FRIDAY, April 28, 2023 (HealthDay News) – Racial and ethnic disparities exist in the initiation of subcutaneous allergen immunotherapy (SCIT) among patients with allergic rhinitis (AR), according to a study recently published in the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology: In Practice.

Sunjay Modi, M.D., from the Penn State College of Medicine in Hershey, and colleagues explored the racial and ethnic disparities in the use of SCIT among patients with AR. The analysis included electronic health record data from 1.04 million U.S. adults with AR seen between Jan. 1, 2010, and Dec. 31, 2018.

The researchers found that during a three-year period, fewer Black patients (relative risk, 0.40; 95 percent confidence interval, 0.33 to 0.48) and Hispanic patients (relative risk, 0.80; 95 percent confidence interval, 0.64 to 0.99) were started on SCIT versus non-Hispanic White patients. Compared with non-Hispanic White patients, the proportions of Asian patients who were initiated on SCIT tended to be lower (relative risk, 0.69; 95 percent confidence interval, 0.47 to 1.009).

"Medical professionals have a responsibility to help our patients receive optimal care for their ailments so they can have a high quality of life," Modi said in a statement. "Understanding the root causes and developing solutions for this health disparity is essential for helping underserved populations get the allergy treatment they need."