Ethnic differences in the place of death of elderly hospice enrollees

Elderly minorities are more likely to die in inpatient settings than their Caucasian counterparts. It is not known whether this difference is due to cultural preferences for place of death or decreased access to hospice. This analysis examines ethnic differences in the place of death of elderly hospice patients. Using data from a large, national hospice provider, elderly (> or = 65) African-American, Hispanic, and Caucasian decedents admitted to hospice between January 1, 2000, and December 31, 2003, were identified. Of the 115,854 eligible decedents, 78.3% were Caucasian, 10.7% African American, and 11% Hispanic. Hispanics and African Americans were more likely to die in inpatient hospice settings than Caucasians (38.5%, 38.5%, and 32%, respectively). After adjustment for demographic and hospice use variables, older African Americans had higher odds than older Caucasians of dying in an inpatient hospice setting than a nursing home (odds ratio (OR)=1.12, 95% confidence interval (CI)=1.07-1.19). However, African-American ethnicity was not a significant predictor of death in an inpatient setting versus home (OR=1.03, 95% CI=0.97-1.08)). Hispanics had lower odds than Caucasians of death in an inpatient hospice setting than at home (OR=0.88, 95% CI=0.84, 0.93) and higher odds of death in an inpatient setting than a nursing home (OR=1.45, 95% CI=1.37-1.53). Admission to hospice reduces but does not eliminate ethnic differences in place of death. Further research should examine the effect of individual and cultural preferences for place of death on decisions to enroll in hospice.     

Genetic factors and susceptibility to falls in older women

OBJECTIVES: To determine whether genetic influences account for individual differences in susceptibility to falls in older women. DESIGN: Prospective twin cohort study. SETTING: Research laboratory and residential environment. PARTICIPANTS: Ninety-nine monozygotic (MZ) and 114 dizygotic (DZ) female twin pairs aged 63 to 76 from the Finnish Twin Cohort study. MEASUREMENTS: The participants recorded their falls on a calendar for an average+/-standard deviation of 344+/-41 days. Reported falls were verified via telephone interview, and circumstances, causes, and consequences of the fall were asked about. RESULTS: The total number of falls was 434, of which 188 were injurious; 91 participants had two or more falls. Casewise concordance was 0.61 (95% confidence interval (CI)=0.49-0.72) for MZ twins and 0.49 (95% CI=0.37-0.62) for DZ twins for at least one fall, 0.38 (95% CI=0.23-0.53) for MZ and 0.33 (95% CI=0.17-0.50) for DZ twins for at least one injurious fall, and 0.43 (95% CI=0.26-0.60) for MZ and 0.36 (95% CI=0.17-0.55) for DZ twins for recurrent falls. On average, the proportion of familial influences accounting for the individual differences in susceptibility to at least one fall was 30% and to recurrent falls was 40%; nongenetic familial and nonfamilial factors alone accounted for susceptibility to at least one injurious fall. CONCLUSION: In community-dwelling older women, familial factors underlie the risk of falling but not the risk of injurious falls.     

Incidence of cardiovascular disease in older Americans: the cardiovascular health study

OBJECTIVES: To estimate incidence rates of major cardiovascular disease (CVD) in older Americans. DESIGN: Longitudinal cohort study using prospectively collected data on cardiovascular events. SETTING: Four U.S. communities in the Cardiovascular Health Study (CHS). PARTICIPANTS: Five thousand eight hundred eighty-eight participants in CHS, aged 65 or older at enrollment, including 3,393 women (581 African American) and 2,495 men (343 African American). MEASUREMENTS: At semiannual contacts, participants reported any occurrence of clinical CVD. Medical records were obtained and adjudicated to confirm diagnosis of CVD. RESULTS: During 10 years of follow-up, incidence of coronary heart disease (CHD) per 1,000 person-years was 39.6 (95% confidence interval (CI)=36.4-43.1) in men and 22.3 (95% CI=20.4-24.2) in women. Cumulative event rates for CHD and myocardial infarction for women aged 75 and older at baseline were similar to those for men aged 65 to 74. The overall incidence of stroke was similar for men and women (14.7 (95% CI=13.0-16.6) and 13.7 (95% CI=12.4-15.1) per 1,000 person-years, respectively), but the risk of stroke increased with age more rapidly in women, resulting in a greater cumulative event rate for stroke in women than in men aged 75 and older. The incidence of congestive heart failure increased 9% with each year of age over 65 and was greater than 6% per year in Caucasian men and women aged 85 and older at baseline. Rates were similar in African Americans and Caucasians. CONCLUSION: The occurrence of new CVD in older Americans is high, indicating that preventive efforts need to be maintained into older ages.     

Effect of cataract surgery on falls and mobility in independently living older adults

OBJECTIVES: To determine the effect of cataract surgery on the occurrence of falls and mobility and balance problems in older adults with cataract. DESIGN: Longitudinal follow-up study. SETTING: Clinical Research Unit, University of Alabama at Birmingham. PARTICIPANTS: Persons aged 55 and older with a cataract were recruited from 12 eye clinics in Alabama from October 1994 through March 1996. Participants were classified into two groups: those who had cataract surgery (surgery group, n=122) and those who had not (no-surgery group, n=92). MEASUREMENTS: At baseline and 1-year follow-up visits, information on the occurrence of falls and mobility and balance problems was collected based on subjects' recall of events during the prior 12 months. RESULTS: After adjusting for demographic, behavioral, medical, and visual characteristics, there was no difference between the two groups in the likelihood of falling (risk ratio (RR)=0.96, 95% confidence interval (CI)=0.64-1.42) or in having mobility (RR=0.81, 95% CI=0.55-1.18) or balance difficulties (RR=0.71, 95% CI=0.37-1.39). CONCLUSION: Cataract surgery had no association with the occurrence of falls or mobility or balance problems in independently living older adults with a cataract.     

Risk factors for falls and for serious injuries on falling among older Japanese women in Hawaii.

OBJECTIVES: To evaluate if similar constellations of factors underlie the risks of falls and injuries on falling for Japanese women as reported for predominately white populations. DESIGN: A prospective cohort study SETTING: The island of Oahu PARTICIPANTS: The older Japanese women who participated in the Hawaii Osteoporosis Study (mean age = 74 +/- 5 (SD) years). MEASUREMENTS: As outcomes: falls and serious injuries on falling. As predictors: anthropometric measurements, measurements of neuromuscular performance, activities of daily living (ADLs), past falls, and other suspected risk factors for falls and serious injuries. RESULTS: In multivariable models, four subject characteristics were positively associated with having a fall (having a fall in the past year (RR = 2.0 (95% CI, 1.5-2.8)), slow chair stands (RR = 1.4 (95% CI, 1.0-1.9), a short height (RR = 1.5 (95% CI, 1.1-2.1)), difficulties with five or more ADLs (RR = 1.5 (95% CI, 1.1-2.1))). Two subject characteristics were negatively associated with having a fall (ability to perform a full tandem balance with eyes closed (RR = .7 (95% CI, .5-1.0)) and having a long functional reach (RR = .7 (95% CI, .5-1.0))). The RRs represent as nearly as possible comparisons of the upper (or lower) quartile and the remaining quartiles. In multivariable models, long times for chair stands (odds ratio (OR) = 3.0 (95% CI, 1.5-6.1)) and a low BMI (OR = 3.1 (95% CI, 1.5-6.4)) were positively associated with having a serious injury among women who had a fall. Among the same women, taking part in an activity they did frequently (OR = .3 (95% CI, .1-.8)) and slow foot reaction times (OR = .3 (95% CI, .1-.8)) were associated negatively with having a serious injury. CONCLUSIONS: The results from this Japanese cohort support the conclusion that women at high risk of falling and serious fall injuries can be identified using a questionnaire and simple, performance-based tests of neuromuscular function. The risk factors for falling overlapped, but were distinct from, those for suffering a serious injury once a fall had occurred.     

An Outpatient Multifactorial Falls Prevention Intervention Does Not Reduce Falls in High-Risk Elderly Danes

OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the effect of multifactorial fall prevention in community-dwelling people aged 65 and older in Denmark.
DESIGN: Randomized, controlled clinical trial.
SETTING: Geriatric outpatient clinic at Glostrup University Hospital.
PARTICIPANTS: Three hundred ninety-two elderly people, mean age 74, 73.7% women, who had visited the emergency department or had been hospitalized due to a fall.
INTERVENTION: Identification of general medical, cardiovascular, and physical risk factors for falls and individual intervention in the intervention group. Participants in the control group received usual care.
MEASUREMENTS: Falls were registered prospectively in falls diaries, with monthly telephone calls for collection of data. Outcomes were fall rates and proportion of participants with falls, frequent falls, and injurious falls in 12 months.
RESULTS: Groups were comparable at baseline. Follow-up exceeded 90.0%. A total of 422 falls were registered in the intervention group, 398 in the control group. Intention-to-treat analysis revealed no effect of the intervention on fall rates (relative risk=1.06, 95% confidence interval (CI)=0.75–1.51), proportion with falls (odds ratio (OR)=1.20, 95% CI 0.81–1.79), frequent falls (OR=0.97, 95% CI=0.60–1.56), or injurious falls (OR=0.97, 95% CI=0.57–1.62).
CONCLUSION: A program of multifactorial fall prevention aimed at elderly Danish people experiencing at least one injurious fall was not effective in preventing further falls.     

Longitudinal study of changes in hip bone mineral density in Caucasian and African-American women

OBJECTIVES: To determine whether changes in hip bone mineral density (BMD) differ in Caucasian and African American women. DESIGN: Longitudinal study of changes in hip BMD. SETTING: Four U.S. clinical centers. PARTICIPANTS: Six thousand seven Caucasian (mean age 73) and 482 African-American (mean age 75) women enrolled in the Study of Osteoporotic Fractures. MEASUREMENTS: Total hip and femoral neck BMD were measured an average of 3.5 years apart (Caucasian) and 2.0 years apart (African American). Annual absolute and percentage changes in BMD and bone mineral apparent density (BMAD) were calculated. RESULTS: The multivariate adjusted annual percentage change in BMD was greater in Caucasian than African-American women at the total hip (-0.574%/y vs -0.334%/y) and femoral neck (-0.515%/y vs -0.203%/y) (both, P<.001). Similar findings were observed for BMAD. The average annualized rate of BMD loss was twice as high in women aged 75 and older as in women younger than 75 in both ethnic groups. The annual percentage loss in femoral neck BMD in nonusers versus hormone therapy users was (-0.57% vs -0.22%) in Caucasians and (-0.35% vs 0.64%) in African Americans (interaction P=.03). CONCLUSION: The average rate of hip BMD loss is approximately twice as great in Caucasian as African-American women and increases with age in both groups. The hormonal and biochemical factors that contribute to ethnic differences and the increase in bone loss with advancing age need to be identified.     

Falls in older Mexican-American women

OBJECTIVE: To determine the frequency of falls and identify risk factors for falls among older Mexican-American women. DESIGN: A prospective cohort study with an average follow-up of 2.7 years. SETTING: A clinical center at the Palo Alto Veterans Affairs Medical Center, California. PARTICIPANTS: 152 community-dwelling Mexican-American Caucasian women aged 59 years or older. OUTCOME MEASURES: Falls and injurious falls, as determined by monthly telephone interviews. RESULTS: The rate of falls was 508 per 1000 person-years (95% confidence interval (CI), 440-577). Injurious falls requiring medical attention occurred at a rate of 79 per 1000 person-years (95% CI, 52-107). Factors that were associated independently with an increased risk of falling were older age, a history of arthritis or rheumatism, a history of high thyroid, having fainted at least once in the year before baseline, current use of psychotropic medications, and walking fewer than 5 blocks a day. Those persons with an average time for the chair stand test had a lower risk of falling than those with the slowest times or the fastest times. CONCLUSIONS: The frequency of falls and injurious falls in this cohort of 152 relatively acculturated, healthy, older Mexican-American women was similar or slightly higher than previously reported rates for non-Hispanic Caucasian(s). Many of the factors associated with falls in this study were similar to those reported for non-Hispanic Caucasian women, suggesting that fall prevention measures tested mainly among non-Hispanic Caucasian women would also be appropriate for Mexican-American women.     

Intense tai chi exercise training and fall occurrences in older, transitionally frail adults: a randomized, controlled trial

OBJECTIVES: To determine whether an intense tai chi (TC) exercise program could reduce the risk of falls more than a wellness education (WE) program in older adults meeting criteria for transitioning to frailty. DESIGN: Randomized, controlled trial of 48 weeks duration. SETTING: Twenty congregate living facilities in the greater Atlanta area. PARTICIPANTS: Sample of 291 women and 20 men aged 70 to 97. MEASUREMENTS: Demographics, time to first fall and all subsequent falls, functional measures, Sickness Impact Profile, Centers for Epidemiologic Studies-Depression Scale, Activities-specific Balance Confidence Scale, Falls Efficacy Scales, and adherence to interventions. RESULTS: The risk ratio (RR) of falling was not statistically different in the TC group and the WE group (RR=0.75, 95% confidence interval (CI)=0.52-1.08), P=.13). Over the 48 weeks of intervention, 46% (n=132) of the participants did not fall; the percentage of participants that fell at least once was 47.6% for the TC group and 60.3% for the WE group. CONCLUSION: TC did not reduce the RR of falling in transitionally frail, older adults, but the direction of effect observed in this study, together with positive findings seen previously in more-robust older adults, suggests that TC may be clinically important and should be evaluated further in this high-risk population.     

Effective Exercise for the Prevention of Falls: A Systematic Review and Meta‐Analysis

OBJECTIVES: To determine the effects of exercise on falls prevention in older people and establish whether particular trial characteristics or components of exercise programs are associated with larger reductions in falls. DESIGN: Systematic review with meta‐analysis. Randomized controlled trials that compared fall rates in older people who undertook exercise programs with fall rates in those who did not exercise were included. SETTING: Older people. PARTICIPANTS: General community and residential care. MEASUREMENTS: Fall rates. RESULTS: The pooled estimate of the effect of exercise was that it reduced the rate of falling by 17% (44 trials with 9,603 participants, rate ratio (RR)=0.83, 95% confidence interval (CI)=0.75–0.91, P<.001, I²=62%). The greatest relative effects of exercise on fall rates (RR=0.58, 95% CI=0.48–0.69, 68% of between‐study variability explained) were seen in programs that included a combination of a higher total dose of exercise (>50 hours over the trial period) and challenging balance exercises (exercises conducted while standing in which people aimed to stand with their feet closer together or on one leg, minimize use of their hands to assist, and practice controlled movements of the center of mass) and did not include a walking program. CONCLUSION: Exercise can prevent falls in older people. Greater relative effects are seen in programs that include exercises that challenge balance, use a higher dose of exercise, and do not include a walking program. Service providers can use these findings to design and implement exercise programs for falls prevention.     

Incidence of in-hospital falls in geriatric patients before and after the introduction of an interdisciplinary team-based fall-prevention intervention

Falls are among the most common unwanted events in older hospital inpatients, but evidence of effective prevention is still limited compared with that in the community and in long-term care facilities. This article describes a prevention program and its effects on the incidence of falls in geriatric hospital wards. It was a prospective cohort study with historical control including all 4,272 patients (mean age 80, 69% female) before and 2,982 (mean age 81, 69% female) after introduction of the intervention. The intervention included fall-risk assessment on admission and reassessment after a fall; risk alert; additional supervision and assistance with the patients' transfer and use of the toilet; provision of an information leaflet; individual patient and caregiver counseling; encouragement of appropriate use of eyeglasses, hearing aids, footwear, and mobility devices; and staff education. Measurements included standardized fall-incidence reporting, activity of daily living and mobility status, number of falls and injurious falls, and number of patients who fell. Before the intervention was introduced, 893 falls were recorded. After the intervention was implemented, only 468 falls were recorded (incidence rate ratio (IRR)=0.82, 95% confidence interval (CI)=0.73–0.92), 240 versus 129 total injurious falls (IRR=0.84, 95% CI=0.67–1.04), 10 versus nine falls with fracture (IRR=1.40, 95% CI=0.51–3.85) and 611 versus 330 fallers. The relative risk of falling was significantly reduced (0.77, 95% CI=0.68–0.88). A structured multifactorial intervention reduced the incidence of falls, but not injurious falls, in a hospital ward setting with existing geriatric multidisciplinary care. Improvement of functional competence and mobility may be relevant to fall prevention in older hospital inpatients.     

Ethnic disparities among patients with systemic lupus erythematosus in South Carolina

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate whether ethnic disparities in mortality exist among hospitalized patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) in South Carolina, USA. METHODS: Administrative data were obtained on all SLE patients (ICD-9 code 710.0) hospitalized in South Carolina between 1996 and 2003. An SLE-specific comorbidity index validated as a predictor of hospital mortality was used as a measure of overall comorbidity. Cox proportional hazards models were used to compare mortality rates between Caucasians and African Americans. Post-hoc analyses focused on determining whether disparities were present across different risk strata. RESULTS: Of 6521 hospitalized patients with SLE (5728 female, 793 male), 1280 (19.6%) died. Annual mortality rates were 21.9% among Caucasians and 25.0% among African Americans. The comorbidity index score was significantly higher among African Americans [median 2.0 (interquartile range 0.0-4.0)] versus Caucasians [median 0.0 (IQR 0.0-3.0); p < 0.0001, Wilcoxon rank-sum test]; however, even after multivariate adjustment, African Americans had a 15% increased mortality risk (hazard ratio 1.15, 95% CI 1.02-1.29, p = 0.013). The disparity was strongest among those with less comorbidity (HR 1.39, 95% CI 1.05-1.81, p = 0.017). Among patients with low comorbidity index scores (n = 3485), the annual mortality rate was 8.1% among Caucasians and 9.7% among African Americans. No ethnic differences in mortality were seen for patients with higher comorbidity. CONCLUSION: In South Carolina, ethnic disparities in SLE mortality exist, predominantly among those with the least illness severity. Studies are planned to help clarify whether access and quality of care play a role.     

Comparative antihypertensive efficacy of angiotensin receptor blocker-based treatment in African-American and white patients

Blood pressure (BP) reductions with agents that block the renin-angiotensin system are regarded as less effective as monotherapy in African Americans than other ethnic groups. This practice-based study compares the efficacy of an angiotensin receptor blocker-based regimen in African-American and Caucasian patients. Included in the 10-week study were 173 African-American and 1296 Caucasian patients. Efficacy was based on differences in 24-hour ambulatory BP. After baseline ambulatory BP monitoring and office BPs were obtained, all patients were started or switched to the angiotensin receptor blocker telmisartan, 40-80 mg daily, plus hydrochlorothiazide 12.5 mg daily (if needed for office BP control: <140/90 mm Hg). More African Americans required the addition of a low-dose thiazide diuretic than Caucasians (47.3% vs. 34.9%; p=0.021). Once patients with white coat hypertension were excluded (i.e., those with baseline ambulatory BP monitoring <130/80 mm Hg), ambulatory BP monitoring changes were similar between groups. A greater proportion of African Americans than Caucasians without white coat hypertension also needed combination therapy (52.1% vs. 39.5%; p=0.04). While achievement of BP goal was similar between groups by office criterion (<140/90 mm Hg), differences were noted by ambulatory BP monitoring (<130/80 mm Hg) (48.0% in African American vs. 63.2% in Caucasians; p=0.01) despite the same BP reductions, reflecting higher baseline values in African Americans. We conclude that an angiotensin receptor blocker as part of a BP-lowering strategy is effective in previously untreated African-American patients, although a higher proportion will require the use of a diuretic compared with Caucasians.     

Effect of a Risk-Based Multifactorial Fall Prevention Program on the Incidence of Falls

OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the effects of a multifactorial fall prevention program on falls and to identify the subgroups that benefit the most.
DESIGN: Randomized controlled trial.
SETTING: Community-dwelling subjects who had fallen at least once during the previous 12 months.
PARTICIPANTS: Five hundred ninety-one subjects randomized into intervention (IG) (n=293) and control (CG) (n=298) groups.
INTERVENTION: A multifactorial 12-month fall prevention program.
MEASUREMENTS: Incidence of falls.
RESULTS: The intervention did not reduce the incidence of falls overall (incidence rate ratio (IRR) for IG vs CG=0.92, 95% confidence interval (CI)=0.72–1.19). In subgroup analyses, significant interactions between subgroups and groups (IG and CG) were found for depressive symptoms ( P =.006), number of falls during the previous 12 months ( P =.003), and self-perceived risk of falling ( P =.045). The incidence of falls decreased in subjects with a higher number of depressive symptoms (IRR=0.50, 95% CI=0.28–0.88), whereas it increased in those with a lower number of depressive symptoms (IRR=1.20, 95% CI=0.92–1.57). The incidence of falls decreased also in those with at least three previous falls (IRR=0.59, 95% CI=0.38–0.91) compared to those with one or two previous falls (IRR=1.28, 95% CI=0.95–1.72). The intervention was also more effective in subjects with high self-perceived risk of falling (IRR=0.77, 95% CI=0.55–1.06) than in those with low self-perceived risk (IRR=1.28, 95% CI=0.88–1.86).
CONCLUSION: The program was not effective in reducing falls in the total sample of community-dwelling subjects with a history of falling, but the incidence of falls decreased in participants with a higher number of depressive symptoms and in those with at least three falls.     

Survival after liver transplantation: Is racial disparity inevitable?

Previous analyses have reported that minority patients undergoing orthotopic liver transplantation (OLT) have poorer survival than Caucasian recipients. The reason for this disparity is unclear. We examined whether racial differences in survival exist at select academic OLT centers. OLT recipients from 4 academic centers were prospectively enrolled in 2 multicenter databases. Data including demographics, liver disease diagnosis, and post-OLT follow-up were obtained for 2823 (135 African, 2448 Caucasian, and 240 other race) adult patients undergoing primary OLT between 1985 and 2000. The survival of patients and grafts after OLT was compared across race. The Kaplan-Meier estimates for 1-year recipient survival were 90.8% [95% confidence interval (CI): 86.0-95.9] for African Americans, 86.5% (95% CI: 85.1-87.9) for Caucasians, and 84.4% (95% CI: 79.8-89.2) for other races. The 5-year recipient survival probability was 69.2% (95% CI: 60.1-79.7) for African Americans, 72.2% (95% CI: 70.1-74.4) for Caucasians, and 67.5% (95% CI: 60.5-75.3) for other races. The 10-year recipient survival probability for African Americans was 54.4% (95% CI: 41.1-72.1), for Caucasians 50.7% (95% CI: 46.4-55.3), and for other races 55.7% (95% CI: 41.5-74.8). There was no difference in patient survival (P = 0.162) or graft survival (P = 0.582) among racial groups. A multivariable proportional hazards model confirmed the absence of an association between race and post-OLT survival after adjustments for age, gender, total bilirubin, creatinine, prothrombin time, and diagnosis. CONCLUSION: These data demonstrate that as a proof of principle, minority OLT recipients should not necessarily expect an OLT outcome inferior to that of Caucasians.     

The effectiveness of a community-based program for reducing the incidence of falls in the elderly: a randomized trial

OBJECTIVES: To test whether Stepping On, a multifaceted community-based program using a small-group learning environment, is effective in reducing falls in at-risk people living at home. DESIGN: A randomized trial with subjects followed for 14 months. SETTING: The interventions were conducted in community venues, with a follow-up home visit. PARTICIPANTS: Three hundred ten community residents aged 70 and older who had had a fall in the previous 12 months or were concerned about falling. INTERVENTION: The Stepping On program aims to improve fall self-efficacy, encourage behavioral change, and reduce falls. Key aspects of the program are improving lower-limb balance and strength, improving home and community environmental and behavioral safety, encouraging regular visual screening, making adaptations to low vision, and encouraging medication review. Two-hour sessions were conducted weekly for 7 weeks, with a follow-up occupational therapy home visit. MEASUREMENTS: The primary outcome measure was falls, ascertained using a monthly calendar mailed by each participant. RESULTS: The intervention group experienced a 31% reduction in falls (relative risk (RR)=0.69, 95% confidence interval (CI)=0.50-0.96; P=.025). This was a clinically meaningful result demonstrating that the Stepping On program was effective for community-residing elderly people. Secondary analysis of subgroups showed that it was particularly effective for men (n=80; RR=0.32, 95% CI=0.17-0.59). CONCLUSION: The results of this study renew attention to the idea that cognitive-behavioral learning in a small-group environment can reduce falls. Stepping On offers a successful fall-prevention option.     

Racial/Ethnic Differences in Spontaneous HCV Clearance in HIV Infected and Uninfected Women

Background/Aims

Among individuals without human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), African Americans have lower spontaneous clearance of hepatitis C virus (HCV) than Caucasians, and women have higher clearance than men. Few studies report racial/ethnic differences in acute HCV in HIV infected, or Hispanic women. We examined racial/ethnic differences in spontaneous HCV clearance in a population of HCV mono- and co-infected women.

Methods

We conducted a cross sectional study of HCV seropositive women (897 HIV infected and 168 HIV uninfected) followed in the US multicenter, NIH-funded Women’s Interagency HIV Study (WIHS), to determine the association of race/ethnicity with spontaneous HCV clearance, as defined by undetectable HCV RNA at study entry.

Results

Among HIV and HCV seropositive women, 18.7 % were HCV RNA negative, 60.9 % were African American, 19.3 % Hispanic and 17.7 % Caucasian. HIV infected African American women were less likely to spontaneously clear HCV than Hispanic (OR 0.59, 95 % CI 0.38–0.93, p = 0.022) or Caucasian women (OR 0.57, 95 % CI 0.36–0.93, p = 0.023). Among HIV uninfected women, African Americans had less HCV clearance than Hispanics (OR 0.18, 95 % CI 0.07–0.48, p = 0.001) or Caucasians (OR 0.26, 95 % CI 0.09–0.79, p = 0.017). There were no significant differences in HCV clearance between Hispanics and Caucasians, among either HIV infected (OR 0.97, 95 % CI 0.57–1.66, p = 0.91) or uninfected (OR 1.45, 95 % CI 0.56–3.8, p = 0.45) women.

Conclusions

African Americans were less likely to spontaneously clear HCV than Hispanics or Caucasians, regardless of HIV status. No significant differences in spontaneous HCV clearance were observed between Caucasian and Hispanic women. Future studies incorporating IL28B genotype may further explain these observed racial/ethnic differences in spontaneous HCV clearance.     

Predictors of falls and hospitalization outcomes in elderly patients admitted to an acute geriatric unit

We aimed to identify fall incidence, predictors and characteristics and to investigate hospitalization outcomes for elderly inpatients. In 340 men and 280 women consecutively admitted to a Acute Geriatric Ward of a University Hospital the following variables were evaluated: demographics, clinical history, main disease responsible for hospitalization, comorbidity (cumulative illness rating scale: CIRS 1 and 2) gait and balance deficit (Tinetti's scales), cognition/function (short portable mental status questionnaire: SPMSQ); activities of daily living: ADL; instrumental activities of daily living: IADL; delirium (confusion assessment method: CAM), drugs administered during hospitalization. Overall 80 falls occurred in 70 patients. The incidence rate of falls was of 6.0 per 1000 patient-days with 2.0 falls per bed/year. Age (relative risk=RR=1.050; 95% confidence interval=CI=1.013-1.087), delirium (RR=3.577; 95% CI 1.096-11.672), diabetes (RR=5.913; 95% CI 1.693-20.644), balance deficit (RR=0.914; 95% CI 0.861-0.970) and polypharmacy (RR=1.226; 95% CI 1.122-1.340) were independently predictive of falling. Fallers had a prolonged length of stay (LOS) (35.5+/-47.8 days vs. 23.2+/-27.2; p=0.01) and more frequent nursing home placements (12.9% vs.5.6%; p<0.005). The knowledge of falling predictors might help in planning specific preventive strategies to improve the patients' global health status and to reduce the costs of medical care.     

Falls and injurious falls late in home-dwelling life

Of the Finnish persons aged 85 years or older, living at home, 555 (67% of this age class) were monitored for two years to describe the circumstances and the frequency of falls and injury-causing falls. The incidence rates of falls, major soft tissue injuries and fractures were 1039 (95% confidence interval = CI: 974-1093), 74 (58-92) and 89 (72-108), respectively. The incidence of falls was higher among women 1127 (1055-1199) than among men 755 (651-870), but only among those younger than 90 years. The probability of getting injured in a fall was higher in the morning (p = 0.010) and in the evening (p = 0.007) as compared to the daytime. More injury-causing falls than other falls were non-defined as regards ongoing activity at the time of fall (p < 0.001) and type of falling (p < 0.001). Ongoing activity and type of falling did not discriminate injury-causing falls from other falls after exclusion of the non-defined falls. We conclude that incidence of falls among the home-dwelling elderly increases up to the oldest ages, especially among the men. Time of day affects the occurrence of injuries in falls. Ongoing activity and type of falling play a minor role in falls causing injuries among the most elderly.