The definition of immigrant status matters: impact of nationality, country of origin, and length of stay in host country on mortality estimates.

BACKGROUND: Mortality is a robust indicator of health and offers valuable insight into the health of immigrants. However, mortality estimates can vary significantly depending on the manner in which immigrant status is defined. Here, we assess the impact of nationality, country of origin, and length of stay in the host country on mortality estimates in an immigrant population in Aragón, Spain. METHODS: Cross-sectional retrospective study of all adult subjects from the EpiChron Cohort in 2011 (n = 1,102,544), of whom 146,100 were foreign-born (i.e., according to place of birth) and 127,213 were non-nationals (i.e., according to nationality). Directly standardized death proportions between years 2012-2015 were calculated, taking into account the age distribution of the European population in 2013. Binary logistic regression was used to compare the four-year probability of death. RESULTS: The age- and sex-standardized number of deaths per 1000 subjects were 45.1 (95%CI 44.7-45.2) for the Spanish-born population, 29.3 (95%CI 26.7-32.1) for the foreign-born population, and 18.4 (95%CI 15.6-21.6) for non-Spanish nationals. Compared with the Spanish-born population, the age- and sex-adjusted likelihood of dying was equally reduced in the foreign-born and non-national populations (OR 0.6; 95%CI 0.5-0.7) when the length of stay was less than 10 years. No significant differences in mortality estimates were detected when the length of stay was over 10 years. CONCLUSIONS: Mortality estimates in immigrant populations were lower than those of the native Spanish population, regardless of the criteria applied. However, the proportion of deaths was lower when immigrant status was defined using nationality instead of country of birth. Age- and sex-standardized death proportions tended to increase with increased length of stay in the host country.

Multimorbidity and immigrant status: associations with area of origin and length of residence in host country.

Aim: Multimorbidity is a growing phenomenon in primary care, and knowledge of the influence of social determinants on its evolution is vital. The aim of this study was to understand the relationship between multimorbidity and immigration, taking into account length of residence in the host country and area of origin of the immigrant population. Methods: Cross-sectional retrospective study of all adult patients registered within the public health service of Aragon, Spain (N = 1092279; 144238 were foreign-born), based on data from the EpiChron Cohort. Age-standardized prevalence rates of multimorbidity were calculated. Different models of binary logistic regressions were conducted to study the association between multimorbidity, immigrant status and length of residence in the host country. Results: The risk of multimorbidity in foreign-borns was lower than that of native-borns [odds ratio (OR): 0.54, 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.53-0.55]. The probability of experiencing multimorbidity was lowest for Asians (OR: 0.34, 95% CI: 0.31-0.37) and Eastern Europeans (OR: 0.42, 95% CI: 0.40-0.43), and highest for Latin Americans (OR: 0.70, 95% CI: 0.68-0.72). Foreign-born immigrants residing in Aragon for ≥5 years had a higher multimorbidity risk than those residing for <5 years (OR: 2.3, 95% CI: 2.2-2.4). Conclusion: Prevalence of multimorbidity is lower among foreign-borns as compared with native-borns, but increases rapidly with length of residence in the host country. However, the progressive development of multimorbidity among immigrants varies widely depending on area of origin. These findings provide important insight into the health care needs of specific population groups and may help minimize the negative impact of multimorbidity among the most vulnerable groups.

Poor congruence with guidelines in the use of antibiotics for acute bronchitis: a descriptive study based on electronic health records.

BACKGROUND: Although acute bronchitis is frequently viral in nature, antibiotics are usually inappropriately prescribed in Primary Care to treat this condition, with serious public health consequences. OBJECTIVE: To determine the prevalence and predictors of appropriate management of antibiotic use in acute bronchitis processes diagnosed in outpatients in the Spanish region of Aragón. METHODS: Four different electronic health databases provided demographic and clinical information pertaining to patients diagnosed with acute bronchitis in Primary Care in Aragón during 2011, as well as data for corresponding antibiotic prescriptions dispensed at pharmacies. We evaluated adherence to recommendations for antibiotic use in acute bronchitis episodes in adults collected in both international and national guidelines. Finally, regression analyses were used to identify factors associated with appropriate antibiotic management. RESULTS: A total of 54701 episodes of acute bronchitis were registered, 9.5% of which corresponded to patients with an underlying chronic respiratory disease. In adults, antibiotics were prescribed in 64.9% of episodes, 17.9% of which involved prescription of a first-choice agent. Overall, 48.5% of episodes were appropriately managed according to guidelines. The likelihood of appropriate treatment was higher for female patients, and lower for patients who were older, presented chronic co-morbidities or were using corticoids. CONCLUSIONS: We observed poor levels of adherence to recommendations for antibiotic prescribing in adults with acute bronchitis, in terms of both the decision to prescribe and the choice of antibiotic agent. Older acute bronchitis patients and those with co-morbidities were at greater risk of being inappropriately treated.

Multimorbidity of Psoriasis: A Large-Scale Population Study of Its Associated Comorbidities.

INTRODUCTION: Psoriasis is a chronic disease of the skin with a prevalence of 2% in the general population. The high prevalence of psoriasis has prompted the study of its comorbidities in recent decades. We designed a study to determine the prevalence of psoriasis in a large-scale, population-based cohort, to exhaustively describe its comorbidities, and to analyze which diseases are associated with psoriasis. METHODS: Retrospective, observational study based on the clinical information contained in the electronic health records of the individuals in the EpiChron Cohort with a diagnosis of psoriasis (31,178 individuals) in 2019. We used logistic regression models and calculated the likelihood of the occurrence of each comorbidity based on the presence of psoriasis (p-value < 0.05). RESULTS: The prevalence of psoriasis was 2.84%, and it was more prevalent in men (3.31% vs. 2.43%). The most frequent chronic comorbidities were disorders of lipid metabolism (35.87%), hypertension (35.50%), and other nutritional-endocrine-metabolic disorders (21.79%). The conditions most associated with psoriasis were (odds ratio; 95% confidence interval) tuberculosis (2.36; 1.24-4.49), cystic fibrosis (2.15; 1.25-3.69), amongst others. We did not find a significant association between psoriasis and hypertension or neoplasms (0.90; 0.86-0.95). CONCLUSIONS: This study revealed significant associations between psoriasis and cardiac, psychological, and musculoskeletal comorbidities.

Mental health and risk of death and hospitalization in COVID-19 patients. Results from a large-scale population-based study in Spain.

The COVID-19 pandemic has created unprecedented challenges for health care systems globally. This study aimed to explore the presence of mental illness in a Spanish cohort of COVID-19-infected population and to evaluate the association between the presence of specific mental health conditions and the risk of death and hospitalization. This is a retrospective cohort study including all individuals with confirmed infection by SARS-CoV-2 from the PRECOVID (Prediction in COVID-19) Study (Aragon, Spain). Mental health illness was defined as the presence of schizophrenia and other psychotic disorders, anxiety, cognitive disorders, depression and mood disorders, substance abuse, and personality and eating disorders. Multivariable logistic regression models were used to examine the likelihood of 30-day all-cause mortality and COVID-19 related hospitalization based on baseline demographic and clinical variables, including the presence of specific mental conditions, by gender. We included 144,957 individuals with confirmed COVID-19 from the PRECOVID Study (Aragon, Spain). The most frequent diagnosis in this cohort was anxiety. However, some differences were observed by sex: substance abuse, personality disorders and schizophrenia were more frequently diagnosed in men, while eating disorders, depression and mood, anxiety and cognitive disorders were more common among women. The presence of mental illness, specifically schizophrenia spectrum and cognitive disorders in men, and depression and mood disorders, substance abuse, anxiety and cognitive and personality disorders in women, increased the risk of mortality or hospitalization after COVID-19, in addition to other well-known risk factors such as age, morbidity and treatment burden. Identifying vulnerable patient profiles at risk of serious outcomes after COVID-19 based on their mental health status will be crucial to improve their access to the healthcare system and the establishment of public health prevention measures for future outbreaks.

Multimorbidity patterns and trajectories in young and middle-aged adults: a large-scale population-based cohort study.

Introduction: The presence of multiple chronic conditions, also referred to as multimorbidity, is a common finding in adults. Epidemiologic research can help identify groups of individuals with similar clinical profiles who could benefit from similar interventions. Many cross-sectional studies have revealed the existence of different multimorbidity patterns. Most of these studies were focused on the older population. However, multimorbidity patterns begin to form at a young age and can evolve over time following distinct multimorbidity trajectories with different impact on health. In this study, we aimed to identify multimorbidity patterns and trajectories in adults 18-65 years old. Methods: We conducted a retrospective longitudinal epidemiologic study in the EpiChron Cohort, which includes all inhabitants of Aragón (Spain) registered as users of the Spanish National Health System, linking, at the patient level, information from electronic health records from both primary and specialised care. We included all 293,923 patients 18-65 years old with multimorbidity in 2011. We used cluster analysis at baseline (2011) and in 2015 and 2019 to identify multimorbidity patterns at four and eight years of follow-up, and we then created alluvial plots to visualise multimorbidity trajectories. We performed age- and sex-adjusted logistic regression analysis to study the association of each pattern with four- and eight-year mortality. Results: We identified three multimorbidity patterns at baseline, named dyslipidaemia & endocrine-metabolic, hypertension & obesity, and unspecific. The hypertension & obesity pattern, found in one out of every four patients was associated with a higher likelihood of four- and eight-year mortality (age- and sex-adjusted odds ratio 1.11 and 1.16, respectively) compared to the unspecific pattern. Baseline patterns evolved into different patterns during the follow-up. Discussion: Well-known preventable cardiovascular risk factors were key elements in most patterns, highlighting the role of hypertension and obesity as risk factors for higher mortality. Two out of every three patients had a cardiovascular profile with chronic conditions like diabetes and obesity that are linked to low-grade systemic chronic inflammation. More studies are encouraged to better characterise the relatively large portion of the population with an unspecific disease pattern and to help design and implement effective and comprehensive strategies towards healthier ageing.

Multimorbidity clusters in patients with chronic obstructive airway diseases in the EpiChron Cohort.

Chronic obstructive airway diseases such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), asthma, rhinitis, and obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) are amongst the most common treatable and preventable chronic conditions with high morbidity burden and mortality risk. We aimed to explore the existence of multimorbidity clusters in patients with such diseases and to estimate their prevalence and impact on mortality. We conducted an observational retrospective study in the EpiChron Cohort (Aragon, Spain), selecting all patients with a diagnosis of allergic rhinitis, asthma, COPD, and/or OSA. The study population was stratified by age (i.e., 15-44, 45-64, and ≥ 65 years) and gender. We performed cluster analysis, including all chronic conditions recorded in primary care electronic health records and hospital discharge reports. More than 75% of the patients had multimorbidity (co-existence of two or more chronic conditions). We identified associations of dermatologic diseases with musculoskeletal disorders and anxiety, cardiometabolic diseases with mental health problems, and substance use disorders with neurologic diseases and neoplasms, amongst others. The number and complexity of the multimorbidity clusters increased with age in both genders. The cluster with the highest likelihood of mortality was identified in men aged 45 to 64 years and included associations between substance use disorder, neurologic conditions, and cancer. Large-scale epidemiological studies like ours could be useful when planning healthcare interventions targeting patients with chronic obstructive airway diseases and multimorbidity.