VIDEO: Health disparities in IBS-C, CIC

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I think the answer is yes to this question and it probably is yes to most areas of medicine because health disparities are widely prevalent. It hasn't been as well-studied in functional GI disorders as it has in other areas. However, there was a recent study from the Mass General Group with Kyle Staller, MD, MPH, showing that in IBS patients there were health disparities showing that particularly compared to whites, Blacks, Hispanics and Asians tended to have fewer referrals to gastroenterologists but interestingly, they also tended to have more colonoscopies and other procedures than did whites. Now, it's unclear exactly why that is. They weren't matched for economic factors, which may be a contributor, location of where they live and other types of factors. But I think it's clear that there are disparities and we all need to be cognizant of that and do our best to make sure that we treat all patients the same.