Racial and Ethnic Disparities in Allergen Immunotherapy Prescription for Allergic Rhinitis

Abstract

Background: Racial and ethnic differences exist in the severity of various atopic diseases including allergic rhinitis (AR). Patients of under-represented races and ethnicities may be subjected to disparate subcutaneous allergen immunotherapy (SCIT) prescription practices. Objective: To explore the racial and ethnic disparities in the use of SCIT among patients with AR. Methods: In this retrospective matched cohort study, we used the TriNetX US Collaborative Network, a multicenter electronic health record–based database to identify patients with AR 18 years and older. Patients were grouped according to their racial and ethnic identification. Study groups were matched for baseline demographics, atopic comorbidities, heart diseases and utilization of β-blockers, and angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors. The proportion of patients of under-represented racial and ethnic groups started on SCIT was contrasted to the non-Hispanic White cohort. Results: We identified 1,038,000 patients with AR; the mean age (±standard deviation) at the index was 49.7 (±16.1) years, and 64.6% were female. Ethnicity information was available from 87.3% of patients, and the majority (92.3%) were non-Hispanic. Over a 3-year observation period, fewer Black patients (relative risk [RR], 0.40; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.33-0.48) and Hispanic patients (RR, 0.80; 95% CI, 0.64-0.99) were started on SCIT compared with non-Hispanic White patients. The proportions of Asian patients who were initiated on SCIT tended to be lower when compared with non-Hispanic White patients (RR, 0.69; 95% CI, 0.47-1.009). Conclusions: In the United States, differences in SCIT prescription exist between Black and Hispanic patients relative to White patients. Barriers to treatment should be explored and mitigated.