Update and review of racial disparities in sepsis.
BACKGROUND
Sepsis is an excessive systemic inflammatory response activated by invasive infection. There has been substantial epidemiologic literature addressing perceived disparities in sepsis by demographic factors such as gender and race. There also have been multiple examinations of the disparities of sepsis with regard to environmental and socioeconomic factors. This paper reviews the current epidemiologic literature evaluating the association of race with the development of sepsis and its associated outcomes.


METHODS
Review of pertinent English-language literature.


RESULTS
Race is a marker of poverty, preexisting conditions, increased allostatic loads, and decreased access to health systems. Racial disparities and the incidence of sepsis likely are explained by a multiplicity of environmental factors that are not captured by administrative data.


CONCLUSIONS
Race is a surrogate for many intangible factors that lead to the development of sepsis and inferior outcomes.
Department of Surgery, University of Missouri, Columbia, Missouri, USA. vogeltr@health.missouri.edu
Todd R
TR
Vogel
D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D008297:Male; D044469:Racial Groups / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D012307:Risk Factors; D018805:Sepsis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000208:ethnology*; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D014481:United States / Q000453:epidemiology