Effectiveness of outpatient geriatric evaluation and management intervention on survival and nursing home admission: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.

BACKGROUND: The benefit of inpatient comprehensive geriatric assessment on patient survival and function has been demonstrated among frail older patients. However, the influence of outpatient geriatric evaluation and management (GEM) on clinical outcomes remains debated. This study aimed to update the research evidence detailing the effect of outpatient GEM on survival and nursing-home admission through a comparison with conventional care. METHODS: Cochrane Library, EMBASE, and MEDLINE databases were searched up to January 29th, 2022, to identify randomized controlled trials (RCTs) including older people over age 55 that compared outpatient GEM with conventional care on mortality (primary outcome) and nursing-home admission (secondary outcome) during a follow-up period of 12 to 36 months. RESULTS: Nineteen reports from 11 studies that recruited 7,993 participants (mean age 70-83) were included. Overall, outpatient GEM significantly reduced mortality (risk ratio (RR) = 0.87, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 0.77-0.99, I2 = 12%). For the subgroup analysis categorized by different follow-up periods, its prognostic benefit was only disclosed for 24-month mortality (RR = 0.68, 95% CI = 0.51-0.91, I2 = 0%), but not for 12- or 15 to 18-month mortality. Furthermore, outpatient GEM had significantly trivial effects on nursing-home admission during the follow-up period of 12 or 24 months (RR = 0.91, 95% CI = 0.74-1.12, I2 = 0%). CONCLUSIONS: Outpatient GEM led by a geriatrician with a multidisciplinary team improved overall survival, specifically during the 24-month follow-up period. This trivial effect was demonstrated in rates of nursing-home admission. Future research on outpatient GEM involving a larger cohort is warranted to corroborate our findings.

Hyperuricemia Is Associated with Significant Liver Fibrosis in Subjects with Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease, but Not in Subjects without It.

Liver fibrosis is associated with liver-related outcomes, yet often remains underdiagnosed in primary care settings. Hyperuricemia is associated with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), but the relationship between hyperuricemia and liver fibrosis remains unclear. Data on individuals without NAFLD is also limited. We investigated the association between hyperuricemia and liver fibrosis in subjects with and without NAFLD. This study recruited 11,690 relevant participants from a health-checkup center. NAFLD was based on ultrasonography. Hyperuricemia was defined as serum uric acid > 6.0 mg/dL in women and >7.0 mg/dL in men. Significant liver fibrosis was diagnosed with the aspartate aminotransferase to platelet ratio index ≥0.5. The following were positively associated with significant liver fibrosis: hyperuricemia (p = 0.001), age ≥ 65 years (p < 0.001), male gender (p < 0.001), obesity (p = 0.009), hypertension (p = 0.002), diabetes (p < 0.001), and NAFLD (p < 0.001) in the logistic regression. The positive association of hyperuricemia with significant liver fibrosis remained in subjects with NAFLD (p = 0.001), but not in subjects without NAFLD. In conclusion, hyperuricemia increased the associated risk of significant liver fibrosis. The positively associated risk existed in subjects with NAFLD, but not in those without it.