Rheumatic and Autoimmune Diseases in Minority Communities

这个项目研究了风湿病在华盛顿大都会地区一个服务不足、以少数民族为主的社区的表现。通过NIAMS社区卫生中心，对风湿病患者进行评估，为研究人员提供了解自身免疫性疾病表型的种族差异以及护理障碍的第一手经验。该项目支持了以下方面的研究：了解标准化自我报告结果评估工具方面的文化差异；确定类风湿性关节炎临床上重要的改善情况；风湿症状患者使用补充和替代药物；少数族裔个人对瑜伽作为关节炎治疗方法的接受度；以及少数族裔对研究过程和知情同意的了解。此外，研究人员还检查了改善初级保健提供者和专科医生之间转诊过程的干预措施。目前正在进行其他血清学研究，以检查类风湿性关节炎和系统性红斑狼疮患者的免疫异常。

This project studies the expression of rheumatic diseases in an underserved, largely ethnic minority community in the Washington, DC metropolitan area. Through the NIAMS Community Health Center, subjects with rheumatic complaints are evaluated and provide researchers with first-hand experience in understanding ethnic differences in autoimmune diseases phenotypes as well as barriers to care. This project has supported research on cultural differences in understanding standardized self-report outcome assessment tools, determination of clinically important improvements in rheumatoid arthritis, use of complementary and alternative medicine in patients with rheumatic symptoms, acceptability of yoga as a treatment for arthritis by minority individuals, and understanding of the research process and informed consent among ethnic minorities. In addition, researchers have examined interventions to improve the referral process between primary care providers and subspecialists. Additional serological studies are currently underway to examine immune abnormalities in patients with rheumatoid arthritis and systemic lupus erythematosus.