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Fungal Infections and Social Determinants of Health: Using Data to Identify Disparities

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Abstract

Purpose of Review

Fungal diseases disproportionately affect certain demographic populations, but few studies have thoroughly investigated the drivers of those disparities. We summarize data sources that can be considered to explore potential associations between fungal diseases and social determinants of health in the United States.

Recent Findings

Sociodemographic disparities are apparent in fungal diseases, and social determinants of health (e.g., income, living conditions, and healthcare access) may be associated with increased risk of infection, severe disease, and poor health outcomes.

Summary

Numerous data sources are available in the United States to analyze the potential association between fungal diseases and underlying social determinants of health. Each source has benefits and limitations that should be considered in the development of analysis plans. Inherent challenges to all fungal disease data (e.g., underdiagnosis, underreporting, and inability to detect people who do not seek medical care) should be noted and accounted for in interpretation of results.

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Data Availability

No datasets were generated or analyzed during the current study.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Mycotic Diseases Branch, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 1600 Clifton Road NE, Mailstop, Atlanta, GA, H24-11, USA

    Samantha L. Williams, Kaitlin Benedict & Mitsuru Toda

Authors
  1. Samantha L. Williams
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  2. Kaitlin Benedict
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  3. Mitsuru Toda
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Contributions

S.W. and M.T. conceptualized the manuscript. S.W. wrote the main manuscript text and prepared the table. All authors reviewed the manuscript.

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Samantha L. Williams.

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This article does not contain any studies with human participants or animals performed by any of the authors.

Competing Interests

The authors declare no competing interests.

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The findings and conclusions of this report are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent the official position of the Centers for Disease Control (CDC).

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Williams, S.L., Benedict, K. & Toda, M. Fungal Infections and Social Determinants of Health: Using Data to Identify Disparities. Curr Fungal Infect Rep (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12281-024-00494-4

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12281-024-00494-4

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