Table of Contents

ABSTRACT

Data from the last 15 years have demonstrated that when autoimmune diseases are considered as a group, they rank among the 10 leading causes of death among women under age 75 years. Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a chronic auto-immune arthritic disease associated with progressive joint damage, diminished quality of life, disability, and pre-mature mortality. The review was conducted from June 2020 to February 2021. A total of 108 articles were generated from the initial search with 21 full articles were used to complete the review. Three barriers to the prevention of premature mortality in United States Hispanics were identified: low-income, low education attainment, lack of access to specialized care and early start of treatment. Results show that the low average income of Hispanics is an obstacle to receiving timely and appropriate health care. Low-income people are less able to afford the out-of-pocket costs of care, even if they have health insurance coverage. Low education may impair people’s ability to navigate the complex health care delivery system, communicate with health care providers, and understand providers’ instructions. Lack of insurance also contributes to many Hispanic not having a usual source of care such as a primary care physician and thus makes early referral to specialized care, specifically a rheumatologist, much more difficult. Lastly, the number of practicing rheumatologists does not meet the current or future needs of the patient population, patients are waiting longer for appointments.

Keywords: Rheumatoid arthritis, low-income Hispanics, premature mortality, prevention, health promotion, narrative review