The American journal of medicine
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Hyponatremia is the most common electrolyte abnormality in hospitalized patients and is associated with adverse outcomes, but its prevalence and significance in the general US population is unknown. Our aims were to determine the prevalence of hyponatremia and its association with mortality in the population. ⋯ Our findings suggest that hyponatremia is a predictor of mortality in the general population independently of age, gender, and comorbid conditions.
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Acquired hearing loss is highly prevalent, but prospective data on potentially modifiable risk factors are limited. In cross-sectional studies, higher body mass index (BMI), larger waist circumference, and lower physical activity have been associated with poorer hearing, but these have not been examined prospectively. ⋯ Higher BMI and larger waist circumference are associated with increased risk, and higher physical activity is associated with reduced risk of hearing loss in women. These findings provide evidence that maintaining healthy weight and staying physically active, potentially modifiable lifestyle factors, may help reduce the risk of hearing loss.
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Risk stratification of atrial fibrillation patients with a congestive heart failure (C), hypertension (H), age ≥ 75 (A), diabetes (D), stroke or transient ischemic attack (TIA) (S2) (CHADS2) score of <2 remains imprecise, particularly in women. Our objectives were to validate the CHADS2 and congestive heart failure (C), hypertension (H), age ≥ 75 (A2), diabetes (D), stroke, TIA or prior thromboembolic disease (S2)- vascular disease (V), age 65-74 (A), female gender (S) (CHA2DS2-VASc) stroke risk scores in a healthy cohort of American women with atrial fibrillation and to determine whether CHA2DS2-VASc further risk-stratifies individuals with a CHADS2 score of <2. ⋯ Although both CHADS2, and CHA2DS2-VASc are predictive of stroke risk in postmenopausal women with atrial fibrillation, CHA2DS2-VASc further risk-stratifies patients with a CHADS2 score <2.
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Observational studies of patients with rheumatoid arthritis have suggested that racial and ethnic disparities exist for minority populations. We compared disease activity and clinical outcomes across racial and ethnic groups using data from a large, contemporary US registry. ⋯ Despite improvements in disease activity across racial and ethnic groups over a 5-year period, disparities persist in disease activity and clinical outcomes for minority groups versus white patients.
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It is known that troponin elevations have prognostic importance in critically ill patients. We examined whether cardiac troponin T elevations are independently associated with in-hospital, short-term (30 days), and long-term (3 years) mortality in intensive care unit (ICU) patients admitted with sepsis, severe sepsis, and septic shock after adjusting for the severity of disease with the Acute Physiology, Age and Chronic Health Evaluation III system. ⋯ In patients with sepsis who are admitted to an ICU, cardiac troponin T elevations are independently associated with in-hospital and short-term mortality but not long-term mortality.