The Impact of Socioeconomic, Racial, and Ethnic Disparities on Pulmonary Hypertension Diagnosis and Treatment

Abstract

Health disparities have a major impact in the quality of life and level of clinical care received in minority populations in the United States. Underrepresented patients with pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) may be at risk for worse outcomes. Furthermore, advances in biomedical research have provided extensive knowledge on the genetic role in the pathogenesis of PAH but whether these also impact minorities is incompletely understood. Health disparities in patients with PAH create an enormous barrier in health care delivery. Understanding the contributors to health disparity represent a fundamental step towards personalized medicine and further improvement in PAH care.