Reorienting health systems to care for people with HIV beyond viral suppression.

The effectiveness of antiretroviral therapy and its increasing availability globally means that millions of people living with HIV now have a much longer life expectancy. However, people living with HIV have disproportionately high incidence of major comorbidities and reduced health-related quality of life. Health systems must respond to this situation by pioneering care and service delivery models that promote wellness rather than mere survival. In this Series paper, we review evidence about the emerging challenges of the care of people with HIV beyond viral suppression and identify four priority areas for action: integrating HIV services and non-HIV services, reducing HIV-related discrimination in health-care settings, identifying indicators to monitor health systems' progress toward new goals, and catalysing new forms of civil society engagement in the more broadly focused HIV response that is now needed worldwide. Furthermore, in the context of an increasing burden of chronic diseases, we must consider the shift that is underway in the HIV field in relation to burgeoning policy and programmatic efforts to promote healthy ageing.

Drug treatment presentations at a treatment centre in southern Nigeria (2015-2018): Findings and implications for policy and practice.

INTRODUCTION: Recent evidence suggests that rates of drug use and abuse in Nigeria exceed the global average. There is a strong treatment demand for psychoactive drug use disorders in Nigeria; however, it is not known whether available treatment facilities are attending to the array of treatment needs. This audit compares the pattern of presentations at a tertiary facility with a community-based survey. METHODS: A review of cases (n = 212) seen at a regional drug treatment facility over a 4-year period, using local data retrieved from the Nigerian Epidemiological Network of Drug Use (NENDU) and comparison with data from the recently published national drug use survey. RESULTS: Nine out of ten clients seen were male (93.4%). About half (49.5%) of the clients used psychoactive substances for the first time between ages 10 and 19 years. Cannabis was the primary drug of use overall and also among males, while females were more likely to present with opiate abuse. Over half had a co-occurring physical or mental disorder, and a minority had received testing for hepatitis C in the past 12 months. CONCLUSION: Although patterns of drug abuse presentations were consistent with findings from a national community-based survey, there was an under-representation of females in treatment. Implications for policy development and practice are discussed.

Long-term effects of iron deficiency in patients with heart failure with or without anemia: the RAID-HF follow-up study.

INTRODUCTION: Iron deficiency (ID) has been recognized as a relevant comorbidity in heart failure with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF); however, study data have shown that diagnostic and therapeutic efforts on ID are primarily performed in patients with anemia. METHODS: The RAID-HF registry investigated consecutive patients with ID and HFrEF in 11 heart centers in Germany and Switzerland. The present analysis focuses on 1-year follow-up data in patients with versus without anemia. RESULTS: In 505 patients with HFrEF and ID and 418 patients with HFrEF without ID 1-year follow-up was performed. Patients with ID had a higher long-term mortality compared to those without ID (19.5% vs. 13.7%, p = 0.02) and reported a lower quality of life. Only a minority of patients with ID (9.3%) received iron supplementation during long-term course, just 4.7% intravenously. Anemia was associated with an elevated mortality whereas ID versus no ID did not predict mortality in anemic patients (log-rank p = 0.78). However, in patients without anemia ID versus no ID predicted mortality (log-rank p = 0.002). In the adjusted analysis a significant interaction remained, with ID being a significant predictor of 1-year mortality in patients without anemia (HR 2.15, 95% CI 1.12-3.78), but not in anemic patients (HR 0.99, 95% CI 0.65-1.49). CONCLUSIONS: RAID-HF demonstrates the impact of ID on long-term mortality and quality of life in patients with HFrEF and reveals an underuse of iron supplementation in current clinical practice. Particularly in patients without anemia the diagnosis of ID is of clinical relevance to identify patients at higher mortality risk.

Effectiveness and safety of rivaroxaban vs. warfarin in patients with non-valvular atrial fibrillation and heart failure.

AIMS: Heart failure (HF) is a common co-morbidity in non-valvular atrial fibrillation (NVAF) patients and a potent risk factor for stroke, bleeding, and a decreased time-in-therapeutic range with warfarin. We assessed the real-world effectiveness and safety of rivaroxaban and warfarin in NVAF patients with co-morbid HF. METHODS AND RESULTS: Using US Truven MarketScan Commercial and Medicare supplemental database claims data from 11/2011 to 12/2016, we identified oral anticoagulant (OAC)-naïve NVAF patients with HF (International Classification of Diseases, 10th Revision codes of I50 or I09.81) and ≥12 months of insurance coverage prior to the qualifying OAC dispensing. Rivaroxaban users (20 or 15 mg once daily) were 1:1 propensity score matched to warfarin users, with residual absolute standardized differences <0.1 being achieved for all covariates after matching. Patients were followed up until an event, OAC discontinuation/switch, insurance disenrolment, or end of follow-up. Rates [events per 100 person-years (PYs) of follow-up] for stroke or systemic embolism and major bleeding (using the Cunningham algorithm) were compared between the matched cohorts using Cox proportion hazard regression and reported as hazard ratios (HRs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs). We matched 3418 rivaroxaban (32% receiving the reduced dose) and 3418 warfarin users with NVAF and HF with a median (interquartile range) available follow-up of 1.4 (0.6, 2.5) years. Median age was 74 (63, 82) years, and median CHA2 DS2 -VASc and HASBLED scores were 4 (3, 5) and 2 (2, 3). Common HF medications included beta-blockers (64%), angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors or angiotensin receptor blockers (62%), loop diuretics (46%), digoxin (11%), and aldosterone receptor antagonists (10%). The hazard of developing stroke or systemic embolism (0.98 events/100PY vs. 1.28 events/100PY; HR = 0.82, 95% CI = 0.47-1.44), ischaemic stroke (0.70 events/100PY vs. 1.02 events/100PY; HR = 0.77, 95% CI = 0.41-1.46), or major bleeding (3.86 events/100PY vs. 4.23 events/100PY; HR = 0.98, 95% CI = 0.73-1.31) was not found to be different between rivaroxaban and warfarin users. Intracranial haemorrhage was infrequent in both cohorts and numerically less with rivaroxaban (0.27 events/100PY vs. 0.36 events/100PY; HR = 0.73, 95% CI = 0.25-2.08). CONCLUSIONS: Effectiveness and safety of rivaroxaban vs. warfarin are sustained in NVAF patients with co-morbid HF treated in routine practice. The general consistency between this real-world study and those from phase III randomized trial data of rivaroxaban should provide additional reassurance to clinicians regarding the use of rivaroxaban in NVAF patients with HF.

A Holistic Clustering Methodology for Liver Transplantation Survival.

BACKGROUND: Liver transplants account for a high number of procedures with major investments from all stakeholders involved; however, limited studies address liver transplant population heterogeneity pretransplant predictive of posttransplant survival. OBJECTIVE: The aim of the study was to identify novel and meaningful patient clusters predictive of mortality that explains the heterogeneity of liver transplant population, taking a holistic approach. METHODS: A retrospective cohort study of 344 adult patients who underwent liver transplantation between 2008 through 2014. Predictors were summarized severity scores for comorbidities and other suboptimal health states grouped into 11 body systems, the primary reason for transplantation, demographics/environmental factors, and Model for End Liver Disease score. Logistic regression was used to compute the severity scores, hierarchical clustering with weighted Euclidean distance for clustering, Lasso-penalized regression for characterizing the clusters, and Kaplan-Meier analysis to compare survival across the clusters. RESULTS: Cluster 1 included patients with more severe circulatory problems. Cluster 2 represented older patients with more severe primary disease, whereas Cluster 3 contained healthiest patients. Clusters 4 and 5 represented patients with musculoskeletal (e.g., pain) and endocrine problems (e.g., malnutrition), respectively. There was a statistically significant difference for mortality between clusters (p < .001). CONCLUSIONS: This study developed a novel methodology to address heterogeneous and high-dimensional liver transplant population characteristics in a single study predictive of survival. A holistic approach for data modeling and additional psychosocial risk factors has the potential to address holistically nursing challenges on liver transplant care and research.

Accumulation Of Chronic Conditions At The Time Of Death Increased In Ontario From 1994 To 2013.

With falling mortality rates for several diseases, patients are living longer with complex multimorbidities. We explored the burden of multimorbidity at the time of death, how it varies by socioeconomic status, and trends over time in Ontario, Canada. We calculated the proportions of decedents with varying degrees of multimorbidity and types of conditions at death, and we analyzed the trend from 1994 to 2013 in the number of conditions at the time of death. The prevalence of multimorbidity at death increased from 79.6 percent in 1994 to 95.3 percent in 2013. An upward trend in the number of conditions per person at death was observed for all chronic conditions except chronic coronary syndrome, congestive heart failure, and stroke. Chronic respiratory diseases and diabetes were disproportionately represented in low-income and deprived neighborhoods. The trend toward greater multimorbidity burden over time and the existence of steep socioeconomic gradients underscore the importance of integrated health care planning for preventing and managing multiple complex conditions.

Do NHS GP surgeries employing GPs additionally trained in integrative or complementary medicine have lower antibiotic prescribing rates? Retrospective cross-sectional analysis of national primary care prescribing data in England in 2016.

OBJECTIVE: To determine differences in antibiotic prescription rates between conventional General Practice (GP) surgeries and GP surgeries employing general practitioners (GPs) additionally trained in integrative medicine (IM) or complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) (referred to as IM GPs) working within National Health Service (NHS) England. DESIGN: Retrospective study on antibiotic prescription rates per STAR-PU (Specific Therapeutic group Age-sex weighting Related Prescribing Unit) using NHS Digital data over 2016. Publicly available data were used on prevalence of relevant comorbidities, demographics of patient populations and deprivation scores. SETTING: Primary Care. PARTICIPANTS: 7283 NHS GP surgeries in England. PRIMARY OUTCOME MEASURE: The association between IM GPs and antibiotic prescribing rates per STAR-PU with the number of antibiotic prescriptions (total, and for respiratory tract infection (RTI) and urinary tract infection (UTI) separately) as outcome. RESULTS: IM GP surgeries (n=9) were comparable to conventional GP surgeries in terms of list sizes, demographics, deprivation scores and comorbidity prevalence. Negative binomial regression models showed that statistically significant fewer total antibiotics (relative risk (RR) 0.78, 95% CI 0.64 to 0.97) and RTI antibiotics (RR 0.74, 95% CI 0.59 to 0.94) were prescribed at NHS IM GP surgeries compared with conventional NHS GP surgeries. In contrast, the number of antibiotics prescribed for UTI were similar between both practices. CONCLUSION: NHS England GP surgeries employing GPs additionally trained in IM/CAM have lower antibiotic prescribing rates. Accessibility of IM/CAM within NHS England primary care is limited. Main study limitation is the lack of consultation data. Future research should include the differences in consultation behaviour of patients self-selecting to consult an IM GP or conventional surgery, and its effect on antibiotic prescription. Additional treatment strategies for common primary care infections used by IM GPs should be explored to see if they could be used to assist in the fight against antimicrobial resistance.

Does Treatment of Psoriasis Reduce Cardiovascular Comorbidities?

Psoriasis has been associated with an increase in myocardial infarctions. Several registries have shown reductions in major adverse cardiovascular events in psoriasis patients and rheumatoid arthritis patients treated with tumor necrosis factor-α antagonists. Many assume that the reduction in cardiovascular events can be attributed to the anti-inflammatory effect of tumor necrosis factor blockers, but a 52-week study conducted by Bissonnette and coworkers failed to show a reduction in cardiovascular inflammation in psoriasis patients treated with adalimumab. Longer and larger studies are needed to explain why tumor necrosis factor-α blockade appears to reduce cardiovascular events in patients with severe psoriasis.

Impact of obesity on atrial fibrillation ablation: Patient characteristics, long-term outcomes, and complications.

BACKGROUND: There is an association between obesity and atrial fibrillation (AF). The impact of obesity on AF ablation procedures is unclear. OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the influence of body mass index (BMI) on patient characteristics, long-term ablation outcomes, and procedural complications. METHODS: We evaluated 2715 patients undergoing 3742 AF ablation procedures. BMI was ≥30 kg/m2 in 1058 (39%) and ≥40 kg/m2 in 129 (4.8%). Patients were grouped by BMI ranges (<25, 25-<30, 30-<35, 35-<40, and ≥40 kg/m2). RESULTS: As BMI increased from <25 to ≥40 kg/m2, age decreased from 65.3 ± 11.2 to 61.2 ± 9.2 years (P < .001), left atrial size increased from 3.91 ± 0.68 to 4.72 ± 0.62 cm (P < .005), and CHADS2 scores increased from 1.24 ± 1.10 to 1.62 ± 1.09 (P < .001). As BMI increased, paroxysmal AF decreased from 48.0% to 16.3% (P < .0001) and there was an increase in dilated cardiomyopathy (from 7.6% to 12.4%; P < .0001), hypertension (from 41.0% to 72.9%; P < .0001), diabetes (from 4.3% to 23.3%; P < .0001), and sleep apnea (from 7.0% to 46.9%; P < .0001). For the entire cohort, for BMI ≥35 kg/m2 the 5-year ablation freedom from AF decreased from 67%-72% to 57% (P = .036). For paroxysmal AF, when BMI was ≥40 kg/m2 ablation success decreased from 79%-82% to 60% (P = .064), and for persistent AF, when BMI was ≥35 kg/m2 ablation success decreased from 64%-70% to 52%-57% (P = .021). For long-standing AF, there was no impact of BMI on outcomes (P = .624). In multivariate analysis, BMI ≥35 kg/m2 predicted worse outcomes (P = .036). Higher BMI did not impact major complication rates (P = .336). However, when BMI was ≥40 kg/m2, minor (from 2.1% to 4.4%; P = .035) and total (from 3.5% to 6.7%; P = .023) complications increased. CONCLUSION: In patients undergoing AF ablation, increasing BMI is associated with more patient comorbidities and more persistent and long-standing AF. BMI ≥35 kg/m2 adversely impacts ablation outcomes, and BMI ≥40 kg/m2 increases minor complications.

Prevalence And Spending Associated With Patients Who Have A Behavioral Health Disorder And Other Conditions.

People with multiple medical conditions are a growing and increasingly costly segment of the U.S. POPULATION: Despite the co-occurrence of physical and behavioral health comorbidities, the US health care system tends to treat these conditions separately rather than holistically. To identify opportunities for population health improvement, we examined the treated prevalence of and health care spending on behavioral health disorders, by the number of coexisting physical disorders, among noninstitutionalized adults. The vast majority (85 percent) of spending was attributed to treatment of the physical comorbidities. Only 15 percent was attributed to treatments of the behavioral disorders; of these, a primary diagnosis of depression was most common, seen in 57 percent of the sample. These findings suggest the potential to improve outcomes and reduce spending by applying collaborative care models more broadly. Policies should promote payment and delivery reforms that advance the integration of behavioral health and primary care.

Cost-utility analysis of an integrated care model for multimorbid patients based on a clinical trial / Análisis de coste-utilidad de un modelo de atención integrada a pacientes pluripatológicos basado en un ensayo clínico

Objective: To conduct a cost-utility analysis on an integrated healthcare model comprising an assigned internist and a hospital liaison nurse for patients with multimorbidity, compared to a conventional reactive healthcare system. Methods: A cluster randomised clinical trial was conducted. The model consisted of a reference internist and a liaison nurse, who aimed to improve coordination and communication between levels and to enhance continuity of care after hospitalisation. We recorded sociodemographic data, diagnoses and corresponding clinical categories, functional status, use of healthcare resources and quality of life. Data were collected by reviewing electronic medical records and administering questionnaires. We performed univariate and multivariate analyses both for utilities and total costs. Bootstrapping methods were applied to calculate the confidence ellipses of incremental costs and efficiency. Results: We recruited a total of 140 patients. The model assessed was not found to be efficient in general. We found an incremental cost of €1,035.90 and an incremental benefit of −0.0762 QALYs for the initiative compared to standard care after adjusting for the main variables. However, the subgroup of patients under 80 years of age with three or more clinical categories resulted in an 89% cost saving in the simulations. Conclusions: The integrated model was not suitable for all study patients. However, the subgroup analysis identified a narrow target population that should be analysed in future studies

Objetivo: Evaluar en términos de coste-utilidad un modelo de atención integrada a pacientes pluripatológicos basado en el internista de referencia y la enfermera de enlace hospitalario, comparado con un sistema asistencial convencional reactivo por episodios. Métodos: Se realizó un ensayo clínico aleatorizado por conglomerados. La intervención se basó en un internista de referencia y una enfermera de enlace hospitalario. Ambos trabajaron en la coordinación y la comunicación entre niveles y en la mejora de la continuidad de cuidados después de un ingreso. Se recogieron datos sociodemográficos y los diagnósticos con sus correspondientes categorías clínicas, así como el estado funcional, la utilización de recursos y la calidad de vida. Se utilizaron los registros electrónicos médicos existentes y cuestionarios administrados. Se realizaron análisis univariados y multivariados tanto para las utilidades como para los costes totales. Mediante bootstrapping se calcularon las elipses de confianza de los costes incrementales y la eficiencia. Resultados: Se incluyeron en el estudio 140 pacientes. En general, la intervención no resultó eficiente. El coste incremental de la intervención frente al modelo convencional fue de 1035,90 € y la efectividad incremental fue de -0,0762 años de vida ajustados por calidad, al ajustar los datos por las variables más relevantes. Sin embargo, el subgrupo de pacientes menores de 80 años con tres o más categorías clínicas ahorró costes en el 89% de las simulaciones. Conclusiones: La intervención integrada no resultó adecuada para todos los pacientes objetivo; no obstante, el análisis de subgrupos permitió identificar una población objetivo más concreta que debería ser analizada en estudios futuros

Correlation of ASA Grade and the Charlson Comorbidity Index With Complications in Patients After Transurethral Resection of Prostate.

OBJECTIVE: To re-assess the Charlson Comorbidity Index (CCI) and the American Society of Anesthesiologists Physical Status Classification System (ASA grade) as predictive factors of complications after transurethral resection of prostate. METHODS: This study retrospectively included and analyzed consecutive patients undergoing transurethral resection of the prostate at Peking University First Hospital between 1992 and 2013. A multivariate analysis was conducted to evaluate the connection of the ASA and CCI grades with the incidence of complications. RESULTS: This paper studied 2326 cases in total. The CCI and ASA grades were significantly correlated, with a Spearman ρ of 0.245 (P <.001). No considerable differences among the patient cohorts with different CCI or ASA grades were observed in terms of day of catheter removal, surgical time, and prostate size. In addition, no considerable differences were observed in the different modified Clavien classification system scores of complications among patient cohorts with different grades of CCI. CONCLUSION: The majority of complications (86.9%) were of grades I, II, and III, whereas grade IV was less frequent (12.1%), and, after transurethral resection of the prostate, grade V was rare (1%). Males with an ASA grade ≥3 and higher CCI scores were more likely to demonstrate a higher incidence of morbidity than males with a lower grade. However, ASA grades and CCI scores were not independent predictors of complications because of the experience of the surgeon and progress in perioperative management and operative techniques. Therefore, for patients with more comorbidities and higher CCI scores or ASA grades, active surgical intervention is still suggested.

Influence of Age and Comorbidity on Colorectal Cancer Screening in the Elderly.

INTRODUCTION: Expert recommendations differ for colorectal cancer screening in the elderly. Recent studies suggest that healthy adults aged >75 years may benefit from screening. This study examined screening use and follow-up, and how they varied by health status within age strata, among a large cohort of elderly individuals in community settings. METHODS: A population-based, longitudinal cohort study was conducted among health plan members aged 65-89 years enrolled during 2011-2012 in three integrated healthcare systems participating in the Population-Based Research Optimizing Screening through Personalized Regimens consortium. Comorbidity measurements used the Charlson index. Analyses, conducted in 2015, comprised descriptive statistics and multivariable modeling that estimated age by comorbidity-specific percentages of patients for two outcomes: colorectal cancer screening uptake and follow-up of abnormal fecal blood tests. RESULTS: Among 846,267 patients, 72% were up-to-date with colorectal cancer screening. Of patients with a positive fecal blood test, 65% received follow-up colonoscopy within 3 months. Likelihood of being up-to-date and receiving timely follow-up was significantly lower for patients aged ≥76 years than their younger counterparts (p<0.001). Comorbidity was less influential than age and more strongly related to timely follow-up than being up-to-date. In all age groups, considerable numbers of patients with no/low comorbidity were not up-to-date or did not receive timely follow-up. CONCLUSIONS: In three integrated healthcare systems, many older, relatively healthy patients were not screening up-to-date, and some relatively young, healthy patients did not receive timely follow-up. Findings suggest a need for re-evaluating age-based screening guidelines and improving screening completion among the elderly.

Comorbidities and risk factors among patients with schizophrenia.

General practitioners (GPs) are charged with maintaining a holistic approach to their patients' health. While most patients with schizophrenia attend public mental health services and/or non-government organisations supporting people with mental illness, 88.2% of people with a psychotic illness (the majority being schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder) had visited a GP in the previous year. For at least 30-40% of people living with schizophrenia in Australia, ongoing management is provided by their GP alone. Moreover, there is evidence that patients with schizophrenia value the help provided by GPs. Patients with schizophrenia have reduced life expectancy. Overseas research (primarily from the UK and US) has found that the poor physical health of patients with schizophrenia can be attributed to a number of factors such as modifiable lifestyle risk factors and side effects of medication, compounded by causes intrinsic to the illness such as mental stress and loss of initiative.

The role of medical generalism in the New Zealand health system into the future.

New Zealand hospitals are facing medical workforce shortages and an ageing population with increasing multimorbidity. To be sustainable in the future, the future medical workforce will need expertise in dealing with the complexity of people living with multiple physical and mental health issues. This will require a greater focus on generalism within the speciality colleges, and generalist doctors within the hospital settings, as well as their traditional home of community settings. Doctors' career choices will need to be matched to changing community need. The Transalpine Health Services generalist, specialist and sub-specialist workforce model developed by the West Coast and Canterbury health systems points the way to future sustainable provision of a quality patient hospital experience as close to home as possible, for people who live in provincial New Zealand, through a regional network approach. System-wide changes are suggested to support a more balanced future medical workforce. These include greater valuing of careers in generalism, aligning of incentives to promote medical careers based in generalism, developing regional networks that cross existing District Health Board boundaries to provide patient care, and application of system outcome metrics that measure quality of care and patient outcomes in an integrated health system.

Multi-drug therapy in chronic condition multimorbidity: a systematic review.

BACKGROUND: Older populations often suffer from multimorbidity and guidelines for each condition are often associated with recommended drug therapy management. Yet, how different and specific multimorbidity is associated with number and type of multi-drug therapies in general populations is unknown. AIM: The aim of this systematic review was to synthesize the current evidence on patterns of multi-drug prescribing in family practice. METHODS: A systematic review on six common chronic conditions: diabetes mellitus, cardiovascular disease, cerebrovascular disease, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), osteoarthritis and depression was conducted, with a focus on studies which looked at any potential combination of two or more multimorbidity. Studies were identified from searches of MEDLINE, EMBASE, PsychINFO, the Allied and Complementary Medicine Database (AMED) and the Health Management Information Consortium (HMIC) databases from 1960 to 2013. RESULTS: A total of eleven articles were selected based on study criteria. Our review identified very few specific studies which had explicitly investigated the association between multimorbidity and multi-drug therapy. Relevant chronic conditions literature showed nine observational studies and two reviews of comorbid depression drug treatment. Most (seven) of the articles had focused on the chronic condition and comorbid depression and whether antidepressant management had been optimal or not, while four studies focused on other multimorbidities mainly heart failure, COPD and diabetes. CONCLUSIONS: Very few studies have investigated associations between specific multimorbidity and multi-drug therapy, and most currently focus on chronic disease comorbid depression outcomes. Further research needs to identify this area as key priority for older populations who are prescribed high levels of multiple drug therapy.

Observational research on NCDs in HIV-positive populations: conceptual and methodological considerations.

Noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) account for a growing burden of morbidity and mortality among people living with HIV in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). HIV infection and antiretroviral therapy interact with NCD risk factors in complex ways, and research into this "web of causation" has so far been largely based on data from high-income countries. However, improving the understanding, treatment, and prevention of NCDs in LMICs requires region-specific evidence. Priority research areas include: (1) defining the burden of NCDs among people living with HIV, (2) understanding the impact of modifiable risk factors, (3) evaluating effective and efficient care strategies at individual and health systems levels, and (4) evaluating cost-effective prevention strategies. Meeting these needs will require observational data, both to inform the design of randomized trials and to replace trials that would be unethical or infeasible. Focusing on Sub-Saharan Africa, we discuss data resources currently available to inform this effort and consider key limitations and methodological challenges. Existing data resources often lack population-based samples; HIV-negative, HIV-positive, and antiretroviral therapy-naive comparison groups; and measurements of key NCD risk factors and outcomes. Other challenges include loss to follow-up, competing risk of death, incomplete outcome ascertainment and measurement of factors affecting clinical decision making, and the need to control for (time-dependent) confounding. We review these challenges and discuss strategies for overcoming them through augmented data collection and appropriate analysis. We conclude with recommendations to improve the quality of data and analyses available to inform the response to HIV and NCD comorbidity in LMICs.

Prevalence of associated extracardiac malformations in the congenital heart disease population.

The authors hypothesized that changes in prenatal factors such as termination of pregnancy for fetal anomalies and prenatal vitamin supplementation have altered the epidemiology of patients with multiple congenital anomalies and may have had an impact on their prevalence in the current era. This study reviewed the Nationwide Inpatient Sample database from 1998 to 2008 and compared the prevalence of ECM among live births with a CHD diagnosis (case) and that among live births without a CHD diagnosis (control). For this study, 42 ECM and 10 CHD diagnoses were selected for subanalysis. Longitudinal analysis also was performed to determine temporal variation of ECM prevalence in the CHD population during the 11-year study period. The cohort in this study consisted of 97,154 patients in the case group and 12,078,482 subjects in the control group. The prevalences in the CHD population were 11.4 % for nonsyndromic congenital malformation (NSCM), 2.2 % for genetic syndrome (GS), and 13.6 % for overall extracardiac congenital malformation (ECM). The prevalences in the control group were 6.7 % for NSCM, 0.3 % for GS, and 7.0 % for ECM. The findings showed a strong association of NSCM [odds ratio (OR) 1.88; 95 % confidence interval (CI) 1.73-1.94], GS (OR 2.52; 95 % CI 2.44-2.61), and overall ECM (OR 2.01; 95 % CI 1.97-2.14) with CHD. The prevalences of GS and multiple organ system CM decreased significantly during the study period. This study was the largest and most comprehensive population-based study to evaluate the association between CHD and ECM in newborns.

[Multimorbidity: concept, epidemiology and treatment]. / Multimorbidität: Konzept, Epidemiologie, Versorgung.

Multimorbidity is defined as the simultaneous presence of several diseases or health conditions (at least two or more) in one person. In contrast, comorbidity indicates the occurrence of additional diseases to a main or index disease. The probability for the occurrence of multimorbidity increases with advancing age and is a growing problem for affected patients, relatives, and also for the healthcare system, as multimorbid patients have a decreased quality of life, often requiring high levels of care and may increase the resource use at all levels of healthcare. The prevalence of multimorbidity is difficult to estimate due to the different conceptualizations and the age-related accumulation. Thus, the numbers vary greatly in the different studies and are estimated to be between 3 % and 50 %, in some studies numbers are even higher. The treatment of patients is often difficult and results in a variety of medications and drugs that are often not coordinated with each other and so may increase the risk for adverse drug effects, especially in a fragile population. The aim of this article is to give a brief overview on the concept of multimorbidity and comorbidity, to present epidemiological data and to describe the care of patients with multiple illnesses in the German context.