Health Disparities in Asthma: it’s not complicated, but it’s complex

Abstract

Health disparities are complex and are not selective with regard to disease. They refer to any health outcome that is tied to a race, gender, religion, sexual identity, disability, age, socioeconomic status, or geographic location. Health disparities have been documented in different types of cancer, obesity related disease, cardiac disease and lung disease. Elimination of health inequalities for minority groups would reduce total costs by $1.5 trillion over a 3 year period1 . Despite the recognition of these disparities and the cost associated with their existence, they continue to be prevalent in many disease processes. The aim of this article is to provide a brief overview of asthma as a health disparity and the complexities at play which create these disparities.