Black children with eczema more likely to have asthma, finds research

Black children with atopic dermatitis are more likely to have asthma than non-Hispanic White children, but they are less likely to be evaluated by an allergist, according to a study presented at the annual meeting of the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology, held from Feb. 24 to 27 in San Antonio.

Ellen Daily, M.D., from Rush University Medical Center in Chicago, and colleagues explored real-world diagnosis patterns and factors associated with asthma risk in a large urban population of children aged 0 to 18 years diagnosed with atopic dermatitis. The risk for asthma diagnosis was examined in association with race, sex, age, body mass index (BMI), insurance, and area deprivation index (ADI).

The study population included 728 Black children and 246 non-Hispanic White children. The researchers found that Black children were significantly more likely than non-Hispanic White children to have an asthma diagnosis (31.2 versus 10.0 percent). This difference was impacted by three main variables: higher ADI, higher BMI, and older age at time of evaluation. Compared with non-Hispanic White children, Black children with asthma were less likely to see an allergist (46.7 versus 69 percent) and were more likely not to have prior inhalant allergy testing (odds ratio, 57.5).

“To minimize existing health care disparities, more research must be done to help us understand what factors underlie the observed differences in the diagnosis and management of atopic diseases, so that we can overcome existing barriers to providing equitable asthma care,” a co-author said in a statement.

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