Black Women With Limited Health Literacy Identified as Vulnerable to Systemic Lupus Erythematosus Impact

Mithunan Maheswaranathan, MD Credit: Duke New research found that in Black women with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), those with limited health literacy had worse clinical outcomes and experience disparate health outcomes.1 “Limited health literacy is associated with worse clinical outcomes including increased hospitalizations and readmissions, greater use of emergency care services, and higher disease activity. Recent studies have demonstrated limited health literacy and numeracy are associated with worse patient-reported outcomes and higher disease activity in individuals with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE).2 However, the exact mechanisms by which limited health literacy may contribute to worse outcomes in patients with SLE have not been entirely elucidated,” lead investigator Mithunan Maheswaranathan, MD, assistant professor of medicine, rheumatology and immunology, rheumatology fellowship, Duke University School of Medicine, and colleagues wrote.1 The investigators analyzed data from 267 Black women with SLE that were enrolled in the Peer Approaches to Lupus Self-Management (PALS) program. These data included baseline surveys and assessments obtained at the start of the PALS study and clinical data on disease activity and lupus damage. Other outcomes assessed included patient activation, self-efficacy, physician/patient communication, and quality of life. The investigators dichotomized participants that reported in the “limited” range on any item using the...