Race-Specific and Race-Neutral Equations for Lung Function and Asthma Diagnosis in Black Children

https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamanetworkopen/fullarticle/2830801?utm_campaign=morning_rounds&utm_medium=email&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-8Xv4MYsuTzGGUsEjUIMUZzWIQv_rWHON0f8SeskhYFljpRVj14YIN4m4KHKx3E8BF_fS3tEjHSD5jYlaBmWNQ94Khefw&_hsmi=349761000&utm_content=349761000&utm_source=hs_email Comparing a race-specific and race-neutral lung equation An equation used to assess lung function without accounting for a patient’s race can identify 2.5 to four times more Black children with asthma symptoms as compared to an earlier version that does adjust the results for race. That’s according to a study published Friday in JAMA Network Open of more than 1,500 children that compared the Global Lung Initiative’s 2012 equation (which uses race) to the one from 2022 (which does not). The results are in line with previous research that shows using race in these equations tends to underestimate abnormal results among Black children. Still, some experts say that creating truly neutral tools is harder than it may sound. “Because racial inequality affects health in complex ways, fairness through unawareness can sometimes cause additional harm,” reads a paper published in the latest issue of the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine. https://www.atsjournals.org/doi/10.1164/rccm.202408-1599VP?utm_campaign=morning_rounds&utm_medium=email&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-82u6bE0C8QCCTj-RFEBb8SWxWZjbT6aSRqYcjJCsF4TGFJNdNw22rHoUI17jhHrQK59OQsrQZ_cxdoe8Kv-SercElcsA&_hsmi=349761000&utm_content=349761000&utm_source=hs_email If you’re interested in this topic, consider returning to last year’s Embedded Bias series from STAT’s Usha Lee McFarling and Katie Palmer. You can learn a lot about the history of race-based clinical algorithms and what other factors clinicians are trying to incorporate into these equations instead. Separately, Katie also has a Q&A publishing today on how AI can distort clinical decision-making to prioritize profits over patients. https://www.statnews.com/2025/03/03/health-ai-clinical-decisions-biomarkup-profits-over-patient-care/?utm_campaign=morning_rounds&utm_medium=email&_hsenc=p2ANqtz--6NxtzdzEANOSwvoxlIOD0tMYpXn5mkmQ7wY_tZ1risvXh1bd_jYg2B5Htip3uwrLhiQT-XISUunoD7O1f8xsZQmoGjw&_hsmi=349761000&utm_content=349761000&utm_source=hs_email