Rabies vaccination strategies in the Netherlands in 2018: a cost evaluation.

BackgroundThe risk of contracting rabies is low for travellers. However, the number of Dutch travellers potentially exposed abroad following an animal-associated injury and needing post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP) has increased, resulting in increased costs.AimHere, we evaluated the costs and the cost-effectiveness of different pre- and post-exposure interventions in the Netherlands, taking into account the 2018 World Health Organization (WHO) recommendations for the prevention of rabies.MethodsA decision tree-based economic model was constructed. We calculated and compared the cost of different WHO pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) recommendations, intramuscular vs intradermal vaccination and PEP subsequent to increased vaccination coverage in risk groups. We estimated cost-effectiveness, expressed as incremental costs per rabies immunoglobulin (RIG) administration averted, using a societal perspective. Statistical uncertainty regarding number of travellers and vaccination coverage was assessed.ResultsTotal costs at the national level were highest using previous WHO recommendations from 2012, estimated at EUR 15.4 million annually. Intradermal vaccinations in combination with the current recommendations led to the lowest costs, estimated at EUR 10.3 million. Higher vaccination uptake resulted in higher overall costs. The incremental costs per RIG administration averted varied from EUR 21,300-46,800.ConclusionsThe change in rabies PrEP and PEP recommendations in 2018 reduced total costs. Strategies with increased pre-travel vaccination uptake led to fewer RIG administrations and fewer vaccinations after exposure but also to higher total costs. Although larger scale intradermal administration of rabies vaccine can reduce total costs of PrEP and can positively influence vaccination uptake, it remains a costly intervention.

The occurrence and extent of anxiety and distress among Dutch travellers after encountering an animal associated injury.

BACKGROUND: Prompt administration of post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP) is crucial to prevent a fatal rabies infection after an animal associated injury (AAI), preferably within 24 h. PEP, especially in case of a type III injury for which rabies immune globulin (RIG) is needed, is difficult to obtain abroad. This, along with the fear of potentially having contracted a lethal disease, might be an important source for anxiety and distress. We investigated the occurrence and extent of self-reported anxiety and distress at different timepoints among Dutch travellers after encountering an AAI, and the involved factors. METHODS: A retrospective quantitative observational study was conducted including insured Dutch travellers who actively contacted Eurocross Assistance after encountering an AAI abroad. An online questionnaire was designed to measure anxiety and distress levels, using the HADS (Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale) and distress thermometer at three time points: departure from home (T1), post-AAI (T2), and treatment administration (T3). Statistical analyses included T-tests, Chi-square tests, and ANCOVA analyses. RESULTS: We showed a significant increase in mean anxiety and distress scores at T2, and a significant decrease at T3. Women were more often anxious and distressed. Between T1 and T2, PrEP, and being aware of the risks were positively associated with anxiety levels, and PrEP and WHO region Africa with distress levels. Between T2 and T3, anxiety levels remained higher for monkey-induced injury, thoracic injuries, and WHO region Southeast Asia. PEP-delay between 24-48 h resulted in decreased distress levels at this time period, while type II injury elevated distress levels. CONCLUSIONS: This study showed significant anxiety and distress levels after an AAI among the vast majority of travellers, which is detrimental to their health-related quality of life (HR-QOL). This highlights the importance of proper pre-travel information. In the context of rabies prevention, these results suggest that pre-travel advice and policy makers should also take aspects of HR-QOL into consideration.

Hospital-based care and/or death followed by repatriation in Dutch travelers: The HAZARD study.

BACKGROUND: Travelers can experience health problems while abroad. This descriptive study aimed to quantify the disease burden leading to hospital-based care, repatriation or death in Dutch travelers during a stay in a foreign country, including Europe. METHODS: Retrospective study of demographic and clinical data from three medical assistance centers (MACs) and the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Dutch travelers receiving hospital-based care or who died abroad in the years 2010-2014. Diagnoses were coded according to the International Classification of Diseases (ICD) and classified using the Global Burden of Disease tool. RESULTS: Data was available for 77,741 travelers' incidents: 75,385 medical consultations and 2,356 deaths. Four in five travelers received inpatient care, of which 36% concerned older travelers (65+) who had significantly longer hospital stays. Overall the top three diagnoses were: injuries (29%), infectious diseases (17%), and cardiovascular diseases (17%). Mental illness was reported in nearly 1.5% of the travelers. Incidence proportions were highest in South-Eastern Asia, with enteric infections as most common diagnosis. Injuries and communicable diseases occurred most often in South-Eastern Asia, while non-communicable diseases were mostly reported in South America. One in five travelers who consulted a physician was repatriated back home, mostly on a scheduled flight with or without medical escort. Cardiovascular diseases and injuries were the leading causes of death. CONCLUSIONS: Not only communicable diseases, but also injuries and chronic diseases (in particular cardiovascular diseases) frequently affected travelers' health while staying abroad and frequently necessitated hospital-based care. This should be addressed during the pre-travel counseling.

Symptom dimensions of depression and anxiety and the metabolic syndrome.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the association between depression and anxiety symptoms and the metabolic syndrome (MetSyn), using a dimensional approach. The association between depression and anxiety, on the one hand, and the MetSyn as a cluster or its individual components, on the other hand, is equivocal. The categorical nature of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition might partly explain the inconsistent findings. METHODS: In 2,433 Netherlands Study of Depression and Anxiety participants (mean age, 42.3 years; 33.1% male), three symptoms dimensions-lack of positive affect (PA, depression specific); negative affect (NA, aspecific); and somatic arousal (SA, anxiety specific)-were assessed by a shortened adaptation of the Mood and Anxiety Symptom Questionnaire. The association between symptom dimensions and MetSyn components (waist circumference, triglycerides, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, glucose, and mean blood pressure) was analyzed, using linear regression analysis. RESULTS: The occurrence rate of the MetSyn was 20.1% (n = 490). SA, but not PA and NA, was strongly associated with four out of five MetSyn components, especially waist circumference, triglycerides, and blood pressure (ß = 0.046, p = .01; ß = 0.077, p < .001; and ß = 0.069, p < .001, respectively), and with the total number of MetSyn components (ß = 0.098, p < .001). CONCLUSIONS: Our results demonstrate a strong association of most of the MetSyn components with the SA dimension, but not with the NA and PA scales.

Delayed rabies post-exposure prophylaxis treatment among Dutch travellers during their stay abroad: a comprehensive analysis.

BACKGROUND: After an animal-associated injury (AAI) in rabies-endemic regions, post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP) is needed to prevent infection.1,2 PEP consists of rabies vaccinations (RV) and in some cases also additional rabies immune globulins (RIG). Not always PEP medication, and RIG in particular, is accessible. Along with an increased number of exposure notifications among Dutch travellers, this might lead to treatment delay and thus to increased health risks. Until now, research mainly focused on factors associated with exposition, but none on which factors are associated with PEP delay. This study aimed to identify which general sample characteristics are associated with PEP delay while being abroad. METHODS: A quantitative retrospective observational study was conducted. The study population consisted of insured Dutch international travellers who actively contacted their medical assistance company (2015-2019) because of an animal-associated injury (AAI) (N = 691). The association between general sample characteristics and delay of different PEP treatments was studied using survival analysis. RESULTS: Travellers without pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) had an increased hazard, and therefore a shorter delay, for receiving their first RV as compared to travellers with PrEP (HR:1.11, 95%CI:1.01-1.22). The travellers needing both RV and RIG had a decreased hazard, and therefore a longer delay, as compared to travellers only needing RV (HR:0.81, 95%CI:0.67-0.96). General sample characteristic associated with RIG administration delay was travel destination. Travellers to Central and South America, East Mediterranean and Europe had a decreased hazard, and therefore a longer delay, for receiving RIG treatments relative to travellers to South East Asia (HR:0.31, 95%CI:0.13-0.70; HR:0.34, 95%CI:0.19-0.61; HR:0.46, 95%CI:0.24-0.89; HR:0.48, 95%CI:0.12-0.81, respectively). CONCLUSIONS: Our results suggest that the advice for PrEP should be given based on travel destination, as this was found to be the main factor for PEP delay, among travellers going to rabies-endemic countries.

Injury patterns after skiing and snowboarding sports accidents.

BACKGROUND: Alpine sports are associated with risk of serious injuries. To gain insight into factors that may help reduce injury severity, accident characteristics and injury patterns were analyzed in a cohort of injured skiers and snowboarders. METHODS: All patients with Alpine sports-related injuries, reporting the injury to a leading medical assistance organization in the Netherlands in the period of 2013-2016, were contacted. Medical data were collected from the patients' files. Only ski and snowboard incidents were included. Injuries were classified according to the Abbreviated Injury Scale (AIS) and Injury Severity Scale (ISS). Data on the accident conditions, i.e. risk factors, were collected using retrospective patient-reported questionnaires. Risk factors for injuries with ISS≥9 were analysed by multivariate modelling. RESULTS: Of the 1588 included patients, 421 patients filled out the questionnaire. Skiers (N.=1370) had more knee injuries (20.4% vs. 7.4%, P<0.001), femur fractures (5.3% vs. 0.5%, P=0.002) and lower leg fractures (27.5% vs. 11.5%, P<0.001) compared to snowboarders (N.=218). Skiers were also more seriously injured (ISS>9) (P=0.01). Injured snowboarders sustained more brain concussions (8.8% vs. 15.7%, P=0.003) and lower arm fractures (5.4% vs. 16.1%, P<0.001). Only 'a higher skills level' was borderline significant for predicting serious injury (OR: 4.0 95% CI: 0.86-18.50; P=0.08). No additional risk factors were identified. CONCLUSIONS: Injury patterns after skiing and snowboarding accidents differ, injury severity differed not. Preventive measures should therefore aim to protect specific body parts depending on the type of Alpine sport. Experienced skiers and snowboarders may be more at risk for serious injuries.

Volumetrical measurements in vestibular schwannoma, the influence of slice thickness and patient's repositioning.

OBJECTIVE: Conservative treatment in vestibular schwannomas is mainly dependent on optimal tumor size determination. The first objective of this study was to establish interobserver and intraobserver variability and the accuracy and reproducibility of three different measurement methods: one bidimensional and two volumetrical. The second objective was to evaluate the influence of the use of different magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) slice thickness and the influence of patient's repositioning on the measurements' outcome. STUDY DESIGN: Two consecutive studies have been prospectively performed, both mainly concerning volumetrical measurements. SETTING: Both studies were performed in a tertiary academic, multidisciplinary center. PATIENTS: In the first study, 19 patients were included between March 1996 and May 2002, with a total of 52 scans. The second study comprised 14 patients. All patients in the first study had at least two MRI examinations performed according to a standard protocol (T1-weighted gadolinium-enhanced, slice thickness of 3 mm, and interslice gap of 0.3 mm). The population in the second study underwent a conservative wait and scan (W&S) treatment. METHODS: Both studies are discussed separately. In the first study, all scans were measured by four investigators, two of whom performed the measurements twice using three different methods. The first method concerns a manually performed bidimensional surface measurement along the petrous pyramid. The second method concerns a semiautomatic volumetrical measurement on a computer, relying on contour detection, and the last method concerns a fully automatic volume reconstruction also performed on a computer using different gray shade scales. All 14 patients included in the second study underwent three magnetic examinations. Three different T1-weighted gadolinium-enhanced sequences were used: the first using a slice thickness of 1 mm, the second again with 1-mm slice thickness but after having repositioned the patient. In the third sequence, a slice thickness of 3 mm was used. All scans were measured by two investigators using the three different methods, as described previously. RESULTS: The manual surface method shows large intraobserver variability, and its reproducibility is significantly lower compared with volume measurements. Because of a relatively large systematic error in small tumors, sensitivity of growth detection is low. Both volumetrical methods are hardly interobserver- and intraobserver-dependent, and the gray shade method turned out to be the most accurate. Radiologic progression is only significant at a volume increase of at least 50%. The influence of patient repositioning is negligible, whereas the use of 1-mm slice thickness seems to be superior to a 3-mm slice thickness. CONCLUSION: The volumetrical gray shade method is the most accurate method to detect early tumor progression. As tumor increase of at least 50% is needed to be able to speak of statistically significant tumor growth, the absence of radiologic progression does not mean that there is no tumor growth. Repositioning of the patient has no influence on the measurements' outcome, whereas for optimal magnetic resonance imaging examinations, a 1-mm slice thickness protocol seems to be superior.

The metabolic syndrome and related characteristics in major depression: inpatients and outpatients compared: metabolic differences across treatment settings.

OBJECTIVE: We aimed to systematically compare patients with major depressive disorder from three different treatment settings (a primary care outpatient, a secondary care outpatient and one inpatient sample), with regard to metabolic syndrome (MetSyn) prevalences, individual MetSyn components and related metabolic variables. METHOD: The outpatient samples were drawn from the ongoing Netherlands Study of Depression and Anxiety (302 primary care and 445 secondary care outpatients). The inpatient sample (n=80) was recruited from five Dutch mental health hospitals. The assessments of MetSyn and related variables [waist circumference (WC), high-density lipoprotein (HDL) and low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol, triglycerides, glucose, systolic and diastolic blood pressure (SBP, DBP), body mass index (BMI), waist-hip ratio (WHR), LDL and total cholesterol (TC)] were compared using analysis of (co)variance and regression analysis, whereas medication analyses examined the extent to which clinical differences (e.g., depression severity or medication use) mediated the observed metabolic differences across setting. RESULTS: MetSyn prevalences (26% primary, 24% secondary care and 28% inpatients) did not significantly differ (P=.71). WC, BMI, LDL cholesterol, glucose and DBP were not significantly different across settings. However, WHR, TC and triglyceride levels were higher in inpatients than in both outpatients groups, while HDL cholesterol levels and SBP were lower. There was some mediating role for tricyclic and non-selective serotonin-reuptake inhibitor antidepressant use, but overall, the mediating role of clinical differences was limited. CONCLUSIONS: Although overall MetSyn prevalences did not differ, patterns of individual MetSyn-related variables differed more markedly across depressed inpatients and outpatients. Inpatients showed more adverse WHR and serum lipid profiles, while SBP levels were lower.

Overweight, obesity, and depression: a systematic review and meta-analysis of longitudinal studies.

CONTEXT: Association between obesity and depression has repeatedly been established. For treatment and prevention purposes, it is important to acquire more insight into their longitudinal interaction. OBJECTIVE: To conduct a systematic review and meta-analysis on the longitudinal relationship between depression, overweight, and obesity and to identify possible influencing factors. DATA SOURCES: Studies were found using PubMed, PsycINFO, and EMBASE databases and selected on several criteria. STUDY SELECTION: Studies examining the longitudinal bidirectional relation between depression and overweight (body mass index 25-29.99) or obesity (body mass index > or =30) were selected. DATA EXTRACTION: Unadjusted and adjusted odds ratios (ORs) were extracted or provided by the authors. DATA SYNTHESIS: Overall, unadjusted ORs were calculated and subgroup analyses were performed for the 15 included studies (N = 58 745) to estimate the effect of possible moderators (sex, age, depression severity). Obesity at baseline increased the risk of onset of depression at follow-up (unadjusted OR, 1.55; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.22-1.98; P < .001). This association was more pronounced among Americans than among Europeans (P = .05) and for depressive disorder than for depressive symptoms (P = .05). Overweight increased the risk of onset of depression at follow-up (unadjusted OR, 1.27; 95% CI, 1.07-1.51; P < .01). This association was statistically significant among adults (aged 20-59 years and > or =60 years) but not among younger persons (aged <20 years). Baseline depression (symptoms and disorder) was not predictive of overweight over time. However, depression increased the odds for developing obesity (OR, 1.58; 95% CI, 1.33-1.87; P < .001). Subgroup analyses did not reveal specific moderators of the association. CONCLUSIONS: This meta-analysis confirms a reciprocal link between depression and obesity. Obesity was found to increase the risk of depression, most pronounced among Americans and for clinically diagnosed depression. In addition, depression was found to be predictive of developing obesity.