• Ernest R Vina, Michael J Hannon, Hana S Masood, HausmannLeslie R MLRMPinney Associates, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania; Veterans Affairs Pittsburgh Healthcare System, Center for Health Equity Research and Promotion, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania., Said A Ibrahim, Jazmin Dagnino, Andrea Arellano, and C Kent Kwoh.
• University of Arizona Arthritis Center, Tucson, Arizona; College of Medicine, Department of Medicine, Division of Rheumatology, University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona. Electronic address: evina@email.arizona.edu.
• Am. J. Med. 2020 Jun 1; 133 (6): 733740733-740.

PurposeOur objective was to determine if there are ethnic differences in the use of over-the-counter (OTC) and prescription oral nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) and if observed ethnic differences persist after adjustment for sociodemographic and clinical factors.MethodsKnee and hip osteoarthritis study participants were identified. Surveys were administered to collect sociodemographics, clinical information, and oral treatment methods for arthritis. Multivariable logistic regression models were created using a fully conditional method.ResultsHispanics (n = 130), compared to non-Hispanic whites (n = 204), were less likely to have a high school education (26.9% vs 63.2%, P <0.001), less likely to have private medical insurance (P <0.001), and more likely to have worse health (P = 0.004). OTC oral NSAID use was less common (52.9% vs 66.3%, P = 0.019), whereas prescription oral NSAID use was more common (43.4% vs 31.7%, P = 0.042) among Hispanics than non-Hispanic whites in the last 6 months. The ethnic difference in using an OTC NSAID instead of not using any oral NSAID was attenuated and no longer significant when adjusted for age, sex, education, and medical insurance (odds ratio [OR] 0.54 [95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.28-1.02]). The odds of using a prescription instead of an OTC NSAID remained significantly higher among Hispanics than non-Hispanic whites when adjusted for the same variables (odds ratio 2.17 [95% confidence interval: 1.16-4.05]).ConclusionsAmong patients with osteoarthritis, OTC NSAIDs were less commonly used but prescription NSAIDs were more commonly used by Hispanics than non-Hispanic whites. Sociodemographic factors partially mediate ethnic differences in the use of oral NSAIDs.Copyright © 2019 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

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