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Perera G, Rijnbeek PR, Alexander M, Ansell D, Avillach P, Duarte-Salles T, Gordon MF, Lapi F, Mayer MA, Pasqua A, Pedersen L, van Der Lei J, Visser PJ, Stewart R. Vascular and metabolic risk factor differences prior to dementia diagnosis: a multidatabase case-control study using European electronic health records. BMJ Open 2020; 10:e038753. [PMID: 33191253 PMCID: PMC7668358 DOI: 10.1136/bmjopen-2020-038753] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/14/2020] [Revised: 06/16/2020] [Accepted: 09/17/2020] [Indexed: 01/20/2023] Open
Abstract
OBJECTIVE The objective of the study is to compare body mass index (BMI), systolic/diastolic blood pressure (SBP/DBP) and serum total cholesterol levels between dementia cases and controls at multiple time intervals prior to dementia onset, and to test time interval as a modifying factor for these associations. DESIGN Case-control study. SETTING Six European electronic health records databases. PARTICIPANTS 291 780 cases at the date of first-recorded dementia diagnosis, compared with 29 170 549 controls randomly selected from the same databases, age matched and sex matched at this index date. EXPOSURE The following measures were extracted whenever recorded within each dataset: BMI (kg/m2), SBP and DBP (mm Hg) and serum total cholesterol (mmol/L). Levels for each of these variables were defined within six 2-year time intervals over the 12 years prior to the index date. MAIN OUTCOMES Case-control differences in exposures of interest were modelled for each time period and adjusted for demographic and clinical factors (ischaemic/unspecified stroke, type 2 diabetes mellitus, acute myocardial infarction, hypertension diagnosis, antihypertensive medication, cholesterol-lowering medication). Coefficients and interactions with time period were meta-analysed across the six databases. RESULTS Mean BMI (coefficient -1.16 kg/m2; 95% CI -1.38 to 0.93) and SBP (-2.83 mm Hg; 95% CI -4.49 to -1.16) were lower in cases at diagnosis, and case-control differences were greater in more recent time periods, as indicated by significant case-x-time interaction and case-x-time-squared interaction terms. Time variations in coefficients for cholesterol levels were less consistent between databases and those for DBP were largely not significant. CONCLUSION Routine clinical data show emerging divergence in levels of BMI and SBP prior to the diagnosis of dementia but less evidence for DBP or total cholesterol levels. These divergences should receive at least some consideration in routine dementia risk screening, although underlying mechanisms still require further investigation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gayan Perera
- Psychological Medicine, King's College London (Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience), London, UK
| | - P R Rijnbeek
- Department of Medical Informatics, Erasmus Medical Center, Rotterdam, The Netherlands
| | | | - David Ansell
- Institute of Applied Health Research, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, UK
| | - Paul Avillach
- Department of Biomedical Informatics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
- Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark
| | | | - Mark Forrest Gordon
- Specialty Clinical Development, Neurology and Psychiatry, Teva Pharmaceuticals USA Inc, North Wales, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - Francesco Lapi
- Health Search, Italian College of General Practitioners and Primary Care, Florence, Italy
| | | | - Alessandro Pasqua
- Health Search, Italian College of General Practitioners and Primary Care, Florence, Italy
| | - Lars Pedersen
- Department of Clinical Epidemiology, Aarhus University Hospital, Aarhus, Denmark
| | - Johan van Der Lei
- Department of Medical Informatics, Erasmus Medical Center, Rotterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Pieter Jelle Visser
- Department of Psychiatry and Neuropsychology, Maastricht University, Maastricht, The Netherlands
- Department of Neurology, Vrije Universiteit, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
- Department of Neurobiology, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Robert Stewart
- Psychological Medicine, King's College London (Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience), London, UK
- South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust, London, UK
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Sultana J, Fontana A, Giorgianni F, Tillati S, Cricelli C, Pasqua A, Patorno E, Ballard C, Sturkenboom M, Trifirò G. Measuring the Effectiveness of Safety Warnings on the Risk of Stroke in Older Antipsychotic Users: A Nationwide Cohort Study in Two Large Electronic Medical Records Databases in the United Kingdom and Italy. Drug Saf 2020; 42:1471-1485. [PMID: 31556019 DOI: 10.1007/s40264-019-00860-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Safety warnings relating to antipsychotic-associated stroke among older persons in the UK and Italy were issued. However, the impact of these safety warnings on stroke risk has not been measured to date. OBJECTIVE The aim of this study was to measure the change in stroke incidence after two safety warnings in both the UK and Italy. METHOD A cohort study was conducted using electronic medical records representative of the UK (The Health Improvement Network) and Italy (Health Search-IQVIA Health LPD), containing data on 11 million and 1 million patients, respectively. After each drug safety warning, elderly antipsychotic new initiators were propensity-score matched 1:1:1 on antipsychotic initiators before any safety warning. Stroke incidence within 6 months of antipsychotic initiation, using an intention-to-treat approach, was the main outcome. RESULTS In the UK and Italy, 6342 and 7587 elderly antipsychotic initiators were identified, respectively. A 42% stroke incidence reduction was seen in the UK after the first safety warning [42.3 (95% confidence interval (CI) 35.2-50.8) vs. 24.4 [95% CI 19.0-31.2] events per 1000 person-years (PYs)], while there was a 60% stroke incidence reduction after the second warning (16.9 [95% CI 12.2-23.4] events per 1000 PYs) compared to before the first warning. There was no significant reduction in stroke incidence in Italy. CONCLUSION Antipsychotic safety warnings were followed by a reduction in stroke incidence among older antipsychotic users in the UK, but not Italy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Janet Sultana
- Department of Biomedical and Dental Sciences and Morpho-Functional Imaging, University of Messina, 1, Consolare Valeria Street, 98125, Messina, Italy.,Department of Medical Informatics, Erasmus Medical Centre, Rotterdam, Doctor Molewaterplein 40, 3015 GD, Rotterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Andrea Fontana
- Fondazione IRCCS Casa Sollievo della Sofferenza, Unit of Biostatistics, Viale Cappuccini, 2, 71013, San Giovanni Rotondo, FG, Italy
| | - Francesco Giorgianni
- Department of Biomedical and Dental Sciences and Morpho-Functional Imaging, University of Messina, 1, Consolare Valeria Street, 98125, Messina, Italy
| | - Silvia Tillati
- Department of Biomedical and Dental Sciences and Morpho-Functional Imaging, University of Messina, 1, Consolare Valeria Street, 98125, Messina, Italy
| | - Claudio Cricelli
- Health Search, Italian College of General Practitioners, Sestese Street, 61, 50141, Florence, Italy
| | - Alessandro Pasqua
- Health Search, Italian College of General Practitioners, Sestese Street, 61, 50141, Florence, Italy
| | - Elisabetta Patorno
- Division of Pharmacoepidemiology and Pharmacoeconomics, Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital, 1620 Tremont Street, Suite 3030, Boston, MA, 02120, USA
| | - Clive Ballard
- University of Exeter Medical School, Medical School Building, St Luke's Campus, Magdalen Road, Exeter, EX1 2LU, UK
| | - Miriam Sturkenboom
- Julius Centre for Global Health, Utrecht University Medical Centre, Heidelberglaan 100, 3584 CX, Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - Gianluca Trifirò
- Department of Biomedical and Dental Sciences and Morpho-Functional Imaging, University of Messina, 1, Consolare Valeria Street, 98125, Messina, Italy. .,Department of Medical Informatics, Erasmus Medical Centre, Rotterdam, Doctor Molewaterplein 40, 3015 GD, Rotterdam, The Netherlands.
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Alexander M, Loomis AK, van der Lei J, Duarte-Salles T, Prieto-Alhambra D, Ansell D, Pasqua A, Lapi F, Rijnbeek P, Mosseveld M, Avillach P, Egger P, Dhalwani NN, Kendrick S, Celis-Morales C, Waterworth DM, Alazawi W, Sattar N. Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease and risk of incident acute myocardial infarction and stroke: findings from matched cohort study of 18 million European adults. BMJ 2019; 367:l5367. [PMID: 31594780 PMCID: PMC6780322 DOI: 10.1136/bmj.l5367] [Citation(s) in RCA: 151] [Impact Index Per Article: 30.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 08/20/2019] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE To estimate the risk of acute myocardial infarction (AMI) or stroke in adults with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) or non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH). DESIGN Matched cohort study. SETTING Population based, electronic primary healthcare databases before 31 December 2015 from four European countries: Italy (n=1 542 672), Netherlands (n=2 225 925), Spain (n=5 488 397), and UK (n=12 695 046). PARTICIPANTS 120 795 adults with a recorded diagnosis of NAFLD or NASH and no other liver diseases, matched at time of NAFLD diagnosis (index date) by age, sex, practice site, and visit, recorded at six months before or after the date of diagnosis, with up to 100 patients without NAFLD or NASH in the same database. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES Primary outcome was incident fatal or non-fatal AMI and ischaemic or unspecified stroke. Hazard ratios were estimated using Cox models and pooled across databases by random effect meta-analyses. RESULTS 120 795 patients with recorded NAFLD or NASH diagnoses were identified with mean follow-up 2.1-5.5 years. After adjustment for age and smoking the pooled hazard ratio for AMI was 1.17 (95% confidence interval 1.05 to 1.30; 1035 events in participants with NAFLD or NASH, 67 823 in matched controls). In a group with more complete data on risk factors (86 098 NAFLD and 4 664 988 matched controls), the hazard ratio for AMI after adjustment for systolic blood pressure, type 2 diabetes, total cholesterol level, statin use, and hypertension was 1.01 (0.91 to 1.12; 747 events in participants with NAFLD or NASH, 37 462 in matched controls). After adjustment for age and smoking status the pooled hazard ratio for stroke was 1.18 (1.11 to 1.24; 2187 events in participants with NAFLD or NASH, 134 001 in matched controls). In the group with more complete data on risk factors, the hazard ratio for stroke was 1.04 (0.99 to 1.09; 1666 events in participants with NAFLD, 83 882 in matched controls) after further adjustment for type 2 diabetes, systolic blood pressure, total cholesterol level, statin use, and hypertension. CONCLUSIONS The diagnosis of NAFLD in current routine care of 17.7 million patient appears not to be associated with AMI or stroke risk after adjustment for established cardiovascular risk factors. Cardiovascular risk assessment in adults with a diagnosis of NAFLD is important but should be done in the same way as for the general population.
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Affiliation(s)
- Myriam Alexander
- Real World Evidence and Epidemiology, GlaxoSmithKline, Uxbridge, Middlesex, UK
| | - A Katrina Loomis
- Worldwide Research and Development, Pfizer, Target Sciences, Groton, CT, USA
| | - Johan van der Lei
- Department of Medical Informatics, Erasmus University Medical Centre Rotterdam, Rotterdam, Netherlands
| | - Talita Duarte-Salles
- Fundació Institut Universitari per a la recerca a l'Atenció Primària de Salut Jordi Gol i Gurina (IDIAPJGol), Barcelona, Spain
| | - Daniel Prieto-Alhambra
- Pharmaco- and Device Epidemiology, Centre for Statistics in Medicine, NDORMS, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - David Ansell
- IQVIA, Kings Cross, London, UK
- Institute of Applied Health Research, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, UK
| | - Alessandro Pasqua
- Health Search, Italian College of General Practitioners and Primary Care, Firenze, Italy
| | - Francesco Lapi
- Health Search, Italian College of General Practitioners and Primary Care, Firenze, Italy
| | - Peter Rijnbeek
- Department of Medical Informatics, Erasmus University Medical Centre Rotterdam, Rotterdam, Netherlands
| | - Mees Mosseveld
- Department of Medical Informatics, Erasmus University Medical Centre Rotterdam, Rotterdam, Netherlands
| | - Paul Avillach
- Department of Medical Informatics, Erasmus University Medical Centre Rotterdam, Rotterdam, Netherlands
- Department of Biomedical Informatics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Peter Egger
- Real World Evidence and Epidemiology, GlaxoSmithKline, Uxbridge, Middlesex, UK
| | | | - Stuart Kendrick
- GlaxoSmithKline, Medicines Research Centre, Stevenage, Hertfordshire, UK
| | - Carlos Celis-Morales
- Institute of Cardiovascular and Medical Sciences, BHF Glasgow Cardiovascular Research Centre, University of Glasgow, Glasgow G12 8TA, UK
| | | | - William Alazawi
- Barts Liver Centre, Blizard Institute, Queen Mary, University of London, London, UK
| | - Naveed Sattar
- Institute of Cardiovascular and Medical Sciences, BHF Glasgow Cardiovascular Research Centre, University of Glasgow, Glasgow G12 8TA, UK
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Alexander M, Loomis AK, van der Lei J, Duarte-Salles T, Prieto-Alhambra D, Ansell D, Pasqua A, Lapi F, Rijnbeek P, Mosseveld M, Waterworth DM, Kendrick S, Sattar N, Alazawi W. Risks and clinical predictors of cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma diagnoses in adults with diagnosed NAFLD: real-world study of 18 million patients in four European cohorts. BMC Med 2019; 17:95. [PMID: 31104631 PMCID: PMC6526616 DOI: 10.1186/s12916-019-1321-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 170] [Impact Index Per Article: 34.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/17/2019] [Accepted: 04/10/2019] [Indexed: 02/08/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is a common condition that progresses in some patients to steatohepatitis (NASH), cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Here we used healthcare records of 18 million adults to estimate risk of acquiring advanced liver disease diagnoses in patients with NAFLD or NASH compared to individually matched controls. METHODS Data were extracted from four European primary care databases representing the UK, Netherlands, Italy and Spain. Patients with a recorded diagnosis of NAFLD or NASH (NAFLD/NASH) were followed up for incident cirrhosis and HCC diagnoses. Each coded NAFLD/NASH patient was matched to up to 100 "non-NAFLD" patients by practice site, gender, age ± 5 years and visit recorded within ± 6 months. Hazard ratios (HR) were estimated using Cox models adjusted for age and smoking status and pooled across databases by random effects meta-analyses. RESULTS Out of 18,782,281 adults, we identified 136,703 patients with coded NAFLD/NASH. Coded NAFLD/NASH patients were more likely to have diabetes, hypertension and obesity than matched controls. HR for cirrhosis in patients compared to controls was 4.73 (95% CI 2.43-9.19) and for HCC, 3.51 (95% CI 1.72-7.16). HR for either outcome was higher in patients with NASH and those with high-risk Fib-4 scores. The strongest independent predictor of a diagnosis of HCC or cirrhosis was baseline diagnosis of diabetes. CONCLUSIONS Real-world population data show that recorded diagnosis of NAFLD/NASH increases risk of life-threatening liver outcomes. Diabetes is an independent predictor of advanced liver disease diagnosis, emphasising the need to identify specific groups of patients at highest risk.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - A Katrina Loomis
- Worldwide Research and Development, Pfizer, Genome Sciences and Technologies, New York, USA
| | | | - Talita Duarte-Salles
- Fundació Institut Universitari per a la Recerca a l'Atenció Primària de Salut Jordi Gol i Gurina, Barcelona, Spain
| | | | | | - Alessandro Pasqua
- Health Search, Italian College of General Practitioners and Primary Care, Firenze, Italy
| | - Francesco Lapi
- Health Search, Italian College of General Practitioners and Primary Care, Firenze, Italy
| | - Peter Rijnbeek
- Erasmus Universitair Medisch Centrum, Rotterdam, Netherlands
| | - Mees Mosseveld
- Erasmus Universitair Medisch Centrum, Rotterdam, Netherlands
| | | | | | | | - William Alazawi
- Barts Liver Centre, Blizard Institute, Queen Mary, University of London, London, UK.
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5
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Alexander M, Loomis AK, Fairburn-Beech J, van der Lei J, Duarte-Salles T, Prieto-Alhambra D, Ansell D, Pasqua A, Lapi F, Rijnbeek P, Mosseveld M, Avillach P, Egger P, Kendrick S, Waterworth DM, Sattar N, Alazawi W. Real-world data reveal a diagnostic gap in non-alcoholic fatty liver disease. BMC Med 2018; 16:130. [PMID: 30099968 PMCID: PMC6088429 DOI: 10.1186/s12916-018-1103-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 152] [Impact Index Per Article: 25.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/29/2018] [Accepted: 06/19/2018] [Indexed: 02/08/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is the most common cause of liver disease worldwide. It affects an estimated 20% of the general population, based on cohort studies of varying size and heterogeneous selection. However, the prevalence and incidence of recorded NAFLD diagnoses in unselected real-world health-care records is unknown. We harmonised health records from four major European territories and assessed age- and sex-specific point prevalence and incidence of NAFLD over the past decade. METHODS Data were extracted from The Health Improvement Network (UK), Health Search Database (Italy), Information System for Research in Primary Care (Spain) and Integrated Primary Care Information (Netherlands). Each database uses a different coding system. Prevalence and incidence estimates were pooled across databases by random-effects meta-analysis after a log-transformation. RESULTS Data were available for 17,669,973 adults, of which 176,114 had a recorded diagnosis of NAFLD. Pooled prevalence trebled from 0.60% in 2007 (95% confidence interval: 0.41-0.79) to 1.85% (0.91-2.79) in 2014. Incidence doubled from 1.32 (0.83-1.82) to 2.35 (1.29-3.40) per 1000 person-years. The FIB-4 non-invasive estimate of liver fibrosis could be calculated in 40.6% of patients, of whom 29.6-35.7% had indeterminate or high-risk scores. CONCLUSIONS In the largest primary-care record study of its kind to date, rates of recorded NAFLD are much lower than expected suggesting under-diagnosis and under-recording. Despite this, we have identified rising incidence and prevalence of the diagnosis. Improved recognition of NAFLD may identify people who will benefit from risk factor modification or emerging therapies to prevent progression to cardiometabolic and hepatic complications.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | - Talita Duarte-Salles
- Fundació Institut Universitari per a la Recerca a l'Atenció Primària de Salut Jordi Gol i Gurina, Barcelona, Spain
| | | | | | - Alessandro Pasqua
- Health Search, Italian College of General Practitioners and Primary Care, Florence, Italy
| | - Francesco Lapi
- Health Search, Italian College of General Practitioners and Primary Care, Florence, Italy
| | - Peter Rijnbeek
- Erasmus Universitair Medisch Centrum, Rotterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Mees Mosseveld
- Erasmus Universitair Medisch Centrum, Rotterdam, The Netherlands
| | | | | | | | | | - Naveed Sattar
- University of Glasgow, BHF Glasgow Cardiovascular Research Centre, Glasgow, UK
| | - William Alazawi
- Barts Liver Centre, Blizard Institute, Queen Mary, University of London, London, UK.
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Ferrara R, Ientile V, Piccinni C, Pasqua A, Pecchioli S, Fontana A, Alecci U, Scoglio R, Magliozzo F, Torrisi SE, Vancheri C, Vitulo P, Fantaci G, Ferrajolo C, Cazzola M, Cricelli C, Caputi AP, Trifirò G. Improvement in the management of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease following a clinical educational program: results from a prospective cohort study in the Sicilian general practice setting. NPJ Prim Care Respir Med 2018; 28:10. [PMID: 29572448 PMCID: PMC5865126 DOI: 10.1038/s41533-018-0077-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/21/2017] [Revised: 02/07/2018] [Accepted: 02/16/2018] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a chronic inflammatory disorder of the lungs associated with progressive disability. Although general practitioners (GPs) should play an important role in the COPD management, critical issues have been documented in the primary care setting. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of an educational program for the improvement of the COPD management in a Sicilian general practice setting. The effectiveness of the program, was evaluated by comparing 15 quality-of-care indicators developed from data extracted by 33 GPs, at baseline vs. 12 and 24 months, and compared with data from a national primary care database (HSD). Moreover, data on COPD-related and all-cause hospitalizations over time of COPD patients, was measured. Overall, 1,465 patients (3.2%) had a registered diagnosis of COPD at baseline vs. 1,395 (3.0%) and 1,388 (3.0%) over time (vs. 3.0% in HSD). COPD patients with one spirometry registered increased from 59.7% at baseline to 73.0% after 2 years (vs. 64.8% in HSD). Instead, some quality of care indicators where not modified such as proportion of COPD patients treated with ICS in monotherapy that was almost stable during the study period: 9.6% (baseline) vs. 9.9% (after 2 years), vs. 7.7% in HSD. COPD-related and all-cause hospitalizations of patients affected by COPD decreased during the two observation years (from 6.9% vs. 4.0%; from 23.0% vs. 18.9%, respectively). Our study showed that educational program involving specialists, clinical pharmacologists and GPs based on training events and clinical audit may contribute to partly improve both diagnostic and therapeutic management of COPD in primary care setting, despite this effect may vary across GPs and indicators of COPD quality of care.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rosarita Ferrara
- Unit of Clinical Pharmacology, Academic Hospital G. Martino, Messina, Italy
| | - Valentina Ientile
- Unit of Clinical Pharmacology, Academic Hospital G. Martino, Messina, Italy
| | - Carlo Piccinni
- Department of Medical and Surgical Sciences, University of Bologna, Bologna, Italy
| | - Alessandro Pasqua
- Health Search, Italian College of General Practitioners and Primary Care, Florence, Italy
| | - Serena Pecchioli
- Health Search, Italian College of General Practitioners and Primary Care, Florence, Italy
| | - Andrea Fontana
- Unit of Biostatistics, IRCCS Casa Sollievo della Sofferenza, San Giovanni Rotondo, Foggia, Italy
| | - Umberto Alecci
- Italian Society of General Practice (SIMG), Catania, Italy
| | | | | | - Sebastiano Emanuele Torrisi
- Regional Referral Center for Rare Lung Diseases, University - Hospital "G. Rodolico", Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, University of Catania, Catania, Italy
| | - Carlo Vancheri
- Regional Referral Center for Rare Lung Diseases, University - Hospital "G. Rodolico", Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, University of Catania, Catania, Italy
| | - Patrizio Vitulo
- Pulmonology Unit, Department for the Treatment and Study of Cardiothoracic Diseases and Cardiothoracic Transplantation, IRCCS - ISMETT (Istituto Mediterraneo per i Trapianti e Terapie ad Alta Specializzazione), Palermo, Italy
| | - Giovanna Fantaci
- Epidemiologic Observatory - Sicilian Regional Department of Health, Palermo, Italy
| | - Carmen Ferrajolo
- Department of Experimental Medicine, University of Campania "Luigi Vanvitelli", Napoli, Italy
| | - Mario Cazzola
- Department of Systems Medicine, University of Rome Tor Vergata, Rome, Italy
| | | | | | - Gianluca Trifirò
- Unit of Clinical Pharmacology, Academic Hospital G. Martino, Messina, Italy.
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Dentistry and Functional and Morphologic Imaging, University of Messina, Messina, Italy.
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7
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Gini R, Schuemie MJ, Pasqua A, Carlini E, Profili F, Cricelli I, Dazzi P, Barletta V, Francesconi P, Lapi F, Donatini A, Dal Co G, Visca M, Bellentani M, Sturkenboom M, Klazinga N. Monitoring compliance with standards of care for chronic diseases using healthcare administrative databases in Italy: Strengths and limitations. PLoS One 2017; 12:e0188377. [PMID: 29232365 PMCID: PMC5726627 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0188377] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/17/2017] [Accepted: 11/06/2017] [Indexed: 12/04/2022] Open
Abstract
Background A recent comprehensive report on healthcare quality in Italy published by the Organization of Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) recommended that regular monitoring of quality of primary care by means of compliance with standards of care for chronic diseases is performed. A previous ecological study demonstrated that compliance with standards of care could be reliably estimated on regional level using administrative databases. This study compares estimates based on administrative data with estimates based on GP records for the same persons, to understand whether ecological fallacy played a role in the results of the previous study. Methods We compared estimates of compliance with diagnostic and therapeutic standards of care for type 2 diabetes (T2DM), hypertension and ischaemic heart disease (IHD) from administrative data (IAD) with estimates from medical records (MR) for the same persons registered with 24 GP’s in 2012. Data were linked at an individual level. Results 32,688 persons entered the study, 12,673 having at least one of the three diseases according to at least one data source. Patients not detected by IAD were many, for all three conditions: adding MR increased the number of cases of T2DM, hypertension, and IHD by +40%, +42%, and +104%, respectively. IAD had imperfect sensitivity in detecting population compliance with therapies (adding MR increased the estimate, from +11.5% for statins to +14.7% for antithrombotics), and, more substantially, with diagnostic recommendations (adding MR increased the estimate, from +23.7% in glycated hemoglobin tests, to +50.5% in electrocardiogram). Patients not detected by IAD were less compliant with respect to those that IAD correctly identified (from -4.8 percentage points in proportion of IHD patients compliant with a yearly glycated hemoglobin test, to -40.1 points in the proportion of T2DM patients compliant with the same recommendation). IAD overestimated indicators of compliance with therapeutic standards (significant differences ranged from 3.3. to 3.6 percentage points) and underestimated indicators of compliance with diagnostic standards (significant differences ranged from -2.3 to -14.1 percentage points). Conclusion IAD overestimated the percentage of patients compliant with therapeutic standards by less than 6 percentage points, and underestimated the percentage of patients compliant with diagnostic standards by a maximum of 14 percentage points. Therefore, both discussions at local level between GP's and local health unit managers and discussions at central level between national and regional policy makers can be informed by indicators of compliance estimated by IAD, which, based on those results, have the ability of signalling critical or excellent clusters. However, this study found that estimates are partly flawed, because a high number of patients with chronic diseases are not detected by IAD, patients detected are not representative of the whole population of patients, and some categories of diagnostic tests are markedly underrecorded in IAD (up to 50% in the case of electrocardiograms). Those results call to caution when interpreting IAD estimates. Audits based on medical records, on the local level, and an interpretation taking into account information external to IAD, on the central level, are needed to assess a more comprehensive compliance with standards.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rosa Gini
- Agenzia regionale di sanità della Toscana, Osservatorio di epidemiologia, Florence, Italy
- Department of Medical Informatics, Erasmus Medical Center, Rotterdam, The Netherlands
- * E-mail:
| | - Martijn J. Schuemie
- Janssen Research & Development, Epidemiology, Titusville, New Jersey, United States of America
- Observational Health Data Sciences and Informatics (OHDSI), New York, New York, United States of America
| | - Alessandro Pasqua
- Health Search, Italian College of General Practitioners and Primary Care, Florence, Italy
| | - Emanuele Carlini
- Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche, Istituto di Scienza e Tecnologie dell'Informazione, Pisa, Italy
| | - Francesco Profili
- Agenzia regionale di sanità della Toscana, Osservatorio di epidemiologia, Florence, Italy
| | | | - Patrizio Dazzi
- Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche, Istituto di Scienza e Tecnologie dell'Informazione, Pisa, Italy
| | - Valentina Barletta
- Agenzia regionale di sanità della Toscana, Osservatorio di epidemiologia, Florence, Italy
| | - Paolo Francesconi
- Agenzia regionale di sanità della Toscana, Osservatorio di epidemiologia, Florence, Italy
| | - Francesco Lapi
- Health Search, Italian College of General Practitioners and Primary Care, Florence, Italy
| | | | - Giulia Dal Co
- Agenzia Nazionale per il Servizi Sanitari Regionali, Rome, Italy
| | - Modesta Visca
- Agenzia Nazionale per il Servizi Sanitari Regionali, Rome, Italy
| | | | - Miriam Sturkenboom
- Agenzia regionale di sanità della Toscana, Osservatorio di epidemiologia, Florence, Italy
| | - Niek Klazinga
- Academic Medical Center, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
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Perera G, Gungabissoon U, Alexander M, Ansel D, Avillach P, Salles TD, Gordon MF, Nevado‐Holgado AJ, Novak GP, Pasqua A, Pedersen L, Ponjoan A, Rijnbeek P, Van Der Lei J, Stewart R. [P4–341]: LEVELS OF BLOOD PRESSURE, BODY MASS INDEX AND TOTAL SERUM CHOLESTEROL AT DIFFERENT TIME POINTS PRIOR TO DEMENTIA DIAGNOSIS: A CASE CONTROL STUDY OF OVER 28 MILLION ELECTRONIC HEALTH RECORDS FROM THE EMIF EHR DATA RESOURCE. Alzheimers Dement 2017. [DOI: 10.1016/j.jalz.2017.06.2211] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/18/2022]
Affiliation(s)
| | - Usha Gungabissoon
- Worldwide Epidemiology, GSKUxbridgeUnited Kingdom
- King's College London (Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience)LondonUnited Kingdom
| | | | | | - Paul Avillach
- Erasmus University Medical CenterRotterdamNetherlands
- Boston Children's HospitalBostonMAUSA
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | - Robert Stewart
- King's College LondonLondonUnited Kingdom
- Mental Health of Older Adults & Dementia CAG, South London & Maudsley NHS Foundation TrustLondonUnited Kingdom
- NIHR Biomedical Research Centre for Mental Health and Biomedical Research Unit for Dementia at South London and Maudsley NHS FoundationLondonUnited Kingdom
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Lapi F, Bianchini E, Michieli R, Pasqua A, Cricelli I, Mazzaglia G, Frediani B, Prieto-Alhambra D, Brandi ML, Cricelli C. Erratum to: Assessing risk of osteoporotic fractures in primary care: development and validation of the FRA-HS algorithm. Calcif Tissue Int 2017; 100:550. [PMID: 28289801 DOI: 10.1007/s00223-017-0262-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/20/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Francesco Lapi
- Health Search, Italian College of General Practitioners and Primary Care, Florence, Italy.
| | - Elisa Bianchini
- Health Search, Italian College of General Practitioners and Primary Care, Florence, Italy
| | - Raffaella Michieli
- Italian College of General Practitioners and Primary Care, Florence, Italy
| | - Alessandro Pasqua
- Health Search, Italian College of General Practitioners and Primary Care, Florence, Italy
| | - Iacopo Cricelli
- Health Search, Italian College of General Practitioners and Primary Care, Florence, Italy
| | - Giampiero Mazzaglia
- Health Search, Italian College of General Practitioners and Primary Care, Florence, Italy
| | - Bruno Frediani
- Department of Rheumatology, Policlinico Le Scotte, University of Siena, Siena, Italy
| | - Daniel Prieto-Alhambra
- Oxford NIHR Musculoskeletal Biomedical Research Unit, Nuffield Department of Orthopaedics, Rheumatology and Musculoskeletal Sciences, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
- GREMPAL Research Group, Institut Universitari d'Investigació en Atenció Primària Jordi Gol (IDIAP Jordi Gol), Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Maria Luisa Brandi
- Metabolic Bone Diseases Unit, Department of Surgery and Translational Medicine, University of Florence, Florence, Italy
| | - Claudio Cricelli
- Italian College of General Practitioners and Primary Care, Florence, Italy
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Gini R, Schuemie MJ, Mazzaglia G, Lapi F, Francesconi P, Pasqua A, Bianchini E, Montalbano C, Roberto G, Barletta V, Cricelli I, Cricelli C, Dal Co G, Bellentani M, Sturkenboom M, Klazinga N. Automatic identification of type 2 diabetes, hypertension, ischaemic heart disease, heart failure and their levels of severity from Italian General Practitioners' electronic medical records: a validation study. BMJ Open 2016; 6:e012413. [PMID: 27940627 PMCID: PMC5168667 DOI: 10.1136/bmjopen-2016-012413] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
OBJECTIVES The Italian project MATRICE aimed to assess how well cases of type 2 diabetes (T2DM), hypertension, ischaemic heart disease (IHD) and heart failure (HF) and their levels of severity can be automatically extracted from the Health Search/CSD Longitudinal Patient Database (HSD). From the medical records of the general practitioners (GP) who volunteered to participate, cases were extracted by algorithms based on diagnosis codes, keywords, drug prescriptions and results of diagnostic tests. A random sample of identified cases was validated by interviewing their GPs. SETTING HSD is a database of primary care medical records. A panel of 12 GPs participated in this validation study. PARTICIPANTS 300 patients were sampled for each disease, except for HF, where 243 patients were assessed. OUTCOME MEASURES The positive predictive value (PPV) was assessed for the presence/absence of each condition against the GP's response to the questionnaire, and Cohen's κ was calculated for agreement on the severity level. RESULTS The PPV was 100% (99% to 100%) for T2DM and hypertension, 98% (96% to 100%) for IHD and 55% (49% to 61%) for HF. Cohen's kappa for agreement on the severity level was 0.70 for T2DM and 0.69 for hypertension and IHD. CONCLUSIONS This study shows that individuals with T2DM, hypertension or IHD can be validly identified in HSD by automated identification algorithms. Automatic queries for levels of severity of the same diseases compare well with the corresponding clinical definitions, but some misclassification occurs. For HF, further research is needed to refine the current algorithm.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rosa Gini
- Agenzia regionale di sanità della Toscana, Osservatorio di epidemiologia, Florence, Italy
- Department of Medical Informatics, Erasmus Medical Center, Rotterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Martijn J Schuemie
- Department of EpidemiologyJanssen Research & Development, Titusville, New Jersey, USA
- Observational Health Data Sciences and Informatics (OHDSI), New York, New York, USA
| | - Giampiero Mazzaglia
- Health Search, Italian College of General Practitioners and Primary Care, Florence, Italy
| | - Francesco Lapi
- Health Search, Italian College of General Practitioners and Primary Care, Florence, Italy
| | - Paolo Francesconi
- Agenzia regionale di sanità della Toscana, Osservatorio di epidemiologia, Florence, Italy
| | - Alessandro Pasqua
- Health Search, Italian College of General Practitioners and Primary Care, Florence, Italy
| | - Elisa Bianchini
- Health Search, Italian College of General Practitioners and Primary Care, Florence, Italy
| | | | - Giuseppe Roberto
- Agenzia regionale di sanità della Toscana, Osservatorio di epidemiologia, Florence, Italy
| | - Valentina Barletta
- Agenzia regionale di sanità della Toscana, Osservatorio di epidemiologia, Florence, Italy
| | | | - Claudio Cricelli
- Italian College of General Practitioners and Primary Care, Florence, Italy
| | - Giulia Dal Co
- Agenzia Nazionale per il Servizi Sanitari Regionali, Rome, Italy
| | | | - Miriam Sturkenboom
- Department of Medical Informatics, Erasmus Medical Center, Rotterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Niek Klazinga
- Academic Medical Center, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
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Sultana J, Fontana A, Giorgianni F, Pasqua A, Cricelli C, Spina E, Gambassi G, Ivanovic J, Ferrajolo C, Molokhia M, Ballard C, Sharp S, Sturkenboom M, Trifirò G. The Effect of Safety Warnings on Antipsychotic Drug Prescribing in Elderly Persons with Dementia in the United Kingdom and Italy: A Population-Based Study. CNS Drugs 2016; 30:1097-1109. [PMID: 27423216 DOI: 10.1007/s40263-016-0366-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/21/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Antipsychotic (AP) drugs are commonly used to manage the behavioural symptoms of dementia. Nevertheless, international (i.e. the European Medicines Agency in Europe) and national (i.e. the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency in the UK and the Italian Drug Agency) regulatory agencies issued safety warnings against AP use in dementia in 2004 and 2009. OBJECTIVE The aim of this study is to investigate the short- and long-term impact of safety warnings on the use of APs in UK and Italian persons with dementia using two nationwide databases: The Health Improvement Network (THIN) from the UK and the Health Search Database-Cegedim-Strategic Data-Longitudinal Patient Database (HSD-CSD-LPD) from Italy. METHODS We calculated the overall quarterly prevalence of AP use by class and by individual drug in persons with dementia aged ≥65 years and used generalized linear models to explore the effect of the safety warnings. RESULTS We identified 58,497 and 10,857 individuals aged ≥65 years with dementia from the THIN and HSD-CSD-LPD databases, respectively, over the period 2000-2012. After the 2004 warnings, the use of atypical APs decreased, whereas the use of conventional APs increased, in Italy and the UK until 2009. However, the trend for APs individually showed that the use of risperidone/olanzapine decreased, whereas the use of quetiapine increased in both countries. After the 2009 warnings (until 2012), the use of atypical and conventional APs decreased in the UK (from 11 to 9 and 5 to 3 %, respectively), but such use increased in Italy (from 11 to 18 and 9 to 14 %, respectively). CONCLUSION The 2004 warnings led to a reduction in the use of olanzapine and risperidone and increased the use of quetiapine/conventional APs in both countries. From 2009, the use of APs decreased in persons with dementia in the UK but not in Italy. Possible reasons for the difference in AP use between the two countries include a more proactive approach towards reducing the use of APs in the UK than in Italy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Janet Sultana
- Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, University of Messina, Via Consolare Valeria, 98125, Messina, Sicily, Italy.,Department of Epidemiology, Erasmus Medical Centre, Dr. Molewaterplein 50, 3015 GE, Rotterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Andrea Fontana
- Unit of Biostatistics, IRCCS Casa Sollievo della Sofferenza, Viale Cappuccini 1, 71013, San Giovanni Rotondo, Bari, Italy
| | - Francesco Giorgianni
- Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, University of Messina, Via Consolare Valeria, 98125, Messina, Sicily, Italy
| | - Alessandro Pasqua
- Health Search, Italian College of General Practitioners, Via Sestese, 61, 50141, Florence, Italy
| | - Claudio Cricelli
- Health Search, Italian College of General Practitioners, Via Sestese, 61, 50141, Florence, Italy
| | - Edoardo Spina
- Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, University of Messina, Via Consolare Valeria, 98125, Messina, Sicily, Italy
| | - Giovanni Gambassi
- Department of Internal Medicine, Catholic University of the Sacred Heart, 00168, Rome, Italy
| | - Jelena Ivanovic
- Italian Drug Agency (AIFA), 181 Via del Tritone, 00187, Rome, Italy
| | - Carmen Ferrajolo
- Department of Experimental Medicine, Pharmacology section, Campania Regional Centre of Pharmacovigilance and Pharmacoepidemiology, Second University of Naples, 7 Via L. De Crecchio, 80138, Naples, Italy.,Department of Epidemiology, Erasmus Medical Centre, Dr. Molewaterplein 50, 3015 GE, Rotterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Mariam Molokhia
- Department of Primary Care and Public Health Sciences, King's College, London Capital House, 42 Weston Street, London, UK
| | - Clive Ballard
- Biomedical Research Unit for Dementia, Institute of Psychiatry Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College London, De Crespigny Park, London, UK
| | - Samantha Sharp
- Biomedical Research Unit for Dementia, Institute of Psychiatry Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College London, De Crespigny Park, London, UK
| | - Miriam Sturkenboom
- Department of Epidemiology, Erasmus Medical Centre, Dr. Molewaterplein 50, 3015 GE, Rotterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Gianluca Trifirò
- Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, University of Messina, Via Consolare Valeria, 98125, Messina, Sicily, Italy. .,Department of Epidemiology, Erasmus Medical Centre, Dr. Molewaterplein 50, 3015 GE, Rotterdam, The Netherlands. .,IRCCS Centro Neurolesi Bonino Pulejo, Contrada Casazza, SS113, 98124, Messina, Sicily, Italy.
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Roberto G, Leal I, Sattar N, Loomis AK, Avillach P, Egger P, van Wijngaarden R, Ansell D, Reisberg S, Tammesoo ML, Alavere H, Pasqua A, Pedersen L, Cunningham J, Tramontan L, Mayer MA, Herings R, Coloma P, Lapi F, Sturkenboom M, van der Lei J, Schuemie MJ, Rijnbeek P, Gini R. Identifying Cases of Type 2 Diabetes in Heterogeneous Data Sources: Strategy from the EMIF Project. PLoS One 2016; 11:e0160648. [PMID: 27580049 PMCID: PMC5006970 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0160648] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/23/2016] [Accepted: 07/23/2016] [Indexed: 11/26/2022] Open
Abstract
Due to the heterogeneity of existing European sources of observational healthcare data, data source-tailored choices are needed to execute multi-data source, multi-national epidemiological studies. This makes transparent documentation paramount. In this proof-of-concept study, a novel standard data derivation procedure was tested in a set of heterogeneous data sources. Identification of subjects with type 2 diabetes (T2DM) was the test case. We included three primary care data sources (PCDs), three record linkage of administrative and/or registry data sources (RLDs), one hospital and one biobank. Overall, data from 12 million subjects from six European countries were extracted. Based on a shared event definition, sixteeen standard algorithms (components) useful to identify T2DM cases were generated through a top-down/bottom-up iterative approach. Each component was based on one single data domain among diagnoses, drugs, diagnostic test utilization and laboratory results. Diagnoses-based components were subclassified considering the healthcare setting (primary, secondary, inpatient care). The Unified Medical Language System was used for semantic harmonization within data domains. Individual components were extracted and proportion of population identified was compared across data sources. Drug-based components performed similarly in RLDs and PCDs, unlike diagnoses-based components. Using components as building blocks, logical combinations with AND, OR, AND NOT were tested and local experts recommended their preferred data source-tailored combination. The population identified per data sources by resulting algorithms varied from 3.5% to 15.7%, however, age-specific results were fairly comparable. The impact of individual components was assessed: diagnoses-based components identified the majority of cases in PCDs (93–100%), while drug-based components were the main contributors in RLDs (81–100%). The proposed data derivation procedure allowed the generation of data source-tailored case-finding algorithms in a standardized fashion, facilitated transparent documentation of the process and benchmarking of data sources, and provided bases for interpretation of possible inter-data source inconsistency of findings in future studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Giuseppe Roberto
- Regional Agency for Healthcare Services of Tuscany, Epidemiology unit, Florence, Italy
- * E-mail:
| | - Ingrid Leal
- Department of Medical Informatics, Erasmus University Medical Center, Rotterdam, Netherlands
| | - Naveed Sattar
- British Heart Foundation Glasgow Cardiovascular Research Centre, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, United Kingdom
| | - A. Katrina Loomis
- Pfizer Worldwide Research and Development, Groton, Connecticut, United States of America
| | - Paul Avillach
- Department of Medical Informatics, Erasmus University Medical Center, Rotterdam, Netherlands
- Department of Biomedical Informatics, Harvard Medical School & Children’s Hospital Informatics Program, Boston Children’s Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts, United States of America
| | - Peter Egger
- GlaxoSmithKline, Worldwide Epidemiology GSK, Stockley Park West, Uxbridge, United Kingdom
| | | | - David Ansell
- The Health Improvement Network, Cegedim Strategic Data Medical Research Ltd, London, United Kingdom
| | - Sulev Reisberg
- Quretec, Software Technology and Applications Competence Center, University of Tartu, Tartu, Estonia
| | - Mari-Liis Tammesoo
- Estonian Genome Center, University of Tartu, Tartu, Estonia
- Tartu University Hospital, Tartu, Estonia
| | - Helene Alavere
- Estonian Genome Center, University of Tartu, Tartu, Estonia
- Tartu University Hospital, Tartu, Estonia
| | - Alessandro Pasqua
- Health Search, Italian College of General Practitioners and Primary Care, Firenze, Italy
| | - Lars Pedersen
- Department of Clinical Epidemiology, Aarhus University Hosptial, Aarhus, Denmark
| | | | - Lara Tramontan
- Arsenàl.IT Consortium, Veneto's Research Centre for eHealth Innovation, Treviso, Italy
| | - Miguel A. Mayer
- Hospital del Mar Medical Research Institute (IMIM) and Universitat Pompeu Fabra, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Ron Herings
- PHARMO Institute for Drug Outcomes Research, Utrecht, Netherlands
| | - Preciosa Coloma
- Department of Medical Informatics, Erasmus University Medical Center, Rotterdam, Netherlands
| | - Francesco Lapi
- Regional Agency for Healthcare Services of Tuscany, Epidemiology unit, Florence, Italy
| | - Miriam Sturkenboom
- Department of Medical Informatics, Erasmus University Medical Center, Rotterdam, Netherlands
| | - Johan van der Lei
- Department of Medical Informatics, Erasmus University Medical Center, Rotterdam, Netherlands
| | - Martijn J. Schuemie
- Janssen Research & Development, Epidemiology, Titusville, New Jersey, United States of America
- Observational Health Data Sciences and Informatics, New York, New York, United States of America
| | - Peter Rijnbeek
- Department of Medical Informatics, Erasmus University Medical Center, Rotterdam, Netherlands
| | - Rosa Gini
- Regional Agency for Healthcare Services of Tuscany, Epidemiology unit, Florence, Italy
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Pupillo E, Cricelli C, Mazzoleni F, Cricelli I, Pasqua A, Pecchioli S, Lapi F, Beghi E. Epidemiology of Parkinson's Disease: A Population-Based Study in Primary Care in Italy. Neuroepidemiology 2016; 47:38-45. [DOI: 10.1159/000448402] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/11/2016] [Accepted: 07/14/2016] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Background: There are no studies on prevalence, incidence and comorbidities of Parkinson's disease (PD) in the Italian population. Methods: The database of 700 Italian general practitioners (population, 923,356) was investigated. All patients with International Classification of Diseases Ninth Revision - Clinical Modification (ICD-9-CM) diagnosis of PD during the period 2002-2012 were included. Parkinsonisms were excluded. Clinical conditions preceding PD were identified through ICD-9-CM codes. The Charlson Comorbidity Index was used. PD crude and standardized prevalence and annual incidence were calculated. Crude and adjusted hazard ratios were calculated for comorbidities. Results: A total of 2,204 patients (1,140 men, 1,064 women, age 22-95 years) were included. The crude prevalence of PD was 239/100,000. Prevalence increased exponentially with age. Standardized prevalence was 233 (95% CI 232-235). One hundred ninety-four patients were newly diagnosed, giving a crude incidence of 22/100,000 and a standardized incidence of 23.1/100,000 (95% CI 22.9-23.2). Incidence increased steadily until age 75-84 years and then decreased. Older age, cardiovascular and gastrointestinal disorders, diabetes, and restless-legs syndrome were associated with increased PD risk and smoking and hypersomnia with decreased PD risk. The Charlson Comorbidity Index was associated with PD risk with a documented gradient. Conclusions: Prevalence and incidence of PD in Italy are in line with studies with the highest case ascertainment. PD risk varies with the number and type of comorbidities.
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Levi M, Pasqua A, Cricelli I, Cricelli C, Piccinni C, Parretti D, Lapi F. Patient Adherence to Olmesartan/Amlodipine Combinations: Fixed Versus Extemporaneous Combinations. J Manag Care Spec Pharm 2016; 22:255-62. [PMID: 27003555 PMCID: PMC10398216 DOI: 10.18553/jmcp.2016.22.3.255] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/05/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Lack of adherence to prescribed therapies is often a cause of suboptimal blood pressure control in patients with hypertension. To enhance patients' adherence to treatment, fixed-dose combinations of active substances with complementary mechanisms of action have been developed. An angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor or an angiotensin receptor blocker (ARB) is often combined with a calcium channel blocker. Olmesartan is the most used ARB in combination therapy. In Italy, in September 2011, a fixed-dose combination of olmesartan/amlodipine (olmesartan/amlodipine 20/5 mg, 40/5 mg, or 40/10 mg) was introduced to treat patients with hypertension for whom control of blood pressure is not reached with either olmesartan or amlodipine alone. Prior research on adherence to olmesartan/amlodipine combinations was carried out in local contexts (e.g., claims databases of Italian regions or local health authorities), and/or it was limited by the fact that adherence was assessed against monotherapies already known for their low compliance profile, such as diuretics. OBJECTIVE To compare adherence with olmesartan/amlodipine fixed-dose combination (FDC) and extemporaneous combination in primary care in Italy. METHODS A nationwide, population-based study was conducted by using the Health Search IMS Health Longitudinal Patient Database. Patients aged > 17 years, affected by hypertension and treated with the FDC or extemporaneous combination of olmesartan/amlodipine, were identified. Adherence to these 2 therapeutic regimens was estimated by calculating the proportion of days covered (PDC). Patients were classified into 3 levels of adherence: high (PDC ≥ 80%), intermediate (PDC = 40%-79%), or low (PDC < 40%). RESULTS In the 6-month follow-up, FDC showed higher adherence compared with an extemporaneous combination (55.1% vs. 15.9%, P < 0.001). This difference was confirmed in a multivariable logistic regression model clustered on patient identifier (odds ratio = 6.65; 95% CI = 3.10-14.26; P < 0.001). The proportion of patients adherent to FDC varied from 60.4% for the 40/5 mg formulation to 47.5% for the 40/10 mg formulation. CONCLUSIONS These findings suggest that higher adherence may be achieved with FDCs than with extemporaneous combinations. To improve the degree of adherence, general practitioners may consider prescribing fixed combinations of antihypertensive agents as soon as monotherapies fail to achieve the expected therapeutic objective.
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Affiliation(s)
- Miriam Levi
- Research Fellow, Department of Health Sciences, University of Florence, Florence, Italy
| | - Alessandro Pasqua
- Chief Statistician, Health Search, Italian College of General Practitioners and Primary Care, Florence, Italy
| | - Iacopo Cricelli
- General Director, Health Search, Italian College of General Practitioners and Primary Care, Florence, Italy
| | - Claudio Cricelli
- President, Italian College of General Practitioners and Primary Care, Florence, Italy
| | - Carlo Piccinni
- Postdoctoral Researcher, Department of Medical and Surgical Sciences−Pharmacology Unit, University of Bologna, Bologna, Italy
| | - Damiano Parretti
- General Practitioner, Italian College of General Practitioners and Primary Care, Florence, Italy
| | - Francesco Lapi
- Research Director, Health Search, Italian College of General Practitioners and Primary Care, Florence, Italy
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15
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Gini R, Schuemie MJ, Francesconi P, Lapi F, Cricelli I, Pasqua A, Gallina P, Donato D, Brugaletta S, Donatini A, Marini A, Cricelli C, Damiani G, Bellentani M, van der Lei J, Sturkenboom MCJM, Klazinga NS. Can Italian healthcare administrative databases be used to compare regions with respect to compliance with standards of care for chronic diseases? PLoS One 2014; 9:e95419. [PMID: 24816637 PMCID: PMC4015953 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0095419] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/27/2013] [Accepted: 03/27/2014] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Italy has a population of 60 million and a universal coverage single-payer healthcare system, which mandates collection of healthcare administrative data in a uniform fashion throughout the country. On the other hand, organization of the health system takes place at the regional level, and local initiatives generate natural experiments. This is happening in particular in primary care, due to the need to face the growing burden of chronic diseases. Health services research can compare and evaluate local initiatives on the basis of the common healthcare administrative data.However reliability of such data in this context needs to be assessed, especially when comparing different regions of the country. In this paper we investigated the validity of healthcare administrative databases to compute indicators of compliance with standards of care for diabetes, ischaemic heart disease (IHD) and heart failure (HF). Methods We compared indicators estimated from healthcare administrative data collected by Local Health Authorities in five Italian regions with corresponding estimates from clinical data collected by General Practitioners (GPs). Four indicators of diagnostic follow-up (two for diabetes, one for IHD and one for HF) and four indicators of appropriate therapy (two each for IHD and HF) were considered. Results Agreement between the two data sources was very good, except for indicators of laboratory diagnostic follow-up in one region and for the indicator of bioimaging diagnostic follow-up in all regions, where measurement with administrative data underestimated quality. Conclusion According to evidence presented in this study, estimating compliance with standards of care for diabetes, ischaemic heart disease and heart failure from healthcare databases is likely to produce reliable results, even though completeness of data on diagnostic procedures should be assessed first. Performing studies comparing regions using such indicators as outcomes is a promising development with potential to improve quality governance in the Italian healthcare system.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rosa Gini
- Agenzia regionale di sanità della Toscana, Florence, Italy
- Department of Medical Informatics, Erasmus Medical Center, Rotterdam, The Netherlands
- * E-mail:
| | - Martijn J. Schuemie
- Department of Medical Informatics, Erasmus Medical Center, Rotterdam, The Netherlands
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | - Johan van der Lei
- Department of Medical Informatics, Erasmus Medical Center, Rotterdam, The Netherlands
| | | | - Niek S. Klazinga
- Academic Medical Center, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
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Giussani G, Cricelli C, Mazzoleni F, Cricelli I, Pasqua A, Pecchioli S, Lapi F, Beghi E. Prevalence and Incidence of Epilepsy in Italy Based on a Nationwide Database. Neuroepidemiology 2014; 43:228-32. [DOI: 10.1159/000368801] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/25/2014] [Accepted: 09/26/2014] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
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Sterrantino C, Trifirò G, Lapi F, Pasqua A, Mazzaglia G, Piccinni C, Cricelli C, Rossi A, Blasi F. Burden of community-acquired pneumonia in Italian general practice: Table 1–. Eur Respir J 2013; 42:1739-42. [DOI: 10.1183/09031936.00128713] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/05/2022]
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Gini R, Francesconi P, Mazzaglia G, Cricelli I, Pasqua A, Gallina P, Brugaletta S, Donato D, Donatini A, Marini A, Zocchetti C, Cricelli C, Damiani G, Bellentani M, Sturkenboom MCJM, Schuemie MJ. Chronic disease prevalence from Italian administrative databases in the VALORE project: a validation through comparison of population estimates with general practice databases and national survey. BMC Public Health 2013; 13:15. [PMID: 23297821 PMCID: PMC3551838 DOI: 10.1186/1471-2458-13-15] [Citation(s) in RCA: 68] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/21/2012] [Accepted: 01/02/2013] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Administrative databases are widely available and have been extensively used to provide estimates of chronic disease prevalence for the purpose of surveillance of both geographical and temporal trends. There are, however, other sources of data available, such as medical records from primary care and national surveys. In this paper we compare disease prevalence estimates obtained from these three different data sources. METHODS Data from general practitioners (GP) and administrative transactions for health services were collected from five Italian regions (Veneto, Emilia Romagna, Tuscany, Marche and Sicily) belonging to all the three macroareas of the country (North, Center, South). Crude prevalence estimates were calculated by data source and region for diabetes, ischaemic heart disease, heart failure and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). For diabetes and COPD, prevalence estimates were also obtained from a national health survey. When necessary, estimates were adjusted for completeness of data ascertainment. RESULTS Crude prevalence estimates of diabetes in administrative databases (range: from 4.8% to 7.1%) were lower than corresponding GP (6.2%-8.5%) and survey-based estimates (5.1%-7.5%). Geographical trends were similar in the three sources and estimates based on treatment were the same, while estimates adjusted for completeness of ascertainment (6.1%-8.8%) were slightly higher. For ischaemic heart disease administrative and GP data sources were fairly consistent, with prevalence ranging from 3.7% to 4.7% and from 3.3% to 4.9%, respectively. In the case of heart failure administrative estimates were consistently higher than GPs' estimates in all five regions, the highest difference being 1.4% vs 1.1%. For COPD the estimates from administrative data, ranging from 3.1% to 5.2%, fell into the confidence interval of the Survey estimates in four regions, but failed to detect the higher prevalence in the most Southern region (4.0% in administrative data vs 6.8% in survey data). The prevalence estimates for COPD from GP data were consistently higher than the corresponding estimates from the other two sources. CONCLUSION This study supports the use of data from Italian administrative databases to estimate geographic differences in population prevalence of ischaemic heart disease, treated diabetes, diabetes mellitus and heart failure. The algorithm for COPD used in this study requires further refinement.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rosa Gini
- Agenzia regionale di sanità della Toscana, Via Pietro Dazzi 1, 50141 Florence, Italy.
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Pasqua A, Salfa M, Pecchioli S, Pasciullo G, Brignoli O, Costa S, Suligoi B. O153 EPIDEMIOLOGY OF GENITAL WARTS REPORTED BY GENERAL PRACTITIONERS IN ITALY. Int J Gynaecol Obstet 2012. [DOI: 10.1016/s0020-7292(12)60583-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/27/2022]
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Lapi F, Simonetti M, Michieli R, Pasqua A, Brandi ML, Frediani B, Cricelli C, Mazzaglia G. Assessing 5-year incidence rates and determinants of osteoporotic fractures in primary care. Bone 2012; 50:85-90. [PMID: 21985999 DOI: 10.1016/j.bone.2011.09.048] [Citation(s) in RCA: 35] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/01/2011] [Revised: 07/11/2011] [Accepted: 09/22/2011] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
PURPOSE To assess the gender and age-related 5-year incidence rates of osteoporotic fractures, and their related predictors, in a primary care setting. METHODS We obtained information from the Health Search-CSD Longitudinal Patients Database (HSD). This is an Italian General Practice data repository which comprises information given by computer-based patient records of a selected group of over 900 Primary Care Physicians (PCPs). We selected all patients aged 50 to 85 years, who were actively included into the PCP's list at the beginning of the enrolment period (1st January 2002-31st December 2003). We excluded individuals who were registered in the PCPs' list for less than 1 year before the entry date (Index date) into the cohort, as well as those who were diagnosed with Paget disease or malignant neoplasm. Participants were followed up until the occurrence of osteoporotic fracture, one of the exclusion criteria, or the end of the study period. RESULTS The 5-year rates (per 1000 person-years) of any osteoporotic fracture were 11.56 (95% C.I. 11.33 to 11.77) among females, and 4.91 (95% C.I. 4.75 to 5.07) among males. For hip fractures, the overall incidence rates were 3.23 (95% C.I. 3.11 to 3.34) among females and 1.21 (95% C.I. 1.12 to 1.28) among males, respectively. Advanced age, history of fracture, use of corticosteroids, rheumatoid arthritis, BMI<=20, presence of osteoporosis, gastrointestinal and chronic hepatic disease, depression, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, use of anticonvulsants and a higher number of co-medications, increased the risk of any osteoporotic fractures. CONCLUSIONS The use of primary care data confirms a higher incidence of osteoporotic fractures among females vs. males as well as in older individuals. Predictors of osteoporotic fractures were consistent with FRAX® algorithm. Given the clinical utility of a simple score for the assessment of absolute fracture risk among osteoporotic patients, its assessment and validation in the Italian HSD could potentially provide an applicable prediction tool.
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Affiliation(s)
- F Lapi
- Department of Preclinical and Clinical Pharmacology, University of Florence, Italy.
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Abstract
OBJECTIVE To investigate the personal relationship and social factors that influence young women not to use contraceptives. METHODS A total of 104 young women aged 14-23 years were studied using a 26-item questionnaire which was to be filled out individually. The questionnaire addressed use of contraceptives at the first intercourse and current use, together with various items related to age, educational level, self-image, fantasy about parenthood, and characteristics of the relationships with the partner and the family. A descriptive analysis and a multivariate logistic regression model investigated the relationship between contraceptive non-use and selected variables. RESULTS Twenty-four percent of the girls did not use any effective contraceptive method at the first sexual intercourse and 21% were current non-users. The study of characteristics associated with inconsistent contraceptive use shows a complex picture where young age, poor knowledge of the partner, an older partner and living in a incomplete family nucleus or outside the family represent significant risk factors. Considering our results as a whole, contraceptive non-use is not only a marker of risk-taking behavior, but sometimes expresses irrational feelings which emerge when facing new sexual experience.
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Affiliation(s)
- M Dei
- Pediatric Adolescent Gynecology Service, University of Florence, Florence, Italy
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Dei M, Seravalli V, Bruni V, Balzi D, Pasqua A. Predictors of recovery of ovarian function after weight gain in subjects with amenorrhea related to restrictive eating disorders. Gynecol Endocrinol 2008; 24:459-64. [PMID: 18850384 DOI: 10.1080/09513590802246141] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/21/2022] Open
Abstract
OBJECTIVE The aim of the present study was to investigate the anthropometric and endocrine characteristics of subjects with amenorrhea related to eating disorders after weight recovery, in order to identify factors connected with the resumption of menses. METHODS Clinical data, body composition parameters and serum levels of follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH), luteinizing hormone (LH), thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH), free triiodothyronine, free thyroxine, cortisol, leptin and insulin were assessed in two groups of young women classified according to menstrual status after weight rehabilitation: 43 subjects who displayed persistent amenorrhea and 34 who resumed menses. Univariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses were used to examine the relationships between the different parameters and menstrual recovery. RESULTS The patients who resumed menses had low initial weight and BMI, and a greater difference between current and initial BMI (DeltaBMI), than those with amenorrhea. No differences were observed in lean mass, body fat or bone density between the two groups. Moreover, the reduction in FSH and the increase in LH, insulin and leptin emerged as significant predictors of menstrual recovery. Increased DeltaBMI and insulin continued to be positive predictors in the multivariate analysis. CONCLUSION Following weight rehabilitation, the individual's metabolic set point before weight loss and the current insulin levels appear significant in predicting the reactivation of reproductive function.
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Affiliation(s)
- Metella Dei
- Pediatric and Adolescent Gynecology Unit, University of Florence, Florence, Italy.
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Mannucci E, Monami M, Cresci B, Pala L, Bardini G, Petracca MG, Dicembrini I, Pasqua A, Buiatti E, Rotella CM. National Cholesterol Education Program and International Diabetes Federation definitions of metabolic syndrome in the prediction of diabetes. Results from the FIrenze-Bagno A Ripoli study. Diabetes Obes Metab 2008; 10:430-5. [PMID: 17419722 DOI: 10.1111/j.1463-1326.2007.00724.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 40] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND The International Diabetes Federation (IDF) proposed to modify the diagnostic criteria for metabolic syndrome (MS) previously issued by the National Cholesterol Education Program (NCEP). Aim of the present investigation is to compare the predictive value for diabetes of NCEP and IDF definitions of MS in a large sample of predominantly Caucasian subjects. METHODS A prospective observational study was performed on a cohort study (n = 3096) enrolled in a diabetes-screening programme, the FIrenze-Bagno A Ripoli study. All subjects with fasting glucose >126 mg/dl and/or post-load glucose > or =200 mg/dl (5.7%) were excluded from the present analysis. Follow-up of each subject was continued until diagnosis of diabetes, death or until 31 December 2005. Mean follow-up was 27.7 +/- 11.3 months. RESULTS Among subjects enrolled, 13.7 and 25.2% were affected by MS using NCEP and IDF criteria respectively. During follow-up, 38 new cases of diabetes were diagnosed, with a yearly incidence rate of 0.5%. The relative risk for diabetes in subjects with MS was 10.10 [5.13; 20.00] and 7.87 [3.70; 16.7] using NCEP and IDF definitions respectively. After adjustment for age, sex, fasting glucose and waist circumference, NCEP-defined MS, but not IDF-, was significantly associated with incident diabetes (hazard ratio, 95% CI: 2.41 [1.01; 5.95] and 2.05 [0.80; 5.29] respectively). CONCLUSIONS Although the reasons for the proposed changes in diagnostic criteria for MS are easily understandable, the newer IDF definition, while increasing estimates of prevalence of the syndrome, reduces the effectiveness of MS in identifying subjects at risk for diabetes. Further research is needed before the previous NCEP criteria are abandoned.
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Affiliation(s)
- E Mannucci
- Diabetes Section, Geriatric Unit, Department of Critical Care, University of Florence, Florence, Italy
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Barchielli A, Balzi D, Pasqua A, Buiatti E. [Incidence of acute myocardial infarction in Tuscany, 1997-2002: data from the Acute Myocardial Infarction Registry of Tuscany (Tosc-AMI)]. Epidemiol Prev 2006; 30:161-8. [PMID: 17051940] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/12/2023]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE The Acute Myocardial Infarction Regional Registry of Tuscany was aimed to assess incidence and prognosis of acute myocardial infarction (AMI) in Tuscany, and the spread of interventional cardiology (coronarography and coronary angioplasty) in AMI treatment. DESIGN Record-linkage between current hospitalisation and mortality databases, aimed to identify total events (hospitalised AMI cases + out-of-hospital coronary deaths), also including recurrent events (rule of 28 days or more after any previous event in the same patient). SETTING Population based registry (residents in Tuscany). MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES Age-standardised attack rates, 28-day case-fatality and proportion of patients who underwent coronarography or coronary angioplasty. RESULTS In Tuscany, between 1997 and 2002, AMI attack rates were stable in both genders. Rates of out-of-hospital coronary death (progressively decreasing) and of hospitalised AMI cases (increasing after the year 2000) showed opposite trends. Case-fatality decreased both for total events (largely explained by the reduction of out-of-hospital deaths) and for hospitalised cases. In the same period, the spread of coronarography and coronary angioplasty progressively increased. AMI attack rates and interventional cardiology procedures utilization were significantly different across Tuscany areas, whereas 28-day case-fatality of hospitalised cases did not significantly differ within the region. CONCLUSIONS Notwithstanding the importance of cardiovascular disease, scanty population-based incidence, case-fatality and treatment data were available in Italy. Monitoring systems based on current hospitalisation and mortality databases could represent an economical and timely tools, providing data useful in a public health perspective and for health planning. The validation of diagnostic codes with standardised criteria could ensure the comparability with other Italian areas.
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Bruni V, Dei M, Filicetti MF, Balzi D, Pasqua A. Predictors of bone loss in young women with restrictive eating disorders. Pediatr Endocrinol Rev 2006; 3 Suppl 1:219-21. [PMID: 16641864] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/08/2023]
Abstract
OBJECTIVES To evaluate the influence of Body Mass Index, body composition and hormonal factors on bone mass in young women with amenorrhea related to restrictive eating disorders. DESIGN Descriptive study of 55 patients with secondary amenorrhea due to restrictive eating disorders and 14 healthy girls used for comparison. Assessment of Bone Mineral Density, Fat Mass and Lean Mass by DEXA and of the serum hormonal profile. RESULTS Patients had lower BMI, lower Fat Mass and lower Bone Mass compared to controls; their serum levels of LH, FT(3), DHEAS, Insulin and Leptin were significantly reduced. Low Bone Density, especially in the lumbar region, correlated with concentrations of FT(3), Cortisol, Insulin and Leptin, hormones expressive of metabolic adjustment to malnutrition. Lean Mass was a strong predictor of osteopenia and osteoporosis. CONCLUSIONS Hormonal nutritional markers, together with soft tissue composition measurements, are viable options for ongoing monitoring of subjects with eating disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vincenzina Bruni
- Pediatric and Adolescent Gynecology Service, University of Florence, Italy
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Messina D, Annesi G, Serra P, Nicoletti G, Pasqua A, Annesi F, Tomaino C, Cirò-Candiano IC, Carrideo S, Caracciolo M, Spadafora P, Zappia M, Savettieri G, Quattrone A. Association of the 5-HT6 receptor gene polymorphism C267T with Parkinson's disease. Neurology 2002; 58:828-9. [PMID: 11889255 DOI: 10.1212/wnl.58.5.828] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/15/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- D Messina
- Institute of Neurological Sciences , National Research Council, Piano Lago di Mangone, Cosenza, Italy
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Gambardella A, Mazzei R, Toscano A, Annesi G, Pasqua A, Annesi F, Quattrone F, Oliveri RL, Valentino P, Bono F, Aguglia U, Zappia M, Vita G, Quattrone A. Spinal muscular atrophy due to an isolated deletion of exon 8 of the telomeric survival motor neuron gene. Ann Neurol 1998; 44:836-9. [PMID: 9818944 DOI: 10.1002/ana.410440522] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022]
Abstract
Patients with autosomal recessive spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) usually carry a homozygous deletion of exons 7 and 8 of the telomeric survival motor neuron (SMN(T)) gene, although an isolated deletion of SMN(T) exon 8 has never been found. We now report on 2 patients with the typical features of SMA types II and III, who carried a homozygous deletion of SMN(T) exon 8 but retained SMN(T) exon 7. Importantly, to exclude a sequence conversion event of telomeric exon 8, we amplified a fragment that spanned exons 7 and 8 of the SMN gene. The resulting 1,010-base pair (bp) fragments were subjected to nested polymerase chain reaction (PCR) of exon 7. The subsequent restriction analysis failed to show any products of telomeric exon 7, as the site for primer 541C1120 was lost in both alleles. These findings indicate a homozygous deletion of SMN(T) exon 8. Direct sequencing of the cloned 1,010-bp fragment further confirmed that these 2 SMA patients did not possess telomeric exon 8. The more severely affected child also showed a deletion of the neuronal apoptosis inhibitory protein (NAIP) gene. The present findings provide evidence that an isolated deletion of SMN(T) exon 8 is associated with the milder subtypes of SMA. Our data also demonstrate that the additional deletion of the NAIP gene exacerbates the severity of the disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- A Gambardella
- Institute of Neurology, School of Medicine, Catanzaro, Italy
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Qualtieri A, Pasqua A, Bisconte MG, Le Pera M, Brancati C. Spectrin Cosenza: a novel beta chain variant associated with Sp alphaI/74 hereditary elliptocytosis. Br J Haematol 1997; 97:273-8. [PMID: 9163587 DOI: 10.1046/j.1365-2141.1997.572703.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/04/2023]
Abstract
A Calabrian family (Southern Italy) with Sp alpha(I/74) hereditary elliptocytosis (HE) in the heterozygous state was studied. Sp alpha(I/74) HE is associated with asymptomatic elliptocytosis, a defect in spectrin dimer self association and an increase of the alpha(I/74) kD fragment from the alpha chain after partial tryptic digestion of spectrin. To identify the underlying molecular defect, we analysed exons V, W, X, Y, Z of the beta gene and exon 2 of the alpha gene by single-strand conformational polymorphism (SSCP) of the amplification products. Direct DNA sequencing of the mutant exon showed a C-->G substitution at position 6284 of the beta gene. The corresponding substitution at the protein level was Arg-->Pro in the 2064 position of the beta-spectrin chain.
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Affiliation(s)
- A Qualtieri
- Centro Studi della Microcitemia, Cosenza, Italy
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Qualtieri A, Bisconte MG, Pasqua A, Bria M, Brancati C. SP alpha I/65 hereditary elliptocytosis in Calabria (southern Italy). Hum Genet 1995; 95:359-62. [PMID: 7868135 DOI: 10.1007/bf00225210] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/27/2023]
Abstract
The alpha I/65 variant of spectrin has been described in black people, in North Africans and recently in two southern Italian families. This variant is associated in the heterozygous state with mild Hereditary Elliptocytosis (HE) and the molecular basis of the defect is invariably the duplication of TTG at codon 154 of the alpha spectrin gene. The present study reports the identification of five Calabrian families with SP alpha I/65 HE and their distribution in the population.
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Affiliation(s)
- A Qualtieri
- Centro Studi della Microcitemia, Cosenza, Italy
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Affiliation(s)
- E V De Marco
- Istituto per lo Studio delle Malattie, Ereditarie e Carenziali CNR, Cosenza, Italy
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Pasqua A, Dominici P, Murgia SM, Poletti A, Borri Voltattorni C. Dye-sensitized photo-oxidation of pig kidney Dopa decarboxylase. Biochem Int 1984; 9:437-46. [PMID: 6517952] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/20/2023]
Abstract
The effects of irradiation of pig kidney Dopa decarboxylase by visible light absorbed by the intrinsic chromophore, pyridoxal-P, and by the externally added dyes, pyridoxal-P or proflavin, have been studied. In all cases inactivation was observed, even though to different extens, which seemed to be essentially correlated to tryptophanyl residues photodestruction. Kinetics of inactivation and oxidation of these amino acid residues revealed the presence of two distinct groups of tryptophan residues with different photooxidation rate constants. A different role for these classes of residues in the structure and function of Dopa decarboxylase has been suggested.
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Murgia S, Pasqua A, Poletti A. Laser photolysis study of the hematoporphyrin IX—ℓ-tryptophan system in solvent mixtures at different polarity. Chem Phys Lett 1983. [DOI: 10.1016/0009-2614(83)87124-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/15/2022]
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