US Life Expectancy Gap Among Demographics Was Up to 20 Years in 2021

Life expectancy in the US may now vary by more than 2 decades based on demographic differences, according to a new systematic analysis. The largest gap between highest and lowest life expectancies was 12.6 years in 2000. It reached 13.9 years in 2010 and 15.8 years by 2019 before climbing to 20.4 years after the first 2 years of the COVID-19 pandemic—with the largest life expectancy difference being between Asian individuals and American Indian or Alaska Native people in the West.

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Gennaio 2025

Factors influencing communication issues during hospital discharge for older adults in 11 high-income countries: a secondary analysis of the 2021 International Health Policy Survey

Objectives
To determine the prevalence of hospital discharge communication problems with older adults, compare them across countries and determine factors associated with those problems.

Design
Secondary analysis of cross-sectional survey data.

Setting
2021 Commonwealth Fund International Health Policy (IHP) Survey of Older Adults conducted across 11 high-income countries, including Australia, Canada, France, Germany, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Sweden, Switzerland, the UK and the USA.

Participants
4501 respondents aged 60 and older in the USA and 65 and older in all other included countries who were hospitalised at least once in the past 2 years before the survey and answered discharge communication-related questions.

Primary outcome measure
Our primary outcome measure is poor discharge communication (PDC), a composite variable of three IHP questions related to written information, doctor follow-up and medicines discussed.

Results
Overall PDC rate was 19.2% (864/4501), although rates varied by nation. PDC was highest in Norway (31.5%) and lowest in the USA (7.5%). Gender, education, income and the presence of at least one chronic disease were not statistically associated with PDC.

Conclusions
Given the high rate of PDC observed, hospital discharge teams and leadership should carefully examine communication during the hospital discharge process to ensure minimisation of care gaps, particularly regarding medication, since this was the most reported problem.

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Gennaio 2025

Is economic inequality in maternal and child healthcare decreasing in India? Trends between 2005-2006, 2015-2016 and 2019-2021

Objective
This study examined economic inequality in coverage of selected maternal and child healthcare (MCH) indicators in India and its states over the last 15 years.

Design
The study analysed last three rounds of the National Family Health Survey data, conducted during 2005–2006, 2015–2016 and 2019–2021. Bivariate analyses, ratio of richest to poorest, slope index of inequality (SII) and multivariate binary logistic regression analyses were used to examine the coverage as well as inequalities in the outcome indicators for India and its states and at district level.

Primary outcomes
The outcome variables analysed in the study were full antenatal care, institutional delivery, postnatal care of mothers within 48 hours of delivery, and full immunisation among children.

Participants
Women aged 15–49 who had given a birth in the last 5 years before the surveys were unit of analysis for the maternal healthcare indicators, and children aged 12–23 months were unit of the analysis for childhood immunisation.

Results
Over the last 15 years, coverage of the MCH indicators has increased in India and across socioeconomic segment of the population, and the absolute increase was higher among the worse-off segments than the better-off. This led to decline in the inequality in coverage of all the MCH indicators. For instance, the value of SII for institutional births decreased from 0.76 in 2005–2006 to 0.45 in 2015–2016 and further to 0.37 in 2019–2021. Although inequality has decreased, geographic disparities persist across states and districts.

Conclusion
Though substantial improvement was observed, coverage of MCH indicators increased and the economic inequality declined; certain geographies are still characterised with the low coverage and persistent high inequality. This suggests that adding a spatial perspective to the inequality research and targeted strategies is essential for achieving universal access to reproductive healthcare services by 2030 in India.

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Gennaio 2025

Burden of digestive congenital anomalies among children aged 0-14 years in 204 countries and territories, 1990-2021: results from the Global Burden of Disease Study 2021

Objectives
We aim to delineate the digestive congenital abnormalities burden in children under 14 years old between 1990 and 2021.

Design
We implemented data from the Global Burden of Disease (GBD) 2021 database to evaluate digestive congenital abnormalities burden with different measures in 204 countries and territories from 1990 to 2021. We present precise estimations with 95% uncertainty intervals. In addition, we computed the estimated annual percentage change (EAPC) to examine the temporal patterns of these indicators.

Setting
It uses prevalence, deaths and disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) data from the GBD study to analyse this issue.

Participants
Patients with digestive congenital abnormalities diagnosis.

Outcomes
Total numbers, age-standardised rates (ASRs) of prevalence, mortality and DALYs and their EAPCs were the main outcomes among children aged 0–14 years.

Results
In 2021, 2206.79 thousand prevalent cases were reported worldwide, with digestive congenital anomalies accounting for 47.16 thousand deaths and 4324.56 thousand DALYs among children aged 0–14 years. Digestive congenital anomalies prevalence was mitigated by 8.15% between 1990 and 2021, with the global ASR of prevalence declining to 40.09 per 100 000. Digestive congenital anomalies mortality was mitigated by 35.35% between 1990 and 2021, with an ASR of deaths declining to 0.77 per 100 000. The worldwide burden of digestive congenital anomalies decreased by 34.96% in terms of DALYs from 1990 to 2021, with an ASR of 70.44 DALYs per 100 000 population. There was a significant hindrance in the prevalence, particularly among older children. The likelihood of digestive congenital abnormalities peaked during infancy (2–4 years) in all regions.

Conclusion
We highlight promising global declines in the digestive congenital anomalies burden among children over the past 32 years. Prevalence, deaths and DALYs associated with these anomalies have shown consistent decreases, although regional variations persist. These findings offer crucial insights for shaping effective prevention and management strategies for paediatric digestive congenital anomalies.

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Dicembre 2024

[Articles] Global assessment of leukemia care quality: insights from the quality of care index (QCI) from 1990 to 2021

The QCI serves as an effective metric for evaluating the quality of leukemia care. Our findings reveal a strong association between leukemia QCI and regional economic and educational development. Age is a critical factor, with an aging population contributing to a potential decline in QCI. These results underscore the urgent need for targeted interventions to enhance health services for older adults and to improve care quality in economically disadvantaged regions.

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Dicembre 2024

[Articles] Global, regional, and national trends in drug use disorder mortality rates across 73 countries from 1990 to 2021, with projections up to 2040: a global time-series analysis and modelling study

An increasing trend in global DUD mortality was observed from 1990 to 2021, especially in HICs. Future DUD deaths were also predicted to increase until 2040 at the global level. Therefore, these findings suggest urgent and proactive strategies for DUD to reduce the mortality rates related to DUD are needed. However, further prospective research that accounts for potential confounding factors, such as socioeconomic variables and the quality of reporting data from individual countries, is imperative for more accurate estimation.

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Dicembre 2024

Epidemiology of gastrointestinal cancers: a systematic analysis from the Global Burden of Disease Study 2021

Background
Gastrointestinal cancers comprise nearly one-third of global mortality from cancer, yet the comprehensive global burden of these cancers remains uninvestigated.

Objective
We aimed to assess the global, regional and national burden of gastrointestinal cancers.

Designs
Data on oesophagus, gastric, colorectal, liver, pancreas and biliary tract cancers were extracted from the Global Burden of Disease 2021 database. Age-standardised incidence rate (ASIR) and age-standardised death rate (ASDR) were calculated by sex, region and Sociodemographic Index (SDI).

Results
In 2021, there were 5.26 million incidences and 3.70 million deaths from gastrointestinal cancer. The greatest burden is from colorectal, followed by gastric, oesophageal, pancreatic, liver and biliary tract cancer. We noted geographical and socioeconomic differences in ASIR and ASDR across all types of cancers. From 2000 to 2021, ASIR increased for colorectal cancer (annual percent change (APC): 0.10%, 95% CI 0.05% to 0.14%), pancreatic cancer (APC: 0.27%, 95% CI 0.14% to 0.41%), and liver cancer from metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (APC: 0.62%, 95% CI 0.58% to 0.67%) and alcohol-related liver disease (APC: 0.26%, 95% CI 0.22% to 0.30%). ASDR increased for pancreatic cancer (APC: 0.18%, 95% CI 0.02% to 0.34%). Higher SDI countries had higher incidence rates for most types of gastrointestinal cancer.

Conclusions
Although the ASIR of oesophageal, gastric and biliary tract cancer has decreased, the ASIR still increased in colorectal, pancreatic and liver cancer from steatotic liver disease. Public policies are important for controlling gastrointestinal cancers—most importantly, reducing alcohol consumption, hepatitis B immunisation and tackling the burden of metabolic diseases.

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Dicembre 2024

Evolution of the use, effectiveness and safety of bismuth-containing quadruple therapy for Helicobacter pylori infection between 2013 and 2021: results from the European registry on H. pylori management (Hp-EuReg)

Background
Bismuth quadruple therapies (BQTs) including bismuth, a proton pump inhibitor (PPI) and two antibiotics have been shown to be highly effective for treating Helicobacter pylori infection even in areas of high bacterial antibiotic resistance.

Objective
To describe the time trends of use, effectiveness and safety of BQT in Europe using the European Registry on Helicobacter pylori Management (Hp-EuReg).

Design
Patients registered in the Hp-EuReg from 2013 to 2021 who had received BQT were included. The regimens prescribed, the number of eradication attempts, effectiveness, adherence and safety were analysed. The effectiveness was assessed by modified intention to treat (mITT). Time-trend and multivariate analyses were performed to determine variables that predicted treatment success.

Results
Of the 49 690 patients included in the Hp-EuReg, 15 582 (31%) had received BQT. BQT use increased from 8.6% of all treatments in 2013 to 39% in 2021. Single-capsule BQT—containing bismuth, metronidazole and tetracycline—plus a PPI (single-capsule BQT, ScBQT) was the most frequent treatment mode (43%). Schemes that obtained an effectiveness above 90% were the 10-day ScBQT and 14-day BQT using tetracycline plus metronidazole, or amoxicillin plus either clarithromycin or metronidazole. Only ScBQT achieved above 90% cure rates in all the geographical areas studied. Using the ScBQT scheme, adherence, the use of standard or high-dose PPIs, 14-day prescriptions and the use of BQT as first-line treatment were significantly associated with higher mITT effectiveness.

Conclusion
The use of BQT increased notably in Europe over the study period. A 10-day ScBQT was the scheme that most consistently achieved optimal effectiveness.

Trial registration number
NCT02328131.

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Dicembre 2024

[Articles] Global, regional, and national burdens of heart failure in adolescents and young adults aged 10–24 years from 1990 to 2021: an analysis of data from the Global Burden of Disease Study 2021

The burden of HF in adolescents and young adults aged 10–24 years was still increasing globally, which may be obscured by the burden trend of general population. According to different underlying causes of HF, both high-income countries and low- and middle-income countries need to better prevent HF in adolescents and young adults.

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Dicembre 2024

[Articles] Global, regional, and national epidemiology of childhood neuroblastoma (1990–2021): a statistical analysis of incidence, mortality, and DALYs

The global trends for incidence, mortality, and DALYs related to pediatric neuroblastoma initially increased and then decreased, although an overall increasing trend was observed. However, the burden of disease remains significant in low-, low-middle-, and middle-SDI regions. A comprehensive understanding of the epidemiology of neuroblastoma in children is crucial for enhancing disease prevention and control efforts.

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Dicembre 2024

Long-term trends in English general practice consultation rates from 1995 to 2021: a retrospective analysis of two electronic health records databases

Objectives
Although primary care is central to healthcare provision, inconsistent methods and data sources mean that relatively little is known about long-term trends in general practice consultation rates. We aimed to explore long-term trends in English general practice consultation rates using two electronic health records databases, Clinical Practice Research Datalink Gold and Aurum, from 1995 to 2021.

Methods
Consultations were identified and classified using a set of rules and code lists. Consultation rates were calculated as the ratio of the count of consultations and the registration duration. We used negative binomial regression to model the relationship between the number of consultations and the patient’s age, sex and year from each database. These models are then used to estimate annual crude consultation rates for England.

Results
The number of general practices in the Gold database decreased from 346 (1995) to 41 (2021), while in Aurum, it increased from 555 (1995) to 1347 (2021). In Gold, the average number of consultations per person-year increased from 2.91 in 1995 to 5.12 in 2012, then fell to 4.59 in 2019 and to 4.12 in 2021. In Aurum, average consultations per person-year rose from 2.17 (1995) to 4.89 (2012), then fell to 4.76 (2019) and rose again to 5.40 (2021). Half of the total increase in consultations from Aurum was due to a new consultation code, for ‘AccurX consultations’, an electronic messaging system for communication with patients.

Conclusion
Trends in general practice consultation showed three distinct epochs: rising from 1995 to 2012, falling from 2012 to 2019 and rising in Aurum but falling in Gold from 2019 to 2021. Consultation rates in Gold were higher than Aurum until the inclusion of a new consultation code in Aurum in 2019, which underscores the need for operational definitions of a consultation.

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Dicembre 2024

Impact of the active job openings-to-applicants ratio on the number of ambulance dispatches in Japan, 2003-2021: a longitudinal ecological study

Objective
To examine the contribution of the active job openings-to-applicants ratio, a macroeconomic indicator, to the number of ambulance dispatches.

Design
Longitudinal ecological study.

Setting
Japan, between January 2003 and December 2021.

Participants
All ambulance dispatches.

Primary and secondary outcome measures
The contribution of the active job openings-to-applicants ratio in a month, adjusted by the number of older people, mean temperature and total population, to the number of ambulance dispatches in that specific month was examined and the primary model was compared to the conventional model considering only the older population, mean temperature, and total population.

Results
There were 108 724 969 ambulance dispatches during this period. The active job openings-to-applicants ratio was significantly associated with the number of ambulance dispatches (the increase rate of monthly ambulance dispatches for 1% rise in the active job openings-to-applicants ratio, 1.00082; 95% CI 1.00052 to 1.00112). Additionally, the primary model effectively demonstrated better fitness to the actual trend than the conventional model (the quasi-likelihood under the independence model criteria were –2 626 817 720 and –2 626 775 185, respectively).

Conclusions
The number of ambulance dispatches was correlated with the active job openings-to-applicants ratio. Macroeconomic perspectives may be needed to address the issue of increasing ambulance dispatches.

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Novembre 2024

'Blue-lighting seizure-related needs in care homes: a retrospective analysis of ambulance call-outs for seizures in North West England (2014-2021), their management and costs, with community comparisons

Objectives
With a projected rise in care home residency and the disproportionate impact of epilepsy and seizures on older adults, understanding seizure-related needs in this population is crucial. Data silos and inconsistent recording of residence status make this challenging. We thus leveraged ambulance data to investigate seizure call-out incidence, characteristics, management and costs in care homes compared with the wider community.

Design
Retrospective analysis of dispatch data from a regional English ambulance service over four 9-month periods between 2014/2015 and 2021/2022. Suspected seizures in adults (≥16 years) were identified, with data on location, patient age, severity and management extracted. Incidence rates, trends over time and case characteristics were compared. Costs of ambulance response were estimated, and factors influencing emergency department (ED) conveyance were analysed using logistic regression.

Setting
North West Ambulance Service National Health Service Trust, serving an adult population of ~5.5 million.

Participants
Dispatch data for 98 752 suspected seizure cases.

Results
Care homes, accommodating ~0.8% of the regional population, accounted for 7.2% of seizure call-outs. Incidence was higher in care homes than the wider community (55.71 vs 5.97 per 1000 person/year in 2021/2022) and increased over time. Care home cases peaked around 8:00–9:00. Despite similar or lower severity, they had a higher ED conveyance rate (78.3% vs 70.6%). Conveyance likelihood was influenced by factors beyond severity: reduced in homes specialising in learning disabilities (adjusted OR=0.649) and increased in homes with nursing provision (adjusted OR=1.226). Care homes accounted for 7.26% of the £24 million cost.

Conclusions
This study highlights the growing seizure-related needs in care homes. Despite similar severity, most cases result in ED conveyance. Future research should examine the appropriateness and implications of these transfers, ensuring specialist services support the care home population effectively.

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Novembre 2024