ECFS standards of care on CFTR-related disorders: Identification and care of the disorders

This is the third paper in the series providing updated information and recommendations for people with cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR)-related disorder (CFTR-RD). This paper covers the individual disorders, including the established conditions - congenital absence of the vas deferens (CAVD), diffuse bronchiectasis and chronic or acute recurrent pancreatitis - and also other conditions which might be considered a CFTR-RD, including allergic bronchopulmonary aspergillosis, chronic rhinosinusitis, primary sclerosing cholangitis and aquagenic wrinkling. The CFTR functional and genetic evidence in support of the condition being a CFTR-RD are discussed and guidance for reaching the diagnosis, including alternative conditions to consider and management recommendations, is provided. Gaps in our knowledge, particularly of the emerging conditions, and future areas of research, including the role of CFTR modulators, are highlighted.

Pulmonary Aspergillosis in People with Cystic Fibrosis

In the last decade, fungal respiratory diseases have been increasingly investigated for their impact on the clinical course of people with cystic fibrosis (CF), with a particular focus on infections caused by Aspergillus spp. The most common organisms from this genus detected from respiratory cultures are Aspergillus fumigatus and Aspergillus terreus, followed by Aspergillus flavus, Aspergillus niger, and Aspergillus nidulans. These species have been identified to be both chronic colonizers and sources of active infection and may negatively impact lung function in people with CF. This review article discusses definitions of aspergillosis, challenges in clinical practice, and current literature available for laboratory findings, clinical diagnosis, and treatment options for pulmonary diseases caused by Aspergillus spp. in people with CF.

Manifestation and staging of arthropathy in cystic fibrosis. Defining different stages of cystic fibrosis arthropathy using ultrasound imaging and clinical scoring

BACKGROUND

The true prevalence of cystic fibrosis arthropathy (CFA) remains unclear and may be significantly higher than previously reported. In recent studies, joint symptoms have been reported in up to 30% of adults with CF. This underlines the importance of CFA as a rising and clinically relevant co-morbidity. A clear definition of CFA is yet missing and its pathogenesis remains unclear. We investigated the clinical manifestation of CFA particularly via ultrasound (US) examination to define and implement a staging for clinical assessment.

METHODS

In a prospective cohort study between March 2018 and February 2020 a total of 98 consecutively recruited, adult cystic fibrosis (CF) patients underwent joint-US examination according to a newly developed ultrasound score (US-CFA). A clinical assessment including rheumatological scores (DAS28, HAQ) has been conducted as well as a specially designed questionnaire. Investigation on clinical and microbiological data, as well as a comprehensive laboratory analysis, were carried out. Cluster analysis has been performed to detect patterns defining different CFA stages based on disease activity.

RESULTS

US imaging has shown a considerable incidence of mild to moderate effusion as sign of joint inflammation/(teno-)synovitis. K-means clustering was used to distinguish 3 different stages of CFA based on the intensity of the detected effusion. These stages showed a significant association with disease activity (DAS28, p = 0.0004) as well as with patient-reported symptoms such as total weeks of CFA per year (p = 0.004), acute CFA (p = 0.015), chronic CFA (p = 0.016), disease burden (p = 0.04). Based on the US-CFA, 16% of patients suffered from severe CFA (II), 51% from intermediate CFA (I) and 33% did not present detectable arthritis. Positive serology for Chlamydophilia pneumoniae (IgA, IgG) and Chlamydia trachomatis (IgA, IgG) significantly correlated with the US-CFA.

CONCLUSIONS

The results of this study show that a definition and categorization for the clinical manifestation of CFA can be described through US examination, which is able to detect disease activity concordant with the DAS28 as a validated clinical score on arthritis. Defining these stages will lead to a better understanding of the clinical phenotype of the disease and will optimize diagnosis, therapy and research on CFA in the future.

Combining treatment for chronic hepatitis C with opioid agonist therapy is an effective microelimination strategy for people who inject drugs with high risk of non-adherence to antiviral therapy

Background & aims

Despite effective direct-acting antivirals (DAAs), hepatitis C virus (HCV) prevalence is high among people who inject drugs (PWIDs) and non-adherence to therapy remains a major obstacle towards HCV elimination in this subpopulation. To overcome this issue, we have combined ongoing opioid agonist therapy (OAT) with DAAs in a directly-observed therapy (DOT) setting.

Method

From September 2014 until January 2021 PWIDs at high risk of non-adherence to DAA therapy, who were also on OAT, were included into this microelimination project. Individuals received their OAT and DAAs under supervision of healthcare workers as DOT in a pharmacy or low-threshold facility.

Results

In total, 504 HCV RNA-positive PWIDs on OAT (387 men, 76.8%; median age: 38 years [IQR 33-45], HIV: 4.6%; hepatitis B: 1.4%) were included into this study. Two thirds reported ongoing intravenous drug use (IDU) and half of them had no permanent housing. Only 41 (8.1%) were lost to follow-up and two (0.4%) died of reasons unrelated to DAA toxicity. Overall, 90.7% of PWIDs achieved sustained virological response 12 weeks after treatment (SVR12) (95% CI: 88.1-93.2%). By excluding those lost to follow-up and hose who had died of causes unrelated to DAAs, the SVR12 rate was 99.1% (95% CI: 98.3-100.0%; modified intention-to-treat analysis). Four PWIDs (0.9%) experienced treatment failure. Over a median follow-up of 24 weeks (IQR 12-39), 27 reinfections (5.9%) were observed in individuals with the highest IDU rates (81.2%). Importantly, even though some were lost to follow-up, all completed their DAA treatment. By using DOT, adherence to DAAs was excellent with only a total of 86 missed doses (0.3% of 25,224 doses).

Conclusions

In this difficult-to-treat population of PWIDs with high rates of IDU , coupling DAA treatment to OAT in a DOT setting resulted in high SVR12 rates equivalent to conventional treatment settings in non-PWID populations.

Heterogeneity of management practices surrounding operable gallbladder cancer - results of the OMEGA-S international HPB surgical survey

BACKGROUND

Gallbladder cancer (GBC) is an aggressive, uncommon malignancy, with variation in operative approaches adopted across centres and few large-scale studies to guide practice. We aimed to identify the extent of heterogeneity in GBC internationally to better inform the need for future multicentre studies.

METHODS

A 34-question online survey was disseminated to members of the European-African Hepatopancreatobiliary Association (EAHPBA), American Hepatopancreatobiliary Association (AHPBA) and Asia-Pacific Hepatopancreatobiliary Association (A-PHPBA) regarding practices around diagnostic workup, operative approach, utilization of neoadjuvant and adjuvant therapies and surveillance strategies.

RESULTS

Two hundred and three surgeons responded from 51 countries. High liver resection volume units (>50 resections/year) organised HPB multidisciplinary team discussion of GBCs more commonly than those with low volumes (p < 0.0001). Management practices exhibited areas of heterogeneity, particularly around operative extent. Contrary to consensus guidelines, anatomical liver resections were favoured over non-anatomical resections for T3 tumours and above, lymphadenectomy extent was lower than recommended, and a minority of respondents still routinely excised the common bile duct or port sites.

CONCLUSION

Our findings suggest some similarities in the management of GBC internationally, but also specific areas of practice which differed from published guidelines. Transcontinental collaborative studies on GBC are necessary to establish evidence-based practice to minimise variation and optimise outcomes.

Risk factors for cystic fibrosis arthropathy: Data from the German cystic fibrosis registry

BACKGROUND

Epidemiology and potential risk factors for cystic fibrosis arthropathy (CFA) were studied in a relevant cystic fibrosis (CF) patient cohort.

METHODS

Cohort study of patients included in the German CF registry in 2016-2017. Descriptive analysis, exploratory tests and multivariable logistic regression were used to assess prevalence of CFA and associated potential risk factors for adult patients with/without chronic Pseudomonas aeruginosa infection.

RESULTS

6069 CF patients aged from 0 to 78 years were analysed. CFA was observed in 4.9% of the patients. Prevalence was significantly higher in adult patients (8.4%) compared to patients <18 years (0.7%; p<0.0001). Logistic regression analyses in adult patients (n=3319) showed that CFA was significantly associated with increasing age (OR=1.04; 95% CI: 1.02-1.05; p<0.0001), female gender (OR=2.10; 95%CI:1.52-2.90; p<0.0001), number of hospitalizations (OR=1.24; 95%CI:1.12-1.36; p<0.0001), chronic P. aeruginosa infection (OR=1.83; 95%CI:1.28-2.61; p=0.0009), CF-related diabetes (OR=1.69; 95%CI:1.23-2.33; p=0.0013), pancreatic insufficiency (OR=2.39; 95%CI:1.28-4.46; p=0.0060) and sinusitis/polyps (OR=1.91; 95%CI:1.39-2.62; p<0.0001). In a subgroup analysis of adults without chronic P. aeruginosa infection (n=1550) CFA was also significantly associated with increasing age, female gender, increasing number of hospitalizations, pancreatic insufficiency as well as sinusitis/polyps; antimycotic treatment associated only in this subgroup while association with CF-related diabetes was not significant.

CONCLUSION

CFA is a frequent and clinically relevant co-morbidity particularly in adult CF patients. CFA is significantly more common in patients with chronic P. aeruginosa colonization but associations with other indicators for a more severe disease course were identified regardless of P. aeruginosa colonization status.

Metachronous hepatic resection for liver only pancreatic metastases

BACKGROUND

The value of liver resection (LR) for metachronous pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) metastases remains controversial. However, in light of increasing safety of liver resections, surgery might be a valuable option for metastasized PDAC in selected patients.

METHODS

We performed a retrospective, multicenter study including patients undergoing hepatectomy for metachronous PDAC liver metastases between 2004 and 2015 to analyze postoperative outcome and overall survival. All patients were operated with curative intent. Patients with oligometastatic metachronous liver metastasis with definitive chemotherapy (n = 8) served as controls.

RESULTS

Overall 25 patients in seven centers were included in this study. The median age at the time of LR was 63.8 years (56.9-69.9) and the median number of metastases in the liver was 1 (IQR 1-2). There were eight non-anatomical resections (32%), 15 anatomical minor (60%) and 2 major LR (8%). Postoperative complications occurred in eleven patients (eight Clavien-Dindo grade I complications (32%) and three grade IIIa complications (12%), respectively). The 30-day mortality was 0%. The median length of stay was 8.6 days (IQR 5-11). Median overall survival following LR was 36.8 months compared to 9.2 months in patients with metachronous liver metastasis with chemotherapy (p = 0007).

DISCUSSION

Liver resection for metachronous PDAC metastasis is safe and feasible in selected patients. To address general applicability and to find factors for patient selection, larger trials are urgently warranted.

Awareness and accuracy of height and weight among mothers and their preschool-aged children

OBJECTIVES

A constant challenge in addressing the issue of obesity is the validity and reliability of self-reported measurements to calculate body mass index, that assesses the prevalence of obesity in a population. The objective of this study is to analyze both awareness and accuracy of mothers who are overweight or obese, in reporting their own and their child's height and weight measurements.

STUDY DESIGN

cross-sectional study.

METHODS

In this study, mothers were asked over phone to self-report height and weight for them and their child. This was followed by objective measurement of maternal and child height and weight by study staff in a clinical setting. The descriptive and statistical analysis of the data obtained were carried out using SAS software.

RESULTS

1) The mean weight of mothers who inaccurately self-reported their weight was 9.5 kg greater than the mean weight of those who reported accurately (P < 0.001). (2) Despite being aware of, and reporting their own measurements, 50% (n = 116) of mothers reported not knowing their child's height and 23% (n = 54) of them reported not knowing their child's weight.

CONCLUSION

Strategies to tackle both maternal awareness and accuracy of child's measurements can help with early identification of child's obesity risk and prevention of long-term consequences.

Effects of Omega-3 Fatty Acids on Resting Cerebral Perfusion in Patients with Mild Cognitive Impairment: A Randomized Controlled Trial

Alteration of cerebral perfusion can be considered as a possible therapeutic target in mild cognitive impairment. This randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blind proof-of-concept study assessed effects of omega-3 fatty acids on cerebral perfusion in patients with mild cognitive impairment. In thirteen patients (omega:n=5; placebo:n=8) cerebral perfusion was measured before and after 26-weeks intervention within posterior cortical regions using magnetic resonance imaging. There was a medium effect of intervention on cerebral blood flow (η2=0.122) and blood volume (η2=0.098). The omega group showed an increase in blood flow (mean difference: 0.02 [corresponds to 26.1%], 95% confidence interval:0.00-0.05) and blood volume (mean difference: 0.08 [corresponds to 18.5%], 95% confidence interval:0.01-0.15), which was not observed in the placebo group. These preliminary findings suggest that omega-3 fatty acids supplementation may improve perfusion in cerebral regions typically affected in mild cognitive impairment.Regulation of perfusion may help to maintain brain structure and function and potentially delay conversion to dementia.

[Cystic fibrosis : A new disease pattern in adult medicine]

Cystic fibrosis (CF) is an inherited incurable multi-organ disease. Improvement in treatment approaches over the last 20 years have led to an increased life expectancy where the number of adult patients has doubled and will continue to increase exponentially. Due to the use of new substances which modulate the basic defect, a substantial improvement in the prognosis can be assumed but the existing healthcare structures in Germany do not meet these rising needs. With more than 50% of patients being adults, there are only very few internal medicine centers available. Only approximately one third of the patients are treated in adult health centers. Adolescence in particular is a very vulnerable phase of the disease, the risk of comorbidities is increased and adherence to the very laborious treatment recommendations is as a rule low. While in many other countries transition programs have been evaluated and implemented for more than 20 years, in Germany there have only been rudimentary approaches to transition. Meanwhile investigations are available on the perceptions of adolescents with respect to coping with the disease and their treatment needs, including the perception of the time when the transition process should begin. Successful transition seems to be performed best in combined pediatric and adult centers, with the back-up of an experienced multidisciplinary team of healthcare providers.

Mesh-augmented versus direct abdominal closure in patients undergoing open abdomen treatment

Background

Open abdomen (OA) may be required in patients with abdominal trauma, sepsis or compartment syndrome. Vacuum-assisted wound closure and mesh-mediated fascial traction (VAWCM) is a widely used approach for temporary abdominal closure to close the abdominal wall. However, this method is associated with a high incidence of re-operations in short term and late sequelae such as incisional hernia. The current study aims to compare the results of surgical strategies of OA with versus without permanent mesh augmentation.

Methods

Patients with OA treatment undergoing vacuum-assisted wound closure and an intraperitoneal onlay mesh (VAC-IPOM) implantation were compared to VAWCM with direct fascial closure which represents the current standard of care. Outcomes of patients from two tertiary referral centers that performed the different strategies for abdominal closure after OA treatment were compared in univariate and multivariate regression analysis.

Results

A total of 139 patients were included in the study. Of these, 50 (36.0%) patients underwent VAC-IPOM and 89 (64.0%) patients VAWCM. VAC-IPOM was associated with reduced re-operations (adjusted incidence risk ratio 0.48 per 10-person days; CI 95% = 0.39–0.58, p < 0.001), reduced duration of stay on intensive care unit (ICU) [adjusted hazard ratio (aHR) 0.53; CI 95% = 0.36–0.79, p = 0.002] and reduced hospital stay (aHR 0.61; CI 95% = 0.040–0.94; p = 0.024). In-hospital mortality [22.5 vs 18.0%, risk difference − 4.5; confidence interval (CI) 95% = − 18.2 to 9.3; p = 0.665] and the incidence of intestinal fistula (18.0 vs 22.0%, risk difference 4.0; CI 95% = −10.0 to 18.0; p = 0.656) did not differ between the two groups. In Kaplan–Meier analysis, hernia-free survival was significantly increased after VAC-IPOM (p = 0.041).

Conclusions

In patients undergoing OA treatment, intraperitoneal mesh augmentation is associated with a significantly decreased number of re-operations, duration of hospital and ICU stay and incidence of incisional hernias when compared to VAWCM.

Electronic supplementary material

The online version of this article (10.1007/s10029-018-1798-9) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

[CF Lung Disease - a German S3 Guideline: Module 2: Diagnostics and Treatment in Chronic Infection with Pseudomonas aeruginosa]

Cystic Fibrosis (CF) is the most common autosomal-recessive genetic disease affecting approximately 8000 people in Germany. The disease is caused by mutations in the Cystic Fibrosis Transmembrane Conductance Regulator (CFTR) gene leading to dysfunction of CFTR, a transmembrane chloride channel. This defect causes insufficient hydration of the epithelial lining fluid which leads to chronic inflammation of the airways. Recurrent infections of the airways as well as pulmonary exacerbations aggravate chronic inflammation, lead to pulmonary fibrosis and tissue destruction up to global respiratory insufficiency, which is responsible for the mortality in over 90 % of patients. The main aim of pulmonary treatment in CF is to reduce pulmonary inflammation and chronic infection. Pseudomonas aeruginosa (Pa) is the most relevant pathogen in the course of CF lung disease. Colonization and chronic infection are leading to additional loss of pulmonary function. There are many possibilities to treat Pa-infection. This is a S3-clinical guideline which implements a definition for chronic Pa-infection and demonstrates evidence-based diagnostic methods and medical treatment for Pa-infection in order to give guidance for individual treatment options.

Zuchtmanagement bei Spitzmaulnashörnern (Diceros bicornis michaeli) im Zoo Magdeburg

Gegenstand und Ziel: Das afrikanische Spitzmaulnashorn gehört zu den vom Aussterben bedrohten Tierarten. In Deutschland gibt es fünf Zoos, die diese Tierart halten, jedoch nicht in jedem Zoo wird erfolgreich gezüchtet. So fand im Magdeburger Zoo die letzte Geburt im Dezember 2005 statt. Seitdem konnten keine Deckakte mehr beobachtet werden. Während des Baus einer neuen Nashornanlage, die den Tieren durch die großzügigen Außenanlagen ein weitestgehend natürliches Paarungsverhalten ermöglicht, wurde der Reproduktionsstatus der Kühe untersucht und eine hormonelle Behandlung durchgeführt. Material und Methoden: Von zwei Spitzmaulnashornkühen (Diceros bicornis michaeli; „Mana“, 30 Jahre, und „Maleika“, 17 Jahre) wurden ab 2009 in regelmäßigen Abständen Kotproben gesammelt und die Konzentrationen von Pregnandiolglucuronid (PdG) mittels Enzym immunoassay und die von Östradiol mit Radioimmunoassay bestimmt. Nach der Auswertung der Hormonprofile wurden beide Tiere am Ende der PdG-dominierten Phase über 12 Tage mit Regumate® Equine, einem synthetischen Progesteron, behandelt. Ergebnisse: Die Nashornkuh „Mana“ ließ sich 11 Tage nach dem Absetzen des Medikaments decken und brachte im Dezember 2011 ein gesundes Kalb zur Welt. Bei „Maleika“ fand 13 Tage nach Behandlungsende ein Deckakt statt. Dem schlossen sich in der Folgezeit zwei weitere Kopulationen an. Ihr erstes Kalb wurde im Juli 2012 geboren. Schlussfolgerung und klinische Relevanz: Beide Kühe wurden gezielt mit dem synthetischen Progesteron Regumate Equine® behandelt und in der Folge vom Bullen gedeckt. Bei beiden Kühen kam es zeitnah zu einer Trächtigkeit und der Geburt eines Kalbes. Dieses handelsübliche Präparat eignet sich, um den ovariellen Zyklus bei weiblichen Spitzmaulnashörnern zu aktivieren, doch müssen Zeitpunkt der Medikation und Dosierung genau beachtet werden.

Regulatory T Cells Promote Natural Killer Cell Education in Mixed Chimeras

Therapeutic administration of regulatory T cells (Tregs) leads to engraftment of conventional doses of allogeneic bone marrow (BM) in nonirradiated recipient mice conditioned with costimulation blockade and mammalian target of rapamycin inhibition. The mode of action responsible for this Treg effect is poorly understood but may encompass the control of costimulation blockade-resistant natural killer (NK) cells. We show that transient NK cell depletion at the time of BM transplantation led to BM engraftment and persistent chimerism without Treg transfer but failed to induce skin graft tolerance. In contrast, the permanent absence of anti-donor NK reactivity in mice grafted with F1 BM was associated with both chimerism and tolerance comparable to Treg therapy, implying that NK cell tolerization is a critical mechanism of Treg therapy. Indeed, NK cells of Treg-treated BM recipients reshaped their receptor repertoire in the presence of donor MHC in a manner suggesting attenuated donor reactivity. These results indicate that adoptively transferred Tregs prevent BM rejection, at least in part, by suppressing NK cells and promote tolerance by regulating the appearance of NK cells expressing activating receptors to donor class I MHC.

MRI of cystic fibrosis lung manifestations: sequence evaluation and clinical outcome analysis

AIM

To evaluate different magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) sequences for diagnosis of pulmonary manifestations of cystic fibrosis (CF) in comparison to chest computed tomography (CT), including an extended outcome analysis.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Twenty-eight patients with CF (15 male, 13 female, mean age 30.5±9.4 years) underwent CT and MRI of the lung. MRI (1.5 T) included different T2- and T1-weighted sequences: breath-hold HASTE (half Fourier acquisition single shot turbo spin echo) and VIBE (volumetric interpolated breath-hold examination, before and after contrast medium administration) sequences and respiratory-triggered PROPELLER (periodically rotated overlapping parallel lines with enhanced reconstruction) sequences with and without fat signal suppression, and perfusion imaging. CT and MRI images were evaluated by the modified Helbich and the Eichinger scoring systems. The clinical follow-up analysis assessed pulmonary exacerbations within 24 months.

RESULTS

The highest concordance to CT was achieved for the PROPELLER sequences without fat signal suppression (concordance correlation coefficient CCC of the overall modified Helbich score 0.93 and of the overall Eichinger score 0.93). The other sequences had the following concordance: PROPELLER with fat signal suppression (CCCs 0.91 and 0.92), HASTE (CCCs 0.87 and 0.89), VIBE (CCCs 0.84 and 0.85) sequences. In the outcome analysis, the combined MRI analysis of all five sequences and a specific MRI protocol (PROPELLER without fast signal suppression, VIBE sequences, perfusion imaging) reached similar correlations to the number of pulmonary exacerbations as the CT examinations.

CONCLUSION

An optimum lung MRI protocol in patients with CF consists of PROPELLER sequences without fat signal suppression, VIBE sequences, and lung perfusion analysis to enable high diagnostic efficacy and outcome prediction.

The Immunosuppressive Effect of CTLA4 Immunoglobulin Is Dependent on Regulatory T Cells at Low But Not High Doses

B7.1/2-targeted costimulation blockade (CTLA4 immunoglobulin [CTLA4-Ig]) is available for immunosuppression after kidney transplantation, but its potentially detrimental impact on regulatory T cells (Tregs) is of concern. We investigated the effects of CTLA4-Ig monotherapy in a fully mismatched heart transplant model (BALB/c onto C57BL/6). CTLA4-Ig was injected chronically (on days 0, 4, 14, and 28 and every 4 weeks thereafter) in dosing regimens paralleling clinical use, shown per mouse: low dose (LD), 0.25 mg (≈10 mg/kg body weight); high dose (HD), 1.25 mg (≈50 mg/kg body weight); and very high dose (VHD), 6.25 mg (≈250 mg/kg body weight). Chronic CTLA4-Ig therapy showed dose-dependent efficacy, with the LD regimen prolonging graft survival and with the HD and VHD regimens leading to >95% long-term graft survival and preserved histology. CTLA4-Ig's effect was immunosuppressive rather than tolerogenic because treatment cessation after ≈3 mo led to rejection. FoxP3-positive Tregs were reduced in naïve mice to a similar degree, independent of the CTLA4-Ig dose, but recovered to normal values in heart recipients under chronic CTLA4-Ig therapy. Treg depletion (anti-CD25) resulted in an impaired outcome under LD therapy but had no detectable effect under HD therapy. Consequently, the immunosuppressive effect of partially effective LD CTLA4-Ig therapy is impaired when Tregs are removed, whereas CTLA4-Ig monotherapy at higher doses effectively maintains graft survival independent of Tregs.

A comparison of Frailty Indexes Based on a Comprehensive Geriatric Assessment for the Prediction of Adverse Outcomes

OBJECTIVE

To compare the ability of different frailty indexes based on a standardized comprehensive geriatric assessment (FI-CGAs) for predicting adverse outcomes.

DESIGN AND SETTING

Prospective cohort study. Geriatric wards of a general hospital.

PARTICIPANTS

307 hospitalized patients ≥ 65 years.

MEASUREMENTS

The FI-CGA-10D (potential health deficits in ten functional domains), the FI-CGA-10D+CM (aforementioned potential health deficits and co-morbidity burden) and the FI-CGA-MIHD (multiple, individual potential health deficits, including functional deficits, co-morbid diseases, amongst others) were assessed at baseline during the patients` hospital stay. The FI-CGAs were analyzed as categorical (according to a FI-CGA score < and ≥ 0.25) and continuous variables. Patients were followed up over 6 months.

RESULTS

The FI-CGA-10D, FI-CGA-10+CM and the FI-CGA-MIHD predicted 6-month mortality when expressed as categorical (area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC): AUC = 0.611, AUC = 0.637, AUC = 0.616, all p < 0.050, respectively) or continuous variables (AUC = 0.769, AUC = 0.837, AUC = 0.834, all p < 0.001, respectively). AUC comparisons showed that all three FI-CGAs exhibited a comparable ability to predict 6-month mortality when the FI-CGAs were expressed as categorical variables (all p > 0.200) and the FI-CGA-10D+CM and the FI-CGA-MIHD showed a better ability to predict 6-month mortality than the FI-CGA-10D, when the FI-CGAs were expressed as continuous variables (p < 0.001 and p = 0.007, respectively). None of the FI-CGAs predicted any of the other outcomes, i.e., unplanned re-admission to hospital and a fall during follow-up, irrespective of whether the FI-CGAs were expressed as categorical or continuous variables (all p ≥ 0.050).

CONCLUSIONS

The more complex FI-CGAs, i.e., the FI-CGA-10D+CM and the FI-CGA-MIHD, revealed better ability to predict 6 month mortality than the more simple FI-CGA, i.e., the FI-CGA-10D.