injection reaction, nausea, lung or liver injury, tuberculosis, neurological disease and theoretical risk of cancer.

The research team found that African American study participants were most influenced by the risk of cancer, whereas white participants were most influenced by the likelihood of remission and slowing of radiographic progression.

RA Treatment Preferences Differ By Race

"African American patients attach greater importance to the risks of toxicity and less importance to the likelihood of benefit than white patients," said Liana Fraenkel, MD, MPH, lead scientist and Arthritis Foundation grant recipient. "Effective risk communication and improved understanding of expected benefits may help decrease unwanted variability in the care of RA."

About the Arthritis Foundation

The Arthritis Foundation is the leading health organization addressing the needs of some 46 million Americans living with arthritis, the nation's most common cause of disability. Founded in 1948, with headquarters in Atlanta, the Arthritis Foundation has multiple service points located throughout the country.

The Arthritis Foundation is the largest private, not-for-profit contributor to arthritis research in the world, funding more than $400 million in research grants since 1948. Celebrating its 60th anniversary this year, the foundation helps individuals take control of arthritis by providing public health education; pursuing public policy and legislation; and conducting evidence-based programs to improve the quality of life for those living with arthritis.

Arthritis Foundation