Esophageal cancers missed at upper endoscopy in Central Norway 2004 to 2021 - A population-based study.

INTRODUCTION: The incidence of esophageal cancers is increasing in many Western countries and the rate of missed esophageal cancers (MEC) at upper endoscopy is of concern. We aimed to calculate the MEC rate and identify factors associated with MEC. METHODS: This was a retrospective population-based cohort study including 613 patients diagnosed with esophageal cancer in Central Norway 2004-2021. MEC was defined as esophageal cancer diagnosed 6-36 months after a non-diagnostic upper endoscopy. Patient characteristics, tumor localization, histological type and cTNM stage were recorded. Symptoms, endoscopic findings, use of sedation and endoscopists experience at the endoscopy prior to esophageal cancer diagnosis and at the time of diagnosis were recorded. The association between these factors and MEC was assessed. RESULTS: Forty-nine (8.0%) of 613 cancers were MEC. There was a significant increase in annual numbers of esophageal cancer (p < 0.001) as well as of MEC (p = 0.009), but MEC rate did not change significantly (p = 0.382). The median time from prior upper endoscopy to MEC diagnosis was 22.9 (12.1-28.6) months. MEC patients were older and were diagnosed with disease with a lower cTNM stage and cT category than non-missed cancers, whereas tumor localization and histological type were similar between the groups. The use of sedation or endoscopist experience did not differ between the endoscopy prior to esophageal cancer diagnosis and at the time of diagnosis. High proportions of MEC patients had Barrett's esophagus (n = 25, 51.0%), hiatus hernia (n = 26, 53.1%), esophagitis (n = 10, 20.4%) or ulceration (n = 4, 8.2%). Significant proportions of MECs were diagnosed after inappropriate follow-up of endoscopic Barrett's esophagus, histological dysplasia or ulcerations. CONCLUSIONS: The annual number of MEC increased during the study period, while the MEC rate remained unchanged. Endoscopic findings related to gastroesophageal reflux disease such as esophagitis and Barrett's esophagus were identified in a high proportion of patients with subsequent MECs. Cautious follow-up of these patients could potentially reduce MEC-rate.

Effect of different working periods on missed diagnosis of colorectal polyps in colonoscopy.

BACKGROUND: To investigate the effect of different working periods on missed diagnoses in patients with colorectal polyps in colonoscopy. METHODS: We conducted a retrospective analysis of patients who were diagnosed with colorectal polyps during colonoscopy in an outpatient department between July and December 2022. These patients were subsequently hospitalized for resection during this period. Patients with missed diagnoses were those who had newly discovered polyps in a second colonoscopy. The working periods were categorized as work, near the end of work, and delayed work, respectively, in the morning and afternoon. RESULTS: A total of 482 patients were included, and the miss rate of diagnosis was 48.1% (232/482), mainly in the transverse colon (25%), and the ascending colon (23%). Patient age was a risk factor for the miss rate of diagnosis (OR = 1.025, 95%CI: 1.009-1.042, P = 0.003) and was also associated with the number of polyps detected for the first colonoscopy (χ2 = 18.196, P = 0.001). The different working periods had no statistical effect on the missed rate of diagnosis (χ2 = 1.998, P = 0.849). However, there was an increasing trend in miss rates towards the end of work and delayed work periods, both in the morning and afternoon. The highest miss rate (60.0%) was observed during delayed work in the afternoon. Additionally, poor bowel preparation was significantly more common during delayed work in the afternoon. CONCLUSIONS: The increasing trend in miss rates towards the end of work and delayed work periods deserves clinical attention. Endoscopists cannot always stay in good condition under heavy workloads.

ENDOANGEL improves detection of missed colorectal adenomas in second colonoscopy: A retrospective study.

The ENDOANGEL (EN) computer-assisted detection technique has emerged as a promising tool for enhancing the detection rate of colorectal adenomas during colonoscopies. However, its efficacy in identifying missed adenomas during subsequent colonoscopies remains unclear. Thus, we herein aimed to compare the adenoma miss rate (AMR) between EN-assisted and standard colonoscopies. Data from patients who underwent a second colonoscopy (EN-assisted or standard) within 6 months between September 2022 and May 2023 were analyzed. The EN-assisted group exhibited a significantly higher AMR (24.3% vs 11.9%, P = .005) than the standard group. After adjusting for potential confounders, multivariable analysis revealed that the EN-assisted group had a better ability to detect missed adenomas than the standard group (odds ratio = 2.89; 95% confidence interval = 1.14-7.80, P = .029). These findings suggest that EN-assisted colonoscopy represents a valuable advancement in improving AMR compared with standard colonoscopy. The integration of EN-assisted colonoscopy into routine clinical practice may offer significant benefits to patients requiring hospital resection of lesions following adenoma detection during their first colonoscopy.

Risk factors of missed early gastric cancer in endoscopic resected population: a retrospective, case-control study.

BACKGROUND: Missed early gastric cancer (MEGC) is prevalent during esophagogastroduodenoscopy (EGD), which is the first-line recommended strategy for detecting early gastric cancer (EGC). Hence, we explored the risk factors for MEGC and different types of MEGC, based on the endoscopic resected population. METHODS: This retrospective, case-control study was conducted at Nanjing Drum Tower Hospital (NJDTH). We included patients who were diagnosed with EGC during screening EGD, underwent endoscopic resection, and were confirmed by postoperative pathology at the NJDTH from January 2014 to December 2021, and classified them into different types according to the different root causes of misses. Univariable, multivariable, subgroup and propensity score analyses were used to explore the risk factors for MEGC and different types of MEGC. RESULTS: A total of 447 patients, comprising 345 with initially detected early gastric cancer (IDEGC) and 102 with MEGC, were included in this study. Larger size (≥ 1 cm) (OR 0.45, 95% CI 0.27-0.74, P = 0.002) and invasion depth of submucosa (OR 0.26, 95% CI 0.10-0.69, P = 0.007) were negatively associated with MEGC. Use of sedation (OR 0.32, 95% CI 0.20-0.52, P < 0.001) and longer observation time (OR 0.60, 95% CI 0.37-0.96, P = 0.034) exhibited protective effect on MEGC. CONCLUSIONS: Smaller and more superficial EGC lesions are more susceptible to misdiagnosis. The use of sedation and prolonged observation time during EGD could help reduce the occurrence of MEGC.

Correlates of missed or late versus timely diagnosis of dementia in healthcare settings.

INTRODUCTION: There is limited evidence about factors related to the timeliness of dementia diagnosis in healthcare settings. METHODS: In five prospective cohorts at Rush Alzheimer's Disease Center, we identified participants with incident dementia based on annual assessments and examined the timing of healthcare diagnoses in Medicare claims. We assessed sociodemographic, health, and psychosocial correlates of timely diagnosis. RESULTS: Of 710 participants, 385 (or 54%) received a timely claims diagnosis within 3 years prior to or 1 year following dementia onset. In logistic regressions accounting for demographics, we found Black participants (odds ratio [OR] = 2.15, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.21 to 3.82) and those with better cognition at dementia onset (OR = 1.48, 95% CI: 1.10 to 1.98) were at higher odds of experiencing a diagnostic delay, whereas participants with higher income (OR = 0.89, 95% CI: 0.81 to 0.97) and more comorbidities (OR = 0.94, 95% CI: 0.89 to 0.98) had lower odds. DISCUSSION: We identified characteristics of individuals who may miss the optimal window for dementia treatment and support. HIGHLIGHTS: We compared the timing of healthcare diagnosis relative to the timing of incident dementia based on rigorous annual evaluation. Older Black adults with lower income, higher cognitive function, and fewer comorbidities were less likely to be diagnosed in a timely manner by the healthcare system.

Postmortem for Intensified Missed Tuberculosis Case Finding in High Human Immunodeficiency Virus and Tuberculosis-burdened Settings in Sub-Saharan Africa among Adults' Population: Systematic Review and Meta-analysis.

Tuberculosis (TB) is the leading infectious cause of mortality in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA); the high prevalence of TB in this region is due to human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-coinfection. Despite the advent of modalities to diagnose TB, undiagnosed TB-related deaths among HIV-infected patients remain significantly high. This systematic review aims at characterizing missed TB cases from postmortem studies. This review informs on the burden of TB missed diagnosis and highlights the need of improving TB case-finding strategies, especially among the high-risk groups and early TB therapy initiation to keeping in with the World Health Organization's end TB strategy. We searched PubMed, Cochrane, Web of Science, and African journals online for studies that looked into missed TB cases following postmortem using the following key terms: postmortem, TB diagnosis, and HIV; we included cross-sectional and cohorts from 1980 in the English language that were carried out in SSA among adults' population. Authors used the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-analyses guidelines for reporting, the quality of the included studies was assessed using the Newcastle-Ottawa Scale for observational studies, and STATA 17.0 software was used for analysis. This study was registered in the International Prospective Register of Systematic Reviews with registration number CRD42024507515. The combined prevalence of postmortem missed TB diagnosis among the 6025 participants was 27.13% (95% confidence interval [CI] =14.52-41.89), with a high level of heterogeneity at 98.65% (P < 0.001). The prevalence varied significantly across the included studies, ranging from 1.21% (95% CI = 0.93-1.59) in the general population to 66.67% (95% CI = 50.98-79.37) in people living with HIV (PLWHIV). This current literature suggests that SSA is a region with a high prevalence of missed TB cases but with significant variations between countries. In addition, this study confirms a high number of missed TB infections within the PLWHIV. These results highlight the immediate need for targeted screening and diagnosis strategies and relevant policies.

On the Hunt for the Missed Genetic Causes of Multiple Primary Tumors.

Improved cancer screening and treatment programs have led to an increased survivorship of patients with cancer, but consequently also to the rise in number of individuals with multiple primary tumors (MPT). Germline testing is the first approach investigating the cause of MPT, as a positive result provides a diagnosis and proper clinical management to the affected individual and their family. Negative or inconclusive genetic results could suggest non-genetic causes, but are negative genetic results truly negative? Herein, we discuss the potential sources of missed genetic causes and highlight the trove of knowledge MPT can provide. See related article by Borja et al., p. 209.

Missed opportunities in heart failure diagnosis and management: study of an urban UK population.

AIMS: This study aimed to examine the diagnostic pathways and outcomes of patients with heart failure (HF), stratified by left ventricular ejection fraction (EF), and to highlight deficiencies in real-world HF diagnosis and management. METHODS AND RESULTS: We conducted a retrospective cohort study in Salford, United Kingdom, utilizing linked primary and secondary care data for HF patients diagnosed between January 2010 and November 2019. We evaluated characteristics, diagnostic patterns, healthcare resource utilization, and outcomes. Patients were categorized according to baseline (the latest measure prior to or within 90 days post-diagnosis) as having HF with reduced EF (HFrEF), mildly reduced EF (HFmrEF), or preserved EF (HFpEF). The data encompassed a 2 year period before diagnosis and up to 5 years post-diagnosis. A total of 3227 patients were diagnosed with HF between January 2010 and November 2019. The mean follow-up time was 2.6 [±1.9 standard deviation (SD)] years. The mean age at diagnosis was 74.8 (±12.7 SD) years, and 1469 (45.5%) were female. HFpEF was the largest cohort (46.6%, npEF = 1505), HFmrEF constituted 16.1% (nmrEF = 520), and HFrEF 18.5% (nrEF = 596) of the population, while 18.8% (nu = 606) of patients remained unassigned due to insufficient evidence to support categorization. At baseline, measurement of natriuretic peptide (NP; brain NP and N-terminal pro-B-type NP) and echocardiographic report data were available for 592 (18.3%) and 2621 (81.2%) patients, respectively. A total of 2099 (65.0%) of the HF cohort had access to a cardiology-led outpatient clinic prior to the HF diagnosis, and 602 (18.7%) attended cardiac rehabilitation post-diagnosis. The 5 year crude survival rate was 37.8% [95% confidence interval (CI) (35.2-40.7%)], 42.3% [95% CI (38.0-47.2%)], and 45.5% [95% CI (41.0-50.4%)] for HFpEF, HFrEF, and HFmrEF, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Low survival rates were observed across all HF groups, along with suboptimal rates of NP testing and specialist assessments. These findings suggest missed opportunities for timely and accurate HF diagnosis, a pivotal first step in improving outcomes for HF patients. Addressing these gaps in diagnosis and management is urgently needed.

Missed diagnosis-a major barrier to patient access to obesity healthcare in the primary care setting.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate whether individuals with an elevated BMI measurement, for whom a diagnosis of overweight or obesity (OW/OB) is not recorded, are less likely to be offered clinical care for obesity compared to those with a recorded diagnosis. SUBJECTS: A retrospective cohort study using the electronic medical record database of Maccabi Healthcare Services (MHS) in Israel. Included were 200,000 adults with BMI ≥ 25 kg/m2 measurement recorded during a primary care visit between 2014 and 2020, and no prior diagnosis of OW/OB or related co-morbidities. METHODS: The relationships between a recorded diagnosis of OW/OB and two composite outcomes: 1. A composite of referrals to screening tests for metabolic complications; 2. A composite of weight loss intervention and follow up, were analyzed using multivariate logistic regression models. RESULTS: In only 18% of individuals, a diagnosis of OW/OB was recorded. After adjusting for multiple potential confounding factors, individuals who received a recorded diagnosis were 18% more likely to be offered an evaluation for obesity-related metabolic complication, (OR 1.18, 95% CI 1.15-1.21, p < 0.001), and almost twice as likely to be offered intervention and follow up for their excess body weight (OR 1.84, 95% CI 1.76-1.94, p < 0.001) compared to individuals with missed diagnosis. These results persisted after adjusting for inter-physician variability. In addition, male sex, older age, and Arab sector were all associated with lower rates of weight loss intervention and follow up, while young individuals were less likely to be screened for metabolic complications. CONCLUSION: Beyond BMI measurement, a recorded diagnosis of OW/OB is associated with statistically and clinically significant higher rates of performance of obesity care and intervention. Undiagnosed OW/OB presents a significant clinical opportunity, as recording a diagnosis of OW/OB would predict improved patient access to obesity healthcare and improved clinical outcomes.

Orbital blowout fractures: manifestations and missed diagnoses in 207 surgically treated patients.

BACKGROUND: We aimed to retrospectively measure the incidence of missed orbital blowout fracture diagnosis in primary examinations of patients with surgically treated fractures, to identify the causes of the diagnostic oversight, and to describe the clinical manifestations of the fractures. MATERIAL AND METHODS: A retrospective cohort of all patients with unilateral orbital blowout fractures who underwent subsequent surgical fracture reduction at the Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Diseases, Helsinki University Hospital, from January 2011 to July 2021, was gathered. Demographics, fracture type, associated injuries, clinical manifestations, reconstruction indication, diagnostic delay, and causes of fractures were analysed. For statistical analysis, Fisher's exact test, unpaired t-test, and the Wilcoxon Rank Sum were used. Significance was set at P˂0.05. RESULTS: Fracture diagnosis was missed in 26 (13%) of 207 patients: in 40% of patients aged under 18 years and in 10% of patients aged 18 years or over (P=0.005). Suboptimal eye examination was found in 62% of patients with missed fracture and in 13% of those with timely diagnosis (P<0.001). Adjusted odds ratios for missed diagnosis in patients aged under 18 years versus patients aged 18 years and over was 9.3 (95% CI 2.4-35) and in patients with suboptimal versus sufficient eye examination 13.6 (95% CI 5.1-37). More common clinical manifestations in patients aged under 18 years were diplopia or restricted eye movements (P=0.005), pain in eye movements (P=0.010), nausea and/or vomiting (P<0.001), and bradycardia (P=0.014); periorbital haematoma was rarer (P<0.001). Suboptimal eye examination was involved in 62% and misinterpretation of computed tomography images in 50% of missed fractures, together explaining 85% of cases. CONCLUSIONS: Orbital blowout fractures are often missed in primary examination, especially in children and adolescents, who also present with subtler clinical manifestations. While the diagnosis can be difficult, appropriate clinical and radiological examination will reveal most cases.

Periprosthetic fractures are osteoporotic fractures: missed opportunities for osteoporosis diagnosis.

Joint replacement surgery is common in older adults, leading to increasing periprosthetic fracture (PPFx) occurrence. We reviewed all PPFx seen over a 4-year period at an academic hospital. Clinical osteoporosis could be diagnosed based on existing data in 104 (67%) at the time of PPFx. Periprosthetic fractures are generally osteoporosis-related. PURPOSE: Periprosthetic fractures (PPFx) cause morbidity, mortality, and cost. This study's purpose was to describe osteoporosis-related data available at the time of PPFx. METHODS: The electronic medical record (EMR) of PPFx patients seen over 4 years in a university orthopedic practice were reviewed. Demographic data and osteoporosis relevant parameters were collected. Prior DXA studies were reviewed, and L1 Hounsfield unit (HU) measurements were performed on CT scans obtained within 2 years before PPFx. Clinical osteoporosis was defined as prior diagnosis, prescribed osteoporosis treatment, T-score ≤ - 2.5, HU ≤ 100, or prior fracture. RESULTS: Records of 156 PPFx patients (115 F/41 M), mean (SD) age 75.4 (11.9), were reviewed. Almost all 153/156 (98%) of these fractures were femoral. Falls caused 139 (89%); 12 (8%) were spontaneous. Mean time post-arthroplasty was 7.9 (6.3) years. Prior fragility fracture(s) occurred in 72 (46%); 14 were PPFx. Osteoporosis was previously diagnosed in 45 (29%) and medications prescribed in 41 (26%). Prior to PPFx, DXA data were available in 62, mean (SD) lowest T-score was - 1.9 (0.9) and was ≤ - 2.5 in 19. CT data were available in 46; mean (SD) L1 HU was 79.0 (29.4) and was ≤ 100 in 35. Based on existing data, clinical osteoporosis could have been diagnosed in 104 (67%) at the time of PPFx. CONCLUSION: Periprosthetic fractures are osteoporosis-related. They occur in older adults, often female, and result from falls; BMD, when assessed, is low. Data available at the time of PPFx often allows osteoporosis diagnosis; this should prompt evaluation and pharmacologic treatment consideration.

Sacroiliitis in inflammatory bowel disease on abdominal computed tomography: prevalence, misses, and associated factors.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the prevalence and rate of a missed diagnosis of sacroiliitis on abdominal computed tomography (CT) in patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). Factors associated with sacroiliitis were also assessed. METHOD: This retrospective study included 210 patients with IBD (mean age 31.1 years) who underwent abdominal CT. Based on a validated abdominal CT scoring tool, bilateral sacroiliac (SI) joints on abdominal CT in the whole study population were retrospectively reviewed. Subsequently, patients were classified into the 'patients with sacroiliitis' group and the 'patients without sacroiliitis' group. Univariate and multivariate regression analyses were used to clarify the factors associated with sacroiliitis. RESULTS: Sacroiliitis was identified in 26 out of 210 patients (12.4%). However, sacroiliitis was recognized on the primary reading in only five of these 26 patients (19.2%) and was missed on the initial report in the remaining 21 patients (80.8%). Among the 21 patients, 20 (95.2%) were finally diagnosed with axial spondyloarthritis (axSpA). There was a higher prevalence of female sex (p = 0.04), upper gastrointestinal involvement (p = 0.04), and back pain (p < 0.01) in patients with sacroiliitis than in those without sacroiliitis. However, on multivariate analysis, back pain was the only factor associated with sacroiliitis (p = 0.01). CONCLUSION: Physicians should carefully evaluate SI joints on abdominal CT in patients with IBD to enable early detection of sacroiliitis, potentially leading to an early diagnosis of axSpA. In addition, if patients with IBD present with back pain, the possibility of sacroiliitis should be considered.

Missed Opportunities to Diagnose and Treat Asymptomatic Hypertension in Emergency Departments in the United States, 2016-2019.

BACKGROUND: Fewer than one-half of U.S. adults with hypertension (HTN) have it controlled and one-third are unaware of their condition. The emergency department (ED) represents a setting to improve HTN control by increasing awareness of asymptomatic hypertension (aHTN) according to the 2013 American College of Emergency Physicians asymptomatic elevated blood pressure clinical policy. OBJECTIVE: The aim of the study was to estimate the prevalence and management of aHTN in U.S. EDs. METHODS: We examined the 2016-2019 National Hospital Ambulatory Medical Care Surveys to provide a more valid estimate of aHTN visits in U.S. EDs. aHTN is defined as adult patients with blood pressure ≥ 160/100 mm Hg at triage and discharge without trauma or signs of end organ damage. We then stratified aHTN into a 160-179/100-109 mm Hg subgroup and > 180/110 mm Hg subgroup and examined diagnosis and treatment outcomes. RESULTS: Approximately 5.9% of total visits between 2016 and 2019 met the definition for aHTN and 74% of patients were discharged home, representing an estimated 26.5 million visits. Among those discharged home, emergency physicians diagnosed 13% (95% CI 10.6-15.8%) and treated aHTN in 3.9% (95% CI 2.8-5.5%) of patients in the higher aHTN subgroup. In the lower aHTN subgroup, diagnosis and treatment decreased to 3.1% (95% CI 2.4-4.1%) and 1.2% (95% CI 0.7-2.0%), respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Millions of ED patients found to have aHTN are discharged home without diagnosis or treatment. Although management practices follow clinical policy to delay treatment of aHTN, there are missed opportunities to diagnosis aHTN.

Is Myocardial Infarction Overdiagnosed?

This Viewpoint examines whether overdiagnosis rather than underdiagnosis may now be the dominant form of myocardial infarction misdiagnosis.

During the COVID-19 pandemic 20 000 prostate cancer diagnoses were missed in England.

OBJECTIVES: To investigate the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on prostate cancer incidence, prevalence, and mortality in England. PATIENTS AND METHODS: With the approval of NHS England and using the OpenSAFELY-TPP dataset of 24 million patients, we undertook a cohort study of men diagnosed with prostate cancer. We visualised monthly rates in prostate cancer incidence, prevalence, and mortality per 100 000 adult men from January 2015 to July 2023. To assess the effect of the pandemic, we used generalised linear models and the pre-pandemic data to predict the expected rates from March 2020 as if the pandemic had not occurred. The 95% confidence intervals (CIs) of the predicted values were used to estimate the significance of the difference between the predicted and observed rates. RESULTS: In 2020, there was a drop in recorded incidence by 4772 (31%) cases (15 550 vs 20 322; 95% CI 19 241-21 403). In 2021, the incidence started to recover, and the drop was 3148 cases (18%, 17 950 vs 21 098; 95% CI 19 740-22 456). By 2022, the incidence returned to the levels that would be expected. During the pandemic, the age at diagnosis shifted towards older men. In 2020, the average age was 71.6 (95% CI 71.5-71.8) years, in 2021 it was 71.8 (95% CI 71.7-72.0) years as compared to 71.3 (95% CI 71.1-71.4) years in 2019. CONCLUSIONS: Given that our dataset represents 40% of the population, we estimate that proportionally the pandemic led to 20 000 missed prostate cancer diagnoses in England alone. The increase in incidence recorded in 2023 was not enough to account for the missed cases. The prevalence of prostate cancer remained lower throughout the pandemic than expected. As the recovery efforts continue, healthcare should focus on finding the men who were affected. The research should focus on investigating the potential harms to men diagnosed at older age.

Reassessing HIV Detection Strategies: An Analysis of Opportunistic Screening vs. Indicator-Condition-Driven Diagnosis in Valencia, Spain.

Our study assessed the characteristics of people living with HIV (PLWH) detected via opportunistic screening in Valencia (Spain) to determine diagnoses potentially missed under a more restrictive, indicator-condition diagnostic strategy. We conducted a retrospective analysis of electronic health records of 97 PLWH diagnosed between April 2019 and August 2022. The main outcomes reported were patient CD4+ T cell count, known HIV risk factors at diagnosis, and missed opportunities for diagnosis, defined as the failure of a previously untested patient to undergo HIV testing despite attending previous visits to healthcare facilities prior to diagnosis. Successful linkage to care was achieved for 95.9% of diagnosed patients. Half of the PLWH were diagnosed late, while 47.8% did not meet the criteria for indicator-condition-driven HIV diagnosis at the time of their diagnosis. Additionally, 52.2% did not receive HIV testing despite an average of 5.1 ± 6.0 healthcare visits in the 12 months prior to diagnosis. Spaniards had more missed opportunities for diagnosis than foreigners (64% vs. 40%, p = 0.02). Depending solely on an indicator-condition-driven HIV diagnosis approach could result in 47.8% of cases being missed. Including "migrants" as a testing criterion could lower missed diagnoses to 25.3% but might create inequities in prevention access. In conclusion, our findings provide valuable insights to enhance HIV testing, early diagnosis, and linkage to care. While it is crucial to uphold the indicator-condition-driven HIV diagnosis as baseline practice, improving screening strategies will decrease late diagnoses and missed opportunities, thereby effectively contributing to end the epidemic.

Missing data and missed infections: investigating racial and ethnic disparities in SARS-CoV-2 testing and infection rates in Holyoke, Massachusetts.

Routinely collected testing data have been a vital resource for public health response during the COVID-19 pandemic and have revealed the extent to which Black and Hispanic persons have borne a disproportionate burden of SARS-CoV-2 infections and hospitalizations in the United States. However, missing race and ethnicity data and missed infections due to testing disparities limit the interpretation of testing data and obscure the true toll of the pandemic. We investigated potential bias arising from these 2 types of missing data through a case study carried out in Holyoke, Massachusetts, during the prevaccination phase of the pandemic. First, we estimated SARS-CoV-2 testing and case rates by race and ethnicity, imputing missing data using a joint modeling approach. We then investigated disparities in SARS-CoV-2 reported case rates and missed infections by comparing case rate estimates with estimates derived from a COVID-19 seroprevalence survey. Compared with the non-Hispanic White population, we found that the Hispanic population had similar testing rates (476 tested per 1000 vs 480 per 1000) but twice the case rate (8.1% vs 3.7%). We found evidence of inequitable testing, with a higher rate of missed infections in the Hispanic population than in the non-Hispanic White population (79 infections missed per 1000 vs 60 missed per 1000).

Missed Opportunities in Guideline-Based Fatty Liver Screening Among 3.5 Million Children.

OBJECTIVE: Determine screening rates and examine socio-demographic characteristics of metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MAFLD) screening in a large population of obese children. METHODS: We used Explorys (IBM) which contains aggregated population-level electronic health record data from approximately 360 hospitals and 317,000 providers across the United States to determine MAFLD screening rates. In children 10 to 14 years, obesity was determined based on body mass index ≥ 95%, or encounter with an international classification of disease obesity code. We determined screening rates by calculating the percentage of children with obesity who had an alanine aminotransferase tested, further analyzed by gender, race, and insurance. RESULTS: Of 3,558,420 children, 513,170 (14.4%) were obese. Of obese children, only 9.3% were screened for MAFLD. Females were more likely screened than males (odds ratio (OR) 1.09 (95% confidence intervals (CI): 1.07-1.12)); White children were more likely screened than non-White children (OR 1.21 (95% CI: 1.18-1.23)), and children with Medicaid more likely screened than children with non-Medicaid insurance (OR 1.34 (95% CI: 1.32-1.37)). CONCLUSIONS: The percentage of obese children receiving screening for MAFLD was low. Female gender, White race, and Medicaid insurance were associated with increased screening rates. These findings highlight the need to increase adherence to MAFLD screening. Reporting screening as a health quality measure may reduce implementation gaps in MAFLD screening.

Are there gender-based variations in the presentation of Autism amongst female and male children?

The Questionnaire for Autism Spectrum Conditions (Q-ASC; Attwood, Garnett & Rynkiewicz, 2011) is one of the few screening instruments that includes items designed to assess female-specific ASD-Level 1 traits. This study examined the ability of a modified version of the Q-ASC (Q-ASC-M; Ormond et al., 2018) to differentiate children with and without ASD-Level 1. Participants included 111 parents of autistic children and 212 parents of neurotypical children (5-12 years). Results suggested that the gendered behaviour, sensory sensitivity, compliant behaviours, imagination, and imitation subscales differentiated autistic females from neurotypical females. Compared to autistic males, autistic females had higher scores on gendered behaviour, sensory sensitivity, social masking, and imitation. Results are discussed in relation to early detection of autistic female children.