The Impact Socioeconomic Status Has for Lupus Patients

There is a need for quality healthcare for patients with lupus as access to health care influences the disease's outcome. Adequate preventive care and effective, self-patient care has the potential to reduce mortality rates, accumulated disease damage, and disease activity. Poor healthcare access is identified with low socioeconomic status and definitely impacts negatively to patients with lupus. Poor lupus patients may not have the same access to healthcare because of a lack of health insurance.

As a result of financial constraints, there is a delay in diagnosis and poor adherence to medication. Poverty is associated with poorer adherence to hydroxychloroquine therapy for lupus management, which is sub-optimal to all lupus patients.