An analysis of gender differences in treatment and outcome of periampullary tumours in Sweden – A national cohort study

BackgroundLittle is known of possible gender differences in treatment of periampullary tumours and outcome after pancreatoduodenectomy (PD), and the aim of this study was therefore to investigate any variances from national multicentre perspective.MethodsData from the Swedish National Registry for Pancreatic and Periampullary Cancer for all patients diagnosed with a periampullary tumour from 2012 throughout 2017 was collected. The material was analysed in two groups, men and women, for palliative treatment and curative intended resection.ResultsA total of 5677 patients were included, 2906 (51%) men and 2771 (49%) women. Women were older than men, 72 (65–78) years vs. 70 (64–76), p < 0.001. A lesser proportion of women were planned for resection (1131 (41%) vs. 1288 (44%), p = 0.008), but after adjusting for age and tumour location no difference was seen. Postoperative morbidity was equal, but women had significantly better long-term survival than men. The survival was equal for palliative men and women.ConclusionNo gender bias could be established when analysing treatment for periampullary tumours in Sweden, even though less women were offered surgery. Data suggest that even though women were older they tolerate surgery well and hence offering PD at a higher age for women could be suggested.     

Readmission to hospital of medical patients – A cohort study

IntroductionThe incidence of acute readmissions is higher among elderly medical patients than in the general population. Risk factor identification is needed in order to prevent readmissions.ObjectiveTo estimate the incidence of acute readmissions among medical patients ≥ 65 years discharged from departments of internal medicine and to identify risk factors associated with readmissions.Material and methodsWe included patients discharged between 1st of January 2011 and 1st of December 2014 and collected data regarding primary diagnosis and comorbidities. The primary outcome was acute readmission within 30 days of discharge. We determined risk factors using a multivariable Cox proportional hazards model.ResultsOut of 21,634 discharged patients, 3432 (15.9%) patients had an acute readmission. Risk factors were: age per decade (HR: 1.06, 95%CI: 1.02–1.11), male sex (HR: 1.07, 95%CI: 1.00–1.15), receiving home care service (personal care) (HR: 1.33, 95%CI: 1.15–1.55), nursing home residency (HR: 1.30, 95%CI: 1.14–1.48), a previous admission within six months (HR: 1.59, 95%CI: 1.48–1.72), increased length of index admission (HR: 1.14, 95%CI: 1.11–1.17), and moderate or high level of comorbidities (HR: 1.22, 95%CI: 1.13–1.32, HR: 1.52, 95%CI: 1.38–1.67, respectively).ConclusionAround one in six patients had an acute readmission and we identified several risk factors. The risk factors a previous hospital admission within six months, a long or very long length of index admission and a high level of comorbidities were strong risk factors for an acute readmission.     

Regional differences in anti-TNF-α therapy and surgery in the treatment of inflammatory bowel disease patients: a Norwegian nationwide cohort study

Background and aims: During the last decades, substantial progress has been made in both medical and surgical treatment of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). The aim of this study was to determine the use of anti-TNFs and surgery during the first 3 years after diagnosis in IBD patients across the four health regions in Norway using nationwide patient registry data.

Methods: This study used nationwide data from the Norwegian Patient Registry. Cumulative incidence of anti-TNF exposure and major surgery was calculated for patients diagnosed in 2010–2012. The analyses were stratified by diagnosis and health region. All patients were followed for an equal period of 3 years from diagnosis.

Results: The study population included 8,257 IBD patients first registered between 2010 and 2012, of whom 2,829 were diagnosed with Crohn’s disease (CD) and 5,428 with ulcerative colitis (UC). Across Norway’s health regions, the cumulative incidence of major surgery after 3 years varied from 11.4% to 17.1% for CD and from 4.6% to 6.9% for UC. The cumulative incidence of anti-TNF exposure varied from 20.9% to 31.4% for CD and from 8.0% to 13.5% for UC. The region with the lowest anti-TNF use had the highest surgery rates for both UC and CD.

Conclusions: Cumulative incidence of anti-TNF exposure and surgery varied significantly across Norway’s health regions during the three first years after IBD diagnosis.     

Mortality and causes of death in primary Sjögren's syndrome: a prospective cohort study

OBJECTIVE: This study was undertaken to analyze standardized mortality ratios (SMRs) and causes and predictors of death in primary Sj?gren's syndrome (SS) diagnosed according to 3 different classification criteria sets (the Copenhagen criteria, the European criteria, and the American-European consensus criteria (AECC). METHODS: A linked registry study using information from the Malm? Primary SS Registry combined with the Swedish Cause-of-Death Registry was performed, and SMRs were calculated. Kaplan-Meier survival curves and log rank tests were used to compare survival probability between subgroups of patients with primary SS. Cox regression analysis was used to study the predictive value of various laboratory findings at the time of diagnosis. RESULTS: Four hundred eighty-four patients with a median followup of 7 years (range 1 month to 17 years 11 months) were included. The SMR for those fulfilling the AECC (n = 265) was 1.17 (95% confidence interval [95% CI] 0.81-1.63). Thirty-four deaths occurred in this group of patients. Excess mortality was found only for lymphoproliferative malignancy (cause-specific SMR 7.89 [95% CI 2.89-17.18]), corresponding to 2.53 excess deaths per 1,000 person-years at risk. In those not fulfilling the AECC (n = 219), 14 deaths occurred, the SMR was 0.71 (95% CI 0.39-1.20), and no excess mortality due to any specific cause was found. Hypocomplementemia, defined as C3 and/or C4 values in the lowest quartile of the SS patients' values at the time of diagnosis, was a significant predictor of death, mainly due to lymphoproliferative malignancy. CONCLUSION: No increased all-cause mortality could be detected for patients with primary SS compared with the general population. When subgroups of primary SS were compared, excess mortality due to lymphoproliferative malignancy was found in patients fulfilling the AECC, the strongest predictor for unfavorable outcome being low C3 and/or C4 levels at the time of diagnosis.     

Thromboembolism and bleeding in patients with atrial fibrillation and liver disease – A nationwide register-based cohort study: Thromboembolism and bleeding in liver disease

BackgroundBalancing the risk of thromboembolism and bleeding in patients with liver disease and atrial fibrillation/flutter is particularly challenging.PurposeTo examine the risks of thromboembolism and bleeding with use/non-use of oral anticoagulation (including vitamin K-antagonists and direct oral anticoagulants) in patients with liver disease and AF.MethodsDanish nationwide register-based cohort study of anticoagulant naive individuals with liver disease, incident atrial fibrillation/flutter, and a CHA₂DS₂-VASc-score≥1 (men) or ≥2 (women), alive 30 days after atrial fibrillation/flutter diagnosis. Thromboembolism was a composite of ischaemic stroke, transient ischaemic attack, or venous thromboembolism. Bleeding was a composite of gastrointestinal, intracerebral, or urogenital bleeding requiring hospitalisation, or epistaxis requiring emergency department visit or hospital admission. Cause-specific Cox-regression was used to estimate absolute risks and average risk ratios standardised to covariate distributions. Because of significant interactions with anticoagulants, results for thromboembolism were stratified for CHA2DS2-VASc-score, and results for bleeding were stratified for cirrhotic/non-cirrhotic liver disease.ResultsFour hundred and nine of 1,238 patients with liver disease and new atrial fibrillation/flutter initiated anticoagulants. Amongst patients with a CHA2DS2-VASc-score of 1–2 (2–3 for women), five-year thromboembolism incidence rates were low and similar in the anticoagulant (6.5%) versus no anticoagulant (5.5%) groups (average risk ratio 1.19 [95%CI, 0.22–2.16]). In patients with a CHA2DS2-VASc-score>2 (>3 for women), incidence rates were 16% versus 24% (average risk ratio 0.66 [95%CI, 0.45–0.87]). Bleeding risks appeared higher amongst patients with cirrhotic versus non-cirrhotic disease but were not significantly affected by anticoagulant status.ConclusionOral anticoagulant initiation in patients with liver disease, incident new atrial fibrillation/flutter, and a high CHA2DS2-VASc-score was associated with a reduced thromboembolism risk. Bleeding risk was not increased with anticoagulation, irrespective of the type of liver disease.     

Acute pancreatitis: 31-Year trends in incidence and mortality – A Danish population-based cohort study

BackgroundObjectives: Increasing incidence rates and declining mortality rates have made acute pancreatitis a common cause of hospitalization. We aimed to examine 31-year trends in first-time hospitalization for acute pancreatitis, the subsequent short-term and long-term mortality, and the prognostic impacts of age, sex, and comorbidity.MethodsIn this nationwide Danish population-based cohort study of 47,711 incident cases, we computed the annual sex-specific age-standardized incidence rates of acute pancreatitis for 1988–2018. Among patients with incident hospitalization for acute pancreatitis, we computed sex-specific 30-day and 31–365-day mortality rates, stratified them, and performed proportional-hazards regression to estimate mortality rate ratios adjusted for sex, age, and comorbidity, measured by Charlson Comorbidity Index categories.ResultsFrom 1988 to 2018, the standardized incidence rate of acute pancreatitis per 100,000 person-years increased by 29% for men (28.8–37.0%) and by 148% for women (15.7–38.9%). Among patients with pancreatitis, the 30-day mortality declined from 10.0% in those diagnosed in 1988–1992 to 6.3% for those diagnosed in 2013–2017. The corresponding 31–365 day mortality increased from 5.5% to 6.0%. In comparing periods 1988–1992 and 2013–17, the adjusted 30-day mortality rate ratio was 0.36 (95% confidence interval: 0.32–0.41) and the adjusted 31–365 day mortality rate ratio was 0.64 (95% confidence interval: 0.56–0.74). Comorbidity was a strong predictor of mortality among patients with pancreatitis.ConclusionsOver the 31 years of observations, annual rates of acute pancreatitis more than doubled among women, converging with those among men. The comorbidity burden was a strong prognostic factor for short and long-term mortality. Treatments for acute pancreatitis should focus on existing comorbidities.     

Association between visit-to-visit variability of glycated albumin and diabetic retinopathy among patients with type 2 diabetes – A prospective cohort study

AimThere is a paucity of studies regarding the association between long-term glycemic variability with the risk of diabetic retinopathy (DR) in patients with type 2 diabetes. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to explore the association of glycated albumin (GA) variability and HbA1c variability with the risk of DR in patients with type 2 diabetes.MethodsThis prospective cohort study included 315 inpatients with type 2 diabetes (191 males and 124 females) with at least 3 measurements of GA and HbA1c within 2 years prior to the baseline investigation. Different GA and HbA1c variability markers were calculated, including CV, variability independent of the mean (VIM), and the average real variability (ARV). Cox proportional hazard regression models were used to explore the association between visit-to-visit variability of GA and HbA1c and the risk of DR.ResultsAfter an average follow-up of 3.42 years, 81 patients developed incident DR. Multivariable-adjusted (diabetes duration, smoking status, systolic blood pressure, albumin to creatinine ratio, triglycerides, using fibrates, and mean HbA1c) hazard ratios of DR associated with each unit increase in GA-CV, GA-VIM, and GA-ARV were 1.05 (95% CI 1.02–1.09), 1.69 (95% CI 1.24–2.32), and 1.13 (95%CI 1.04–1.23), respectively. However, there was no significant association between visit-to-visit HbA1c variability and the risk of DR.ConclusionsThe present study indicated that visit-to-visit variability of GA can predict the risk of incident DR in patients with type 2 diabetes, and the prediction ability is independent of the average HbA1c levels.     

Disease course and treatment outcomes of Crohn's disease patients with early or late surgery – A Danish nationwide cohort study from 1997 to 2015

BackgroundStudies on early surgery among Crohn's disease patients are few and focus on ileocolonic resections.AimThe aim of this nationwide cohort study was to investigate the disease course in all Crohn's disease patients who underwent early and late major abdominal surgery.MethodsIn a Danish nationwide cohort of Crohn's disease patients from 1997 to 2015 we included 493 patients (group 1) resected within 29 days, 472 patients (group 2) resected between 30 and 180 days, and 1,518 patients (group 3) resected after 180 days of diagnosis. Re-operation, hospitalisations and medications were analysed.ResultsThe cumulative risk of re-operation was lower among patients from group 1 (five-year risk: 16.5% vs. group 2: 18.2% and group 3: 21.2%, p = 0.004). Fewer patients from group 2 and 3 required hospitalisations (269 (56.5%) and 803 (52.8%) vs. group 1: 329 (66.8%) p<0.001). Patients from group 3 had a higher cumulative use of immunomodulators in the first three years after initial surgery (one-year risk: 24.6% vs. group 1: 19.4% and group 2: 17.0%, p<0.001).ConclusionCrohn's disease patients resected within 29 days of diagnosis had a lower cumulative risk of re-operation and a lower cumulative exposure to immunomodulators in the initial years after surgery.     

Is there a role for "watch and wait" in patients with mantle cell lymphoma?

Up to one third of patients with mantle cell lymphoma (MCL) may be observed for a period of months to years before developing indications for therapy. Importantly, observational studies suggest that this approach has no apparent negative impact on their overall survival. Although there is broad agreement on which patients require early therapy, identification of patients with less aggressive disease can be challenging. Clinical tools such as the Mantle Cell International Prognostic Index (MIPI) and Ki67 are effective at predicting survival but may not always correspond with indications for treatment. Research tools such as the proliferative signature are attractive but have yet to be evaluated in this context. Physicians, therefore, must make decisions regarding therapy based on the best available evidence. In the absence of evidence that treatment necessarily influences long-term survival, it may be reasonable to observe selected patients for a period of time prior to making definitive treatment-related decisions. Collaborative efforts are required to better understand the pathophysiology of the disease and potentially identify patients amenable to "watch and wait." Similarly, patients with less aggressive MCL may be an ideal group in which to evaluate novel treatment approaches.     

Prevalence of congenital heart disease in rural population of Himachal – A population-based study

AimThere is no community-based study about the prevalence of congenital heart disease (CHD) in Himachal; hence, we undertook this study.Methods and resultsA population-based survey was done in four villages of different districts of Himachal Pradesh. In total, 1882 persons were examined. 909 were male and 973 were female. There were 12 cases of CHD in the population (6.3/1000): four of these were male (33.3%) and 8 were female (66.6%). Mean age of these patients was 19.5 ± 11.07 years. Atrial septal defect (ASD) was the commonest lesion followed by ventricular septal defect (VSD).ConclusionPrevalence of CHD in general population was 6.3/1000. ASD was the commonest lesion. CHD was more common in female.     

Is obesity a risk factor for cirrhosis-related death or hospitalization? A population-based cohort study

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Our aim was to determine whether increased body mass index (BMI) in the general population is associated with cirrhosis-related death or hospitalization. METHODS: Participants included 11,465 persons aged 25-74 years without evidence of cirrhosis at entry into the study, or during the first 5 years of follow-up, who subsequently were followed-up for a mean of 12.9 years. The BMI was used to categorize participants into normal-weight (BMI < 25 kg/m(2), N = 5752), overweight (BMI 25 to < 30 kg/m(2), N = 3774), and obese categories (BMI >/= 30 kg/m(2), N = 1939). RESULTS: Cirrhosis resulted in death or hospitalization of 89 participants during 150,233 person-years of follow-up (0.59/1000 person-years). Cirrhosis-related deaths or hospitalizations were more common in obese persons (0.81/1000 person-years, adjusted hazard ratio 1.69, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.0-3.0) and in overweight persons (0.71/1000 person-years, adjusted hazard ratio 1.16, 95% CI 0.7-1.9) compared with normal-weight persons (0.45/1000 person-years). Among persons who did not consume alcohol, there was a strong association between obesity (adjusted hazard ratio 4.1, 95% CI 1.4-11.4) or being overweight (adjusted hazard ratio 1.93, 95% CI 0.7-5.3) and cirrhosis-related death or hospitalization. In contrast, this association was weaker among persons who consumed up to 0.3 alcoholic drinks/day (adjusted hazard ratio 2.48, 95% CI 0.7-8.4 for obesity; adjusted hazard ratio 1.31, 95% CI 0.4-4.2 for overweight) and no association was identified among those who consumed more than 0.3 alcoholic drinks/day. CONCLUSIONS: Obesity appears to be a risk factor for cirrhosis-related death or hospitalization among persons who consume little or no alcohol.     

Splenic marginal zone lymphoma – a clinicopathological study in a series of 16 patients

Abstract

Splenic marginal zone lymphoma (SMZL), characterized in the WHO classification of lymphoid tumors, is a rare disorder comprising less than 1% of lymphoid neoplasms; only a few series concerning this entity have been published. Although this type of lymphoma is well defined histologically, its histogenesis remains obscure. Moreover, specific biological markers are still lacking and immunophenotype profile is not specific. These and other reasons, such as the existence of cytogenetic subtypes, have led to some authors to suspect that SMZL constitutes a heterogeneous entity. We have analyzed a series of sixteen SMZL cases from four hospitals in our community, from a clinical, biological and pathological point of view. When compared with those reported in the literature, our findings show three main differences: our patients less frequently showed an intrasinusoidal bone marrow infiltration pattern; the presence of a serum monoclonal component was rarely seen; and CD5-positive SMZL cases appear to be more common than previously thought.     

What is the role of up-front autologous stem cell transplantation in mantle cell lymphoma?

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Environmental factors in a population-based inception cohort of inflammatory bowel disease patients in Europe — An ECCO-EpiCom study

Background and AimsThe incidence of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is increasing in Eastern Europe possibly due to changes in environmental factors towards a more “westernised” standard of living. The aim of this study was to investigate differences in exposure to environmental factors prior to diagnosis in Eastern and Western European IBD patients.MethodsThe EpiCom cohort is a population-based, prospective inception cohort of 1560 unselected IBD patients from 31 European countries covering a background population of 10.1 million. At the time of diagnosis patients were asked to complete an 87-item questionnaire concerning environmental factors.ResultsA total of 1182 patients (76%) answered the questionnaire, 444 (38%) had Crohn's disease (CD), 627 (53%) ulcerative colitis (UC), and 111 (9%) IBD unclassified. No geographic differences regarding smoking status, caffeine intake, use of oral contraceptives, or number of first-degree relatives with IBD were found. Sugar intake was higher in CD and UC patients from Eastern Europe than in Western Europe while fibre intake was lower (p < 0.01). Daily consumption of fast food as well as appendectomy before the age of 20 was more frequent in Eastern European than in Western European UC patients (p < 0.01). Eastern European CD and UC patients had received more vaccinations and experienced fewer childhood infections than Western European patients (p < 0.01).ConclusionsIn this European population-based inception cohort of unselected IBD patients, Eastern and Western European patients differed in environmental factors prior to diagnosis. Eastern European patients exhibited higher occurrences of suspected risk factors for IBD included in the Western lifestyle.