Hormonal
Racial and ethnic minorities, particularly Black and American Indian/Alaskan Native individuals, have significantly lower initiation rates of newer diabetes medications (GLP-1RAs, DPP-4Is, SGLT-2Is) compared to White individuals, independent of socioeconomic factors.
If you are a minority patient with type 2 diabetes, you may face systemic barriers to accessing newer, highly effective medications like GLP-1s or SGLT-2 inhibitors, even if you have insurance. These drugs offer significant cardiovascular and kidney benefits. It is crucial to discuss these options with your provider, understand your insurance formulary, and advocate for yourself, as disparities in initiation are well-documented and often driven by systemic factors rather than medical necessity.
In the fully adjusted analysis, race/ethnicity was significantly associated with initiation of newer diabetes medications (p=.019) with all minority race/ethnicities having a lower hazard ratio (HR) for initiation compared to Whites. This association was strongest among Black (HR 0.81, 95% CI 0.70−0.94) and AI/AN participants (0.51, 95% CI 0.26−0.99).
Why this rating
Large-scale secondary analysis of a randomized controlled trial (Look AHEAD) with robust statistical adjustment for confounders.
Source
Racial/ethnic and socioeconomic disparities in the use of newer diabetes medications in the Look AHEAD study
Ahmed Elhussein et al. · The Lancet Regional Health - Americas · 2021
DOI 10.1016/j.lana.2021.100111
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