Current medical research and opinion
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Objective: To characterize the rate of healthcare resource utilization (HCRU) between anti-cyclic citrullinated peptide (CCP; a surrogate for anti-citrullinated protein antibodies [ACPAs]) positive (+) patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA), either with or without erosions, who initiated biologic disease-modifying antirheumatic drug (bDMARD) treatment. Methods: Data from the Corrona RA registry, a prospective registry of adult patients with RA from 177 sites across 42 states in the US, were analyzed. Annual rates of HCRU (measured based on rates of all-cause hospitalization, joint surgery, imaging procedures and use of assistive devices) were estimated in anti-CCP + patients with and without erosions following bDMARD initiation using a Poisson regression model. ⋯ The rate of joint surgery visits was also numerically higher in patients with versus without erosion. Conclusions: ACPA seropositivity with erosive disease was associated with higher rates of HCRU compared with seropositivity without erosions. These findings suggest that providers may want to manage anti-CCP + patients aggressively to achieve better disease control to prevent the development of erosions and the associated increase in HCRU.
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Objective: To investigate the evolution of opioid-related mortality and potential years of life lost in Spanish general population from 2008 to 2017. To evaluate the differences between Spain and the US. Methods: A descriptive study using retrospective annual data from 2008 to 2017 in Spanish and US general population. ⋯ The standardized rates per 105 inhabitants across the years were between 1.19 and 1.62 in Spain and between 11.17 and 20.68 in the US population. Conclusions: An opioid overuse crisis does not seem a likely scenario in Spain. However, it is a social problem that requires special health surveillance, particularly in middle-aged men and women over 65.
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Observational Study
Development of risk models for major adverse chronic renal outcomes among patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus using insurance claims: a retrospective observational study.
Objective: To develop and validate models allowing the prediction of major adverse chronic renal outcomes (MACRO) in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) using insurance claims data. Methods: The Optum Integrated Real World Evidence Electronic Health Records and Claims de-identified database (10/01/2006-09/30/2016) was used to identify T2DM patients ≥50 years old. Risk factors were assessed over a 12-month baseline period, and MACRO were subsequently assessed until the end of data availability, continuous enrollment, or death. ⋯ A substantial proportion (e.g. 88.7% for moderate-to-severe DKD) of patients predicted to be at high-risk of MACRO did not have diabetic nephropathy, proteinuria, or CKD at baseline. Conclusions: The models developed using insurance claims data could reliably predict the risk of MACRO in patients with T2DM and enabled patients at higher-risk of DKD to be identified in the absence of baseline diabetic nephropathy, CKD, or proteinuria. These models could help establish strategies to reduce the risk of MACRO in T2DM patients.
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Objective: The objective of the current work was to assess the frequency of non-adherence behaviors and potential association with patients' experience with healthcare and beliefs in medicines self-reported by patients with four different chronic conditions. Methods: Patients responded anonymously to a survey comprising five non-adherence behaviors (based on physician and patient input), an assessment of patients' experience with healthcare using the validated Instrument to Evaluate the EXperience of PAtients with Chronic diseases (IEXPAC), and a validated Spanish version of the Beliefs about Medicines Questionnaire (BMQ). Associations of non-adherence behavior were analyzed using logistic regression models. ⋯ Non-adherence was more frequent in DM patients compared with HIV infection patients (p < .001). Conclusions: Patients' beliefs in medicines-a lower perception for the necessity of medication, and higher concerns in taking medication-and low patient self-management experience score were associated with non-adherence behavior. These are modifiable aspects that need to be addressed to increase medication adherence in chronic disease.