Inflammatory bowel disease in underserved populations: lessons for practice.

Abstract

The incidence of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is increasing in minority groups across the USA. There are racial and ethnic disparities in IBD care and outcomes that are rooted in historical injustice and inequities in the social determinants of health. Current literature has identified racial, ethnic and sociodemographic disparities in therapeutics and outcomes for IBD, including disease severity, morbidity and mortality. Strategies to achieve equity in IBD include tackling structural racism as a driver of health disparities and making actionable changes against multilevel barriers to care.