It is important to note that a prevalence of health disparities can be attributed to a wide range of factors manifested in a multitude of origins. However, the most interesting and critical part of the latter is rooted in biological factors, which tend to be challenging to alter or modify with external interventions. The three biologically-based factors that may affect the prevalence of health disparities include early life stage susceptibility, single early-life exposure, and ancestrally linked gene variants.
One should be aware that early-life exposure or susceptibility can significantly contribute to the problem, which can be induced by both environments as well as incidental occurrence. For example, a study on innate lymphoid cells or ILC2s suggests that “the rapid recruitment of ILC2s to the upper airways of allergic patients with rhinitis, and their association with key type 2 mediators, highlights their likely important role in the early allergic response to aeroallergens in the airways” (Dhariwal et al., 2017, p. 1586). In other words, allergens in the air coming from the environment can contribute to health disparity through acquired allergic reactions, where even a single early-life exposure to high concentrations can yield long-term negative effects. In addition, another study supports the fact that biological factors can take the form of gene variants, which might make some individuals more susceptible to rheumatic diseases (Lanata et al., 2021). Therefore, one’s genetics plays a critical role in health disparity.
In conclusion, early life stage susceptibility, single early-life exposure, and ancestrally linked gene variants are three major forms of biological factors which may affect the prevalence of health disparities. Early-life exposure to allergens can make a person vulnerable to experiencing health disparity ramifications due to the presence of certain elements in the environment or high dose concentration. Genetic predisposition manifested in specific gene variants can also contribute to the issue.
References
Dhariwal, J., Cameron, A., Trujillo-Torralbo, M.-B., del Rosario, A., Bakhsoliani, E., Paulsen, M., Jackson, D. J., Edwards, M. R., Rana, B. M. J., Cousins, D. J., Hansel, T. T., Johnston, S. L., & Walton, R. P. (2017). Mucosal type 2 innate lymphoid cells are a key component of the allergic response to aeroallergens. American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, 195(12), 1586–1596.
Lanata, C. M., Blazer, A., & Criswell, L. A. (2021). The contribution of genetics and epigenetics to our understanding of health disparities in rheumatic diseases. Rheumatic Disease Clinics, 47(1), 65-81.