Cited by 9Race, Genetics, and SocietySepsis Diagnosis and TreatmentRacial and Ethnic Identity Research

On race, human variation, and who gets and dies of sepsis

Open access
Brinkworth, Jessica F., Shaw, J. Grace·2022·American Journal of Biological Anthropology

Abstract

COVID-19 has highlighted a brutal reality known for decades, that Black, Indigenous, and People of Color bear a disproportionate burden of US annual sepsis cases. While plentiful research funds have been spent investigating genetic reasons for racial disparities in sepsis, an abundance of research shows that sepsis incidence and mortality maps to indicators of colonial practices including residential segregation, economic and marginalization sepsis, and denial of care. Here we argue that sepsis risk is an immunological embodiment of racism in colonial states, that the factors contributing to sepsis disparities are insidious and systemic. We show that regardless of causative pathogen, or host ancestry, racialized people get and die of sepsis most frequently in a pattern repeatedly reiterated worldwide. Lastly, we argue that while alleviation of sepsis disparities requires radical, multiscale intervention, biological anthropologists have a responsibility in this crisis. While some of us can harness our expertise to take on the ground action in sepsis prevention, all of us can leverage our positions as the first point of contact for in depth human biology instruction on most college campuses. As a leading cause of death worldwide, and a syndrome that exhibits the interplay between human physiology, race and environment, sepsis is at the nexus of major themes in biological anthropology and is a natural fit for the field's curriculum. In adopting a discussion of race and sepsis in our courses, we not only develop new research areas but increase public awareness of both sepsis and the factors contributing to uneven sepsis burden.

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Authors
Brinkworth, J. F., & Shaw, J. G.
Affiliations
University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (US)
Corresponding author
Brinkworth, Jessica F.
Venue
American Journal of Biological Anthropology
Publisher
Wiley
Published
2022-06-12
Volume
178
Issue
S74
Pages
230-255
ISSN
2692-7691 (ISSN-L)
OpenAlex
W4282573836
Cited by
9
References
293
Citations by year
2026: 3 · 2025: 2 · 2024: 2 · 2023: 1 · 2022: 1
FWCI
4.36
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Locations
  • American Journal of Biological Anthropology (publishedVersion, cc-by-nc-nd)
  • PubMed Central (publishedVersion, cc-by-nc-nd)
Funders
National Science Foundation (BCS‐1750675)
Topics
  • Life Sciences › Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology › Genetics › Race, Genetics, and Society
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Epidemiology › Sepsis Diagnosis and Treatment
  • Social Sciences › Sociology and Political Science › Racial and Ethnic Identity Research
Keywords
sepsis, racial disparities in health, racism, colonialism, residential segregation, economic exclusion, denial of care, sepsis mortality, human diversity, COVID-19 pandemic, BIPOC

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