Clinical gastroenterology and hepatology : the official clinical practice journal of the American Gastroenterological Association
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Clin. Gastroenterol. Hepatol. · Aug 2021
Changes in County-Level Economic Prosperity Are Associated With Liver Disease-Related Mortality Among Working-Age Adults.
There is significant variability in county-level rates of liver disease-related mortality. Although this variability is explained partly by demographics, risk factors for liver disease, and access to specialty liver care, little is known about temporal changes in mortality, and its association with economic prosperity. Therefore, we sought to explore the association between changes in county-level economic prosperity and liver disease-related mortality. ⋯ County-level changes in economic prosperity, independent of other county-level clinical, demographic, and access-to-care variables, may play a role in population-level trends in liver disease-related deaths among the working age population.
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Clin. Gastroenterol. Hepatol. · Aug 2021
Establishing Minimal Clinically Important Differences in Quality of Life Measures in Opioid-Induced Constipation.
Opioids have a role in chronic pain management. However, opioid-induced constipation may cause patients to skip or reduce opioid doses, leading to inadequate pain relief and negatively impacting quality of life. We sought to establish a minimal clinically important difference to understand whether changes in quality of life scores are of value to patients. ⋯ Based on data derived from the anchor method, reductions in PAC-SYM and PAC-QOL scores of >1.0 in patients with chronic noncancer pain and opioid-induced constipation are clinically meaningful. ClinicalTrials.gov Registration: NCT01965158; NCT01993940.