JACC: Advances : Committed to Health Equity

Healthcare disparities are a persistent societal problem. One of the contributing factors to this status quo is the lack of diversity and representativeness of research efforts, which result in nongeneralizable evidence that, in turn, provides suboptimal means to enable the best possible outcomes at the individual level. There are several strategies that research teams can adopt to improve the diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) of their efforts; these strategies span the totality of the research path, from initial design to the shepherding of clinical data through a potential regulatory process. These strategies include more intentionality and DEI-based goal-setting, more diverse research and leadership teams, better community engagement to set study goals and approaches, better tailored outreach interventions, decentralization of study procedures and incorporation of innovative technology for more flexible data collection, and self-surveillance to identify and prevent biases. Within their remit of overlooking research efforts, regulatory authorities, as stakeholders, also have the potential for a positive effect on the DEI of emerging clinical evidence. All these are implementable tools and mechanisms that can make study participation more approachable to diverse communities, and ultimately generate evidence that is more generalizable and a conduit for better outcomes. The research community has an imperative to make DEI principles key foundational aspects in study conduct in order to pursue better personalized medicine for diverse patient populations.

Background Preeclampsia is associated with higher in-hospital cardiovascular events and mortality with known disparities by race/ethnicity, but data on the interaction between income and these outcomes remain limited. Objectives This study investigated racial and socioeconomic disparities in cardiovascular outcomes of preeclampsia at delivery hospitalizations. Methods We analyzed National Inpatient Sample data using International Classification of Diseases-9th Revision/-10th Revision codes between 2004 and 2019. We identified a total of 2,436,991 delivery hospitalizations with preeclampsia/eclampsia as a primary diagnosis representing White (43.1%), Black (18.4%), Hispanic (18.7%), and Asian or Pacific Islander (A/PI; 3.3%) women. We stratified the population based on median household income (low income, medium income, and high income). Logistic regression and propensity-matched analysis were used for reporting outcomes adjusted for age, hospital region, and baseline comorbidities. Results Black Hispanic, and A/PI women with preeclampsia had higher in-hospital mortality compared with White women across all groups of income. Hispanic women had lower odds of peripartum cardiomyopathy (PPCM) compared with White women. A significant interaction effect was observed with race/ethnicity and median household income for in-hospital mortality and PPCM with preeclampsia. Furthermore, high-income Black women had higher odds of PPCM, stroke, acute kidney injury, heart failure, cardiac arrhythmia, and venous thromboembolism compared with low-income White women. Conclusions Women with preeclampsia experience significant racial/ethnic and socioeconomic disparities in inpatient mortality and cardiovascular outcomes at delivery. Across all income groups, Black, Hispanic, and A/PI women experience higher odds of in-hospital mortality compared with White women. Furthermore, high-income Black women had greater odds of many CV complications compared with low-income White women.