Universal health care coverage in the United States: is it "slip slidin' away"?

With passage of the Affordable Care Act, affordable health insurance for all Americans is in sight, yet politics could cause it to slip away. A resurgent Republican Party will mount a sustained challenge at the federal and state levels, but the new Congress will not bring about the Affordable Care Act's repeal. More likely, the law's effectiveness could be undermined by congressional restrictions on its implementation, underfunding of programs to improve public health and train more primary care physicians, and resistance by many states to its mandates. Congress could instead seek a bipartisan accord on improving the law, such as by giving the states more options, but this is unlikely in the current polarized environment. This debate is occurring even as the United States faces an unprecedented crisis in access to health insurance coverage, affecting nearly every demographic group, yet the uninsured have largely become an afterthought. Medical professionalism requires a commitment to improving access to care, and physicians could play a crucial role in informing lawmakers that providing all Americans with affordable health care coverage is a moral and medical imperative to prevent needless suffering and death, and must not be allowed to slip away.     

What is the prevalence of resistant hypertension in the United States?

Purpose of review Resistant hypertension, defined as blood pressure uncontrolled on three, or controlled with at least four, antihypertensive agents (including a diuretic), is associated with higher risk of secondary hypertension, cardiovascular and renal events, and increased healthcare expenditures. Until recently, however, the prevalence of resistant hypertension in the United States (US) was based on clinical trial registries or pharmacy databases. Recent findings Recent analyses of National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) data, drawn from representative samples of the adult, noninstitutionalized, civilian population, have estimated the prevalence of resistant hypertension at 8.9 ± 0.6% of the US hypertensive population in 2003-2008. A time-sequence comparison of NHANES data from 1998 through 2008 suggests that, unlike hypertension, resistant hypertension is becoming more prevalent (e.g., 20.7% in 2005-2008), due to aging and increased obesity in the general population. Resistant hypertension was more frequent in people who were older, obese, male, African American or nonblack Hispanic. Summary In coming years, even if the prevalence of hypertension remains stable, resistant hypertension is likely to increase, especially as the proportion of treated hypertension increases. Because of increased use of healthcare resources, resistant hypertensive patients should be identified early, and greater efforts made to control their blood pressures.     

What is the health status of cardiology health care personnel in 2001?

The prevention of cardiovascular diseases belongs to priorities of the Czech public health care. Medical personnel should therefore set the example in the healthy way of life. At the meeting of the Working Group for Arrhythmia and Permanent Cardiostimulation at the Czech Cardiological Society, a questionnaire-based investigation for the evaluation of basic risk factors in workers engaged in cardiology (physicians, nurses, technicians) was performed. Our employees represent a paragon for the population in terms of motion activities and smoking in men. All of them also evaluate their subjective health better than the general population does. However, they consume larger amounts of alcohol and keep correct nutrition habits at a lower standard than the general population practices.     

How many deaths occur annually from adverse drug reactions in the United States?

PURPOSE: The numbers of deaths attributed to adverse drug reactions by death certificates and by the Food and Drug Administration's (FDA) spontaneous postmarketing surveillance system (MedWatch) were compared in order to characterize national mortality statistics. METHODS: Mortality statistics related to adverse drug reactions were obtained from national public-use databases of death certificates based on appropriate International Classification of Disease (ICD-9) codes and from MedWatch during 1995. The number of deaths, frequency distributions of sex and age groups, and rankings of drug categories associated with adverse reactions were compared.RESULTS: During 1995, 206 deaths were attributed to adverse drug reactions on death certificates in the United States, whereas MedWatch tabulated 6,894 fatalities. The proportions of men and women were similar, and the majority of deaths involved persons 60 years of age and older, in both data sets. The rankings of drug categories associated with adverse drug reactions differed in the two data sets.CONCLUSION: The numbers of deaths reported in these data sets varied 34-fold and were up to several 100-fold less than values based on extrapolations of surveillance programs. These differences indicate that better and more comprehensive data are needed to develop appropriate health care policies to improve drug safety.     

Occupational Mortality from Squamous Cell Carcinoma of the Esophagus in the United States During 1991–1996

The epidemiology of esophageal squamous cell cancer has remained poorly understood. The occupational distribution of this cancer may provide clues about its yet unknown etiology. Data files from the National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS) of the United States offer a unique source to study causes of death, broken down by occupation and industry. The number of deaths from esophageal cancer was retrieved from the computerized US vital statistics. Mortality by occupation or industry was expressed as standardized proportional mortality ratio (PMR), adjusted by age, gender, and ethnicity. Between 1991 and 1996, 63,717 subjects died from esophageal squamous cell carcinoma. Mortality was particularly high among nonwhites and men. The industrial and the occupational distributions shared a similar pattern. Mortality from esophageal squamous cell carcinoma occurred more frequently among subjects exposed to silica dust, such as brickmasons and stonemasons, concrete and terrazzo finishers, roofers, and construction laborers. It was also high in such industries as unspecified machinery or manufacturing and such occupations as unspecified material handlers, janitors, or cleaners. It was low in industries and occupations associated with agriculture, clergy, work in religious organizations, and textiles. In conclusion, mortality from esophageal squamous cell carcinoma appeared to be low in occupations associated with less consumption of alcohol and tobacco. It was high among occupations potentially associated with exposure to silica dust and chemical solvents or detergents.     

Top priorities for alcohol regulators in the United States: protecting public health or the alcohol industry?

Aims This paper describes alcohol industry involvement in the 2010 annual conference proceedings of the National Conference of State Liquor Administrators (NCSLA) in the United States. Design The author attended the conference, observed conference attendees and panelists and identified key themes in the panel sessions. Setting The NCSLA Annual Meeting took place 20–24 June 2010 in New Orleans, Louisiana. Participants NCSLA meeting attendees and panelists were professionals from state alcohol control systems; federal government agencies; and companies representing the alcohol industry. Measurements The total number of conference attendees and participants were counted as well as the number of attendees and participants from regulator, industry and public health sectors. Findings More than two‐thirds (72.2%) of the 187 conference attendees were from alcohol producers, importers, wholesalers, retailers or their attorneys. Nearly two‐thirds (65.0%) of the 40 panelists were from the alcohol industry. The author of this paper was the only attendee, and the only panelist, representing public health policy. Conclusions The National Conference of State Liquor Administrators in the United States is dominated by the private, global companies that produce, import, distribute and sell alcohol, highlighting a lack of public health considerations within the Association's liquor control agenda.     

Period prevalence of chronic pancreatitis diagnosis from 2001–2013 in the commercially insured population of the United States

BackgroundPrevalence estimates of chronic pancreatitis (CP) in the US are scarce. We aimed to determine the prevalence of CP in the commercially insured population of the US.MethodsWe analyzed the IQVIA Legacy PharMetrics database to calculate the period prevalence of CP from 2001 to 2013 among individuals with ≥1 year of enrollment. CP was defined as ≥1 healthcare contacts associated with a non-ancillary claim for a primary diagnosis of CP (ICD-9-CM 577.1). Prevalence estimates were age- and sex- adjusted to the 2010 US population. Sensitivity analysis was performed by using more stringent criteria: a) 1 claim of CP + [≥1 claims of acute pancreatitis (AP), CP or pancreatic cyst/pseudocyst]; b) 1 claim of CP + [≥1 claims for AP, CP or pancreatic cyst/pseudocyst in ≥3 months before or after the index CP claim]; c) ≥2 claims for CP; and d) ≥2 claims for CP separated by ≥ 6 months.ResultsOf 48.67 million eligible enrollees, 37,061 received the diagnosis of CP (mean age, 51.2 ± 15.2 years; 49% male). The age- and sex- adjusted period prevalence of CP per 100,000 was 73.4 (95% CI, 72.6–74.1), 98.7 (95% CI, 97.7–99.7) for adults and 8.3 (95% CI, 7.8–8.8) for children. Prevalence of CP was slightly higher in males (sex ratio, 1.05) and highest in the age group of 46–55 years (135/100,000). On sensitivity analysis, the prevalence of CP per 100,000 decreased to 60.2, 39.7, 38.8, and 18.8 with each of the alternative definitions.ConclusionPrevalence estimates reported in our study provide an insight into the population burden of CP in the US.     

Increasing Incidence of Ehrlichiosis in the United States: A Summary of National Surveillance of Ehrlichia chaffeensis and Ehrlichia ewingii Infections in the United States, 2008–2012

Human ehrlichiosis is a potentially fatal disease caused by Ehrlichia chaffeensis and Ehrlichia ewingii. Cases of ehrlichiosis are reported to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention through two national surveillance systems: Nationally Notifiable Diseases Surveillance System (NNDSS) and Case Report Forms. During 2008–2012, 4,613 cases of E. chaffeensis infections were reported through NNDSS. The incidence rate (IR) was 3.2 cases per million person-years (PYs). The hospitalization rate (HR) was 57% and the case fatality rate (CFR) was 1%. Children aged < 5 years had the highest CFR of 4%. During 2008–2012, 55 cases of E. ewingii infection were reported through NNDSS. The national IR was 0.04 cases per million PY. The HR was 77%; no deaths were reported. Immunosuppressive conditions were reported by 26% of cases. The overall rate for ehrlichiosis has increased 4-fold since 2000. Although previous literature suggests E. ewingii primarily affects those who are immunocompromised, this report shows most cases occurred among immunocompetent patients. This is the first report to show children aged < 5 years with ehrlichiosis have an increased CFR, relative to older patients. Ongoing surveillance and reporting of tick-borne diseases are critical to inform public health practice and guide disease treatment and prevention efforts.     

Rising incidence of intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma in the United States: a true increase?

BACKGROUND/AIMS: The incidence of intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (ICC) has been reported to be increasing in the USA. The aim of this study is to examine whether this is a true increase or a reflection of improved detection or reclassification. METHODS: Using data from the Surveillance Epidemiology and End Results (SEER) program, incidence rates for ICC between 1975 and 1999 were calculated. We also calculated the proportions of cases with each tumor stage, microscopically confirmed cases, and the survival rates. RESULTS: A total of 2864 patients with ICC were identified. The incidence of ICC increased by 165% during the study period. Most of this increase occurred after 1985. There were no significant changes in the proportion of patients with unstaged cancer, localized cancer, microscopic confirmation, or with tumor size <5 cm during the period of the most significant increase. The 1-year survival rate increased significantly from 15.8% in 1975-1979 to 26.3% in 1995-1999, while 5-year survival rate remained essentially the same (2.6 vs. 3.5%). CONCLUSIONS: The incidence of ICC continues to rise in the USA. The stable proportions over time of patients with early stage disease, unstaged disease, tumor size <5 cm, and microscopic confirmation suggest a true increase of ICC.     

Etiology of new-onset jaundice: how often is it caused by idiosyncratic drug-induced liver injury in the United States?

BACKGROUND AND AIM: The epidemiology of acute drug-induced liver injury (DILI) in the United States has not been well studied. We conducted a study of adults with new-onset jaundice at a nonreferral community hospital to better understand the epidemiology of acute DILI. METHODS: This is a retrospective study of adult outpatients and inpatients (> or =18 yr) with new-onset jaundice over a 5-yr period (1999-2003) at Wishard Memorial Hospital, Indiana. Patients with new-onset jaundice were identified using our electronic medical record system and individual medical records were reviewed to extract the required clinical data. New-onset jaundice was defined as the presence of total serum bilirubin >3 mg/dL in patients without a prior total bilirubin >3 mg/dL. RESULTS: A total of 732 eligible adults constituted our study cohort. Sepsis or altered hemodynamic state resulting in presumed ischemic liver injury is the single most common cause of jaundice (22%). Acute liver disease as a result of nonalcoholic etiologies caused new-onset jaundice in 97 patients (13%), with acute viral hepatitis in 66 patients (9%) and DILI in 29 patients (4%). Most cases of DILI were as a result of acetaminophen toxicity with idiosyncratic DILI occurring in only five patients (0.7%). No mortality was observed at 6 wk in patients who developed idiosyncratic DILI. CONCLUSION: Idiosyncratic DILI appears to be a rare cause of new-onset jaundice in a community hospital setting.     

Obesity in the United States: Is there a quick fix? Pros and cons of bariatric surgery from the adult perspective

Over 60% of the American population is either overweight or obese. Conventional treatment through decreased caloric intake and increased physical activity has been minimally effective in achieving sustained weight loss. Pharmacotherapies are effective in inducing some weight loss; however, lost weight is regained once the medications are stopped. Surgical weight loss is the only treatment that has been demonstrated to achieve durable weight loss, with sustained weight loss for at least 14 years and improvements in or complete resolution of associated comorbidities and improved quality of life. Based on the National Institutes of Health 1991 Consensus Conference guidelines, 16 million Americans are currently potential candidates for weight loss surgery. Although this is an effective treatment for appropriate candidates in the short term, education on nutrition and increased physical activity is more likely to be effective over the long term. One hopes that current research efforts in obesity and public awareness will lead to a decrease in the prevalence of this disease.     

Q Fever in the United States: Summary of Case Reports from Two National Surveillance Systems, 2000–2012

Q fever is a worldwide zoonosis historically associated with exposure to infected livestock. This study summarizes cases of Q fever, a notifiable disease in the United States, reported to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention through two national surveillance systems with onset during 2000–2012. The overall incidence rate during this time was 0.38 cases per million persons per year. The reported case fatality rate was 2.0%, and the reported hospitalization rate was 62%. Most cases (61%) did not report exposure to cattle, goats, or sheep, suggesting that clinicians should consider Q fever even in the absence of livestock exposure. The prevalence of drinking raw milk among reported cases of Q fever (8.4%) was more than twice the national prevalence for the practice. Passive surveillance systems for Q fever are likely impacted by underreporting and underdiagnosis because of the nonspecific presentation of Q fever.