Lupus & antiphospholipid syndrome
Receipt of rheumatology care and lupus-specific labs among young adults with systemic lupus erythematosus: A US Medicare retention in care cohort study
Authors' conclusion
Disparities in care, measured by rheumatology visits and serology testing, exist by neighborhood disadvantage, race and ethnicity, and region among young adults with lupus, despite uniform Medicare coverage.
Study context
- Population
- Young adult Medicare beneficiaries (ages 18–35) with lupus-coded encounters, US
- Participants
- 1,036 beneficiaries
- Exposure
- Race and ethnicity, neighborhood disadvantage and geography
- Outcome
- Visit-based retention in lupus care (rheumatology visit in each 6-month period) and serology testing (≥1 complement or dsDNA antibody test within the year)
- Follow-up
- 1-year assessment period
Methodological detailsgeo-linked 20% national Medicare sample, multivariable logistic regression
- Geo-linked 20% national Medicare sample
- Multivariable logistic regression
Main finding
As reported in the abstract
1 year
- Saw a rheumatologist every 6 months
- 39%
- Had serology testing
- 28%
- Visit-based retention, White beneficiaries from least disadvantaged quintile vs other beneficiaries
- 64% vs 30%-60%
- Serology testing per increasing neighborhood disadvantage quintile, aOR
- 0.80 (0.71, 0.90) (95% CI)
- Serology testing in the Midwest, aOR
- 0.46 (0.30, 0.71) (95% CI)
Observational data: associations, not effects.
Original publication
Receipt of rheumatology care and lupus-specific labs among young adults with systemic lupus erythematosus: A US Medicare retention in care cohort study. Lupus. Published 17 April 2024. doi:10.
Composed by AI from the published abstract and checked against it. How Briefs are made →