| 1. |
- Grande, Giulia, et al.
(författare)
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Detection and Prediction of Incident Alzheimer Dementia over a 10-Year or Longer Medical History : A Population-Based Study in Primary Care
- 2020
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Ingår i: Dementia and Geriatric Cognitive Disorders. - : S. Karger AG. - 1420-8008 .- 1421-9824. ; 49, s. 384-389
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Background: Despite the crucial role played by general practitioners in the identification and care of people with cognitive impairment, few data are available on how they may improve the early recognition of patients with Alzheimer dementia (AD), especially those with long (i.e., 10 years and longer) medical history. Aims: To investigate the occurrence and the predictors of AD during a 10-year or longer period prior AD diagnosis in primary care patients aged 60 years or older. Materials and Methods: A cohort study with a nested case-control analysis has been conducted. Data were extracted from the Italian Health Search Database (HSD), an Italian database with primary care data. AD cases have been defined in accordance with the International Classification of Diseases, ninth edition (ICD-9-CM) codes and coupled with the use of anti-dementia drugs. Prevalence and incidence rates of AD have been calculated. To test the association between candidate predictors, being identified in a minimum period of 10 years, and incident cases of AD, we used a multivariate conditional logistic regression model. Results: As recorded in the primary care database, AD prevalence among patients aged 60 years or older was 0.8% during 2016, reaching 2.4% among nonagenarians. Overall, 1,889 incident cases of AD have been identified, with an incidence rate as high as 0.09% person-year. Compared with 18,890 matched controls, history of hallucinations, agitation, anxiety, aberrant motor behavior, and memory deficits were positively associated with higher odds of AD (p < 0.001 for all) diagnosis. A previous diagnosis of depression and diabetes and the use of low-dose aspirin and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs were associated with higher odds of AD (p < 0.05 for all). Conclusion: Our findings show that, in accordance with primary care records, 1% of patients aged 60 years and older have a diagnosis of AD, with an incident AD diagnosis of 0.1% per year. AD is often under-reported in primary care settings; yet, several predictors identified in this study may support general practitioners to early identify patients at risk of AD.
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| 2. |
- Vetrano, Davide L., et al.
(författare)
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Patterns of oral corticosteroids use in primary care patients with severe asthma
- 2020
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Ingår i: Respiratory Medicine. - : Elsevier BV. - 0954-6111 .- 1532-3064. ; 166
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Aim: To assess the pattern of use of oral corticosteroids (OC) in primary care patients with severe asthma.Methods: Data derived from the Health Search Database (HSD) gathering information on 700 Italian general practitioners. A cohort of severe asthma patients was identified between 2013 and 2017 and followed-up for one year. The association between candidate predictors and the incident escalation to OC was tested through a multivariate Cox regression model.Results: Among patients with asthma (N = 55,075), 284 were diagnosed with severe asthma. Among them, the proportion of OC users decreased from 82.2% in 2013 to 75.3% in 2017. For what concerns the determinants of OC prescriptions, among 284 patients being defined at baseline (2013-2016) as those suffering from severe asthma, 216 (76.1%) were first-ever prescribed with OC at least once during one year of follow-up. The presence of gastroesophageal reflux disease (HR 1.37; 95% CI 1.02-1.85), osteoarthritis (HR 1.54; 95% CI 1.12-2.12) and moderate asthma exacerbations (HR 1.72; 95% CI 1-02-2.93) was significantly associated with the outcome.Conclusions: The optimization of asthma treatment and the management of comorbidities may be potential leverages to reduce the inappropriate use of OC in patients with severe asthma.
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| 3. |
- Vetrano, Davide L., et al.
(författare)
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Primary care costs due to prodromal Alzheimer disease : a real-world study in patients with a 10-year or longer medical history
- 2022
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Ingår i: Current Medical Research and Opinion. - : Informa UK Limited. - 0300-7995 .- 1473-4877. ; 38:5, s. 743-747
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Background: The aim of this study was to estimate primary care costs of prodromal signs/symptoms of Alzheimer disease (AD), during a 10-year or longer period preceding AD diagnosis, in relation to costs cumulated in the general population for the same reasons.Methods: Nested case-control study involving 1889 AD cases and 18,890 controls aged 60+ from the Italian primary care Health Search Database (HSD). AD incident cases were through the International Classification of Diseases, 9th edition. Costs related to drugs, diagnostic tests and specialist referrals triggered by prodromal AD signs and/or symptoms were quantified and compared with costs cumulated by non-AD counterparts.Results: During the pre-diagnosis 10-year or longer period, prodromal signs and symptoms trigger diagnostic and therapeutic costs 55% higher than those cumulated in general population for the same clinical reasons. After accounting for patients' comorbidity and regional differences, the mean cost related to diagnostic and therapeutic procedures, and those related to specialist referrals, amounted to 854.1 euro(SD: 630.6 euro) in AD incident cases vs. 527.3 euro(SD: 446.2) cumulated in patients not developing AD.Conclusion: Prodromal AD manifestations are associated with primary care costs that resulted higher than those cumulated in the general population aged 60+. It remains to be elucidated if earlier dementia diagnoses would be associated with reduced costs triggered by the same clinical signs and symptoms.
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| 4. |
- Gargani, Luna, et al.
(författare)
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Detecting the vulnerable carotid plaque : The Carotid Artery Multimodality imaging Prognostic study design
- 2022
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Ingår i: Journal of Cardiovascular Medicine. - 1558-2027. ; 23:7, s. 466-473
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- BackgroundCarotid artery disease is highly prevalent and a main cause of ischemic stroke and vascular dementia. There is a paucity of information on predictors of serious vascular events. Besides percentage diameter stenosis, international guidelines also recommend the evaluation of qualitative characteristics of carotid artery disease as a guide to treatment, but with no agreement on which qualitative features to assess. This inadequate knowledge leads to a poor ability to identify patients at risk, dispersion of medical resources, and unproven use of expensive and resource-consuming techniques, such as magnetic resonance imaging, positron emission tomography, and computed tomography.ObjectivesThe Carotid Artery Multimodality imaging Prognostic (CAMP) study will: prospectively determine the best predictors of silent and overt ischemic stroke and vascular dementia in patients with asymptomatic subcritical carotid artery disease by identifying the noninvasive diagnostic features of the 'vulnerable carotid plaque'; assess whether 'smart' use of low-cost diagnostic methods such as ultrasound-based evaluations may yield at least the same level of prospective information as more expensive techniques.Study designWe will compare the prognostic/predictive value of all proposed techniques with regard to silent or clinically manifest ischemic stroke and vascular dementia. The study will include ≥300 patients with asymptomatic, unilateral, intermediate degree (40-60% diameter) common or internal carotid artery stenosis detected at carotid ultrasound, with a 2-year follow-up. The study design has been registered on Clinicaltrial.gov on December 17, 2020 (ID number NCT04679727).
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| 5. |
- Grande, Giulia, et al.
(författare)
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Development and internal validation of a prognostic model for 15-year risk of Alzheimer dementia in primary care patients
- 2022
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Ingår i: Neurological Sciences. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 1590-1874 .- 1590-3478. ; 43:10, s. 5899-5908
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Background The exploitation of routinely collected clinical health information is warranted to optimize the case detection and diagnostic workout of Alzheimer's disease (AD). We aimed to derive an AD prediction score based on routinely collected primary care data.Methods We built a cohort selecting 199,978 primary care patients 60 +part of the Health Search Database between January 2002 and 2009, followed up until 2019 to detect incident AD cases. The cohort was randomly divided into a derivation and validation sub-cohort. To identify AD and non-AD cases, we applied a clinical algorithm that involved two clinicians. According to a nested case-control design, AD cases were matched with up to 10 controls based on age, sex, calendar period, and follow-up duration. Using the derivation sub-cohort, 32 potential AD predictors (sociodemographic, clinical, drug-related, etc.) were tested in a logistic regression and selected to build a prediction model. The predictive performance of this model was tested on the validation sub-cohort by mean of explained variation, calibration, and discrimination measurements.Results We identified 3223 AD cases. The presence of memory disorders, hallucinations, anxiety, and depression and the use of NSAIDs were associated with future AD. The combination of the predictors allowed the production of a predictive score that showed an explained variation (pseudo-R-2) for AD occurrence of 13.4%, good calibration parameters, and an area under the curve of 0.73 (95% CI: 0.71-0.75). In accordance with this model, 7% of patients presented with a high-risk score for developing AD over 15 years.Conclusion An automated risk score for AD based on routinely collected clinical data is a promising tool for the early case detection and timely management of patients by the general practitioners.
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| 6. |
- Lapi, Francesco, et al.
(författare)
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A Cohort Study on Influenza Vaccine and All-Cause Mortality in Older Adults : Methodological Concerns and Public Health Implications
- 2022
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Ingår i: Drugs & Aging. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 1170-229X .- 1179-1969. ; 39:8, s. 645-656
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Introduction In 2020, the restrictions adopted to control the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) pandemic led to an unprecedented reduction in influenza-related burden. As such, the reduced chance to characterize the circulating virus strains might have increased the risk of vaccine mismatch for the forthcoming winter seasons. The role of an effective influenza vaccination campaign might therefore assume even more value, especially for frail and multimorbid older individuals. Methodological concerns on confounding by indication are always debated in vaccine effectiveness studies and it might be instrumental to give a pragmatic message on an individual's responsibility to receive the influenza vaccine. We therefore investigated the role of specific confounders to explain the association between influenza vaccine and mortality among older adults.Methods Using a primary care database, we formed a cohort of patients aged 65 years or older who were actively registered with their general practitioner (GP) at the beginning of each of nine influenza seasons through to the 2018/2019 season. The study index date was the related seasons' starting date. Exposure to the influenza vaccine was operationally defined in the 2 months preceding the index date up to 2 weeks before the exit date. Cox regression models were estimated to calculate hazard ratios (HRs) and their 95% confidence intervals (CI) of death between vaccinated and unvaccinated patients in a time-dependent fashion. The potential confounders sequentially entered the model based on their increasing effect size observed in univariate analyses.Results Over the 10 years under study, the influenza vaccine showed a significant protective effect in terms of mortality, reaching 13% reduction (HR 0.87, 95% CI 0.80-0.95) in the 2018/2019 influenza season. When we estimated the multivariate model by sequentially adding the potential confounders, there was an inversion of HR (below the unit) that was significantly explained by the covariates coding for a prior history of lower respiratory tract infections and the presence of the pneumococcal vaccine. Conclusion In the current pandemic scenario, we cannot divert attention to proper use of face masks, social distancing, and hand hygiene, which are important measures to prevent influenza and other respiratory viral infections. Nonetheless, their effectiveness might be negligible without acceptable coverage for influenza vaccine, especially in older patients with a history of lower respiratory tract infections, which appears to be the main source of confounding by indication.
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| 7. |
- Lapi, Francesco, et al.
(författare)
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Epidemiology of invasive meningococcal disease and its sequelae : a population-based study in Italian primary care, 2000-2019
- 2023
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Ingår i: Family Practice. - 0263-2136 .- 1460-2229.
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Background Invasive meningococcal disease (IMD) is a severe infectious disease. Although effective preventive and therapeutical strategies are available, the fatality rate remains high in the general population, with an occurrence of meningococcal-related severe sequelae involving 10-20% of survivors. Given the crucial role of general practitioners in recognizing and preventing IMD and its related sequelae, we aim to assess the burden of these conditions in primary care. Methods Using an Italian primary care database, the incidence rate of IMD was calculated in the period 2000-2019 by capturing the first diagnosis registered during follow-up. As far as meningococcal-related sequelae are concerned, we identified and clinically evaluated each potential sequela during the first 3 months, from 3 to 12 months, and up to 36 months. Results Among 508 patients diagnosed with IMD, 403 (incidence rate: 0.24 per 10,000 person-years) comprised those diagnosed with IMD in patients aged 15 years or older. We ascertained 104 sequelae (20.4%); 76% of them occurred in those aged 25 or older; 42, 27, and 35 were assessed as short-, medium-, or long-term sequelae, respectively. Overall, 4.7% of IMD patients reported physical sequelae, while 12.2% and 5.7% of patients reported neurological and psychological sequelae, respectively. Conclusion Our study showed that a substantial proportion of IMD and related sequelae occur in individuals aged over 25, with a non-negligible burden for healthcare systems. As for the paediatric population, effective communication on the relevance of meningococcal vaccination in adults should be proficiently fostered.
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| 8. |
- Lapi, Francesco, et al.
(författare)
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How to support general practitioners to better detect sarcopenia among older adults : a nested case-control analysis
- 2024
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Ingår i: European Geriatric Medicine. - 1878-7649 .- 1878-7657.
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Purpose This study explores correlations of sarcopenia and its proxies, such as history of falls, asthenia, and ambulation issues, with frailty levels among older adults in primary care.Methods In a cohort of 546,590 patients aged 60 years or older, “definite” sarcopenia cases were operationally defined through the use of non-specific diagnostic codes coupled with inspection of free-texts. Proxies of sarcopenia, such as falls history, asthenia, and ambulation issues were considered as well. Frailty was calculated using an Index intended to primary care.Results Overall, 171 definite sarcopenia cases were found, rising to 51,520 cases when including proxies (9.4% prevalence). There was a significant association between severe frailty and increased odds of sarcopenia, consistently observed across different event definitions.Conclusions Sarcopenia was strongly associated with severe frailty in primary care. The history of falls, asthenia, and ambulation issues were reliable proxies to raise the suspect of sarcopenia. Improved strategies for sarcopenia detection, focusing on specific indicators within severely frail individuals, are warranted.
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| 9. |
- Vetrano, Davide L., et al.
(författare)
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Poor adherence to chronic obstructive pulmonary disease medications in primary care : Role of age, disease burden and polypharmacy
- 2017
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Ingår i: Geriatrics & Gerontology International. - : Wiley. - 1444-1586 .- 1447-0594. ; 17:12, s. 2500-2506
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- AimThe aim of the present study was to assess the occurrence and determinants of poor adherence to pharmacological treatment in a cohort of primary care patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), paying special attention to the role of age, comorbidity and polypharmacy.MethodsWe identified a cohort of COPD patients using the primary care Italian Health Search – IMS Longitudinal Patient Database. We assessed 1-year adherence to COPD maintenance pharmacotherapy (encompassing inhaled corticosteroids, long-acting beta agonists and long-acting anticholinergics). Poor adherence was defined as <80% of proportion of days covered by pharmacological treatment over a 1-year period.ResultsOf 22 505 patients (mean age 67.3 ± 13.2; 41.3% women) entering the study, 17 486 (77.7%) were poorly adherent. According to multivariate analysis, poor adherence is less likely in older adults (OR 0.51, 95% CI 0.40–0.66), in non-smokers (OR 0.77, 95% CI 0.69–0.86) and in those with a history of alcohol abuse (OR 0.74, 95% CI 0.58–0.94). Higher comorbidity (OR 1.43, 95% CI 1.13–1.80) was positively associated with poor adherence. Polypharmacy was associated with poor adherence only in patients aged ≥65 years (OR 1.34, 95% CI 1.13–1.59). Finally, COPD severity was associated with a reduced likelihood of poor adherence (OR 0.20, 95% CI 0.07–0.61 for stage IV).ConclusionsThe present findings show that poor medication adherence is common in patients with COPD receiving long-term treatment. The interaction between age and polypharmacy, and the role of comorbidity suggest a pivotal role of biological age as a steering determinant of poor adherence. Geriatr Gerontol Int 2017; 17: 2500–2506.
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| 10. |
- Vetrano, Davide L., et al.
(författare)
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Triple inhaled therapy in COPD patients : determinants of prescription in primary care
- 2019
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Ingår i: Respiratory Medicine. - : Elsevier BV. - 0954-6111 .- 1532-3064. ; 154, s. 12-17
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Objective: To assess the incidence and determinants of the triple inhaled therapy in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) primary care patients.Methods: Data derived from the Health Search Database (HSD) gathering information on 700 Italian general practitioners. A cohort of COPD patients, prescribed for the first time with inhaled treatments, was followed-up between January 2002 and December 2014. The outcome was the first incident prescription of a triple inhaled therapy, namely the combination of inhaled corticosteroids (ICS), long-acting beta agonists (LABA), and long-acting muscarinic antagonists (LAMA). Cox regressions were used to test the association (hazard ratios, HR) between candidate determinants and the outcome.Results: Out of 17589 patients (mean age 71.1 +/- 11.3 years; 37.4% females), 3693 (21%) were prescribed with a triple inhaled therapy during follow-up. Older age (HR=1.79 to 2.61), current and former smoking habit (HR=1.72 and 1.66), higher GOLD stage (HR=1.45 to 2.79), the number of moderate and severe COPD exacerbations (HR=1.10 to 2.63), and heart failure (HR=1.17) resulted statistically significantly associated with an increased incident prescription of the triple inhaled therapy. Female sex (HR=0.80) and some co-morbidities (HR=0.21 to 0.87) resulted negatively associated with the outcome. Furthermore, patients initially treated with LAMA (HR=1.5) and LABA/ICS (HR=1.23) were more likely to escalate to the triple therapy, than those on LABA. Conversely, patients initially treated with ICS presented a negative hazard (HR=0.72).Conclusions: The knowledge of demographic and clinical determinants of the escalation to the triple inhaled therapy in real-world COPD patients may help clinicians to better personalize respiratory pharmacological treatments of their patients, and inform international societies that issue clinical guidelines.
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