Chest physician-reported, work-related, long-latency respiratory disease in Great Britain.

Much of the current burden of long-latency respiratory disease (LLRD) in Great Britain is attributed to historical asbestos exposure. However, continuing exposure to other agents, notably silica, also contributes to disease burden. The aim of this study was to investigate the incidence of work-related LLRD reported by chest physicians in Great Britain, including variations by age, gender, occupation and suspected agent.LLRD incidence and incidence rate ratios by occupation were estimated (1996-2014). Mesothelioma cases by occupation were compared with proportional mortality ratios.Cases were predominantly in men (95%) and 92% of all cases were attributed to asbestos. Annual average incidence rates (males) per 100 000 were: benign pleural disease, 7.1 (95% CI 6.0-8.2); mesothelioma, 5.4 (4.8-6.0); pneumoconiosis, 1.9 (1.7-2.2); lung cancer, 0.8 (0.6-1.0); chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), 0.3 (0.2-0.4). Occupations with a particularly high incidence of LLRD were miners and quarrymen (COPD), plumbers and gas fitters (asbestosis), and shipyard and dock workers (all other categories). There was a clear concordance between cases of SWORD mesothelioma and proportional mortality ratios by occupation.Occupationally caused LLRD continues to contribute to a significant disease burden. Many cases are attributable to past exposure to agents such as asbestos and silica, but the potential for occupational exposures persists.

Incidence rates of occupational diseases in the Dutch construction sector, 2010-2014.

OBJECTIVE: To estimate incidence and trends in incidence of occupational diseases (ODs) in the Dutch construction sector. METHODS: In a dynamic prospective cohort over a 5-year period (2010-2014), ODs assessed by occupational physicians (OPs) participating in a voluntary construction workers health surveillance (WHS) were reported to the Netherlands Centre for Occupational Diseases (NCOD). ODs were defined as a disease with a specific clinical diagnosis (International Classification of Diseases) that was predominantly caused by work-related factors as assessed by an OP. Annual incidences were determined for the total number of ODs and six frequently occurring OD groups. Trends in incidence were estimated using a multilevel negative binominal regression model. RESULTS: In 2014 the incidence of all OD was 12 964 per 100 000 workers and there was no significant change in incidence between 2010 and 2014 (3%; 95% CI -2% to +9%). Hearing loss (8125 per 100 000 workers) and musculoskeletal disorders (2081 per 100 000 workers) were the most frequently occurring ODs. Noise-induced hearing loss (+7%; 95% CI 1% to 13%) and contact dermatitis (+19%; 95% CI 6% to 33%) showed increasing trends. There was no statistically significant change in the incidence of low back pain, arthrosis, repetitive strain injuries, distress/burnout and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease/asthma. CONCLUSIONS: In total, 13% of workers participating in WHS in the Dutch construction industry during 2014 had an OD diagnosed and reported by an OP. Over a 5-year period the annual incidence of reported ODs showed a statistically non-significant increase. Incidences in noise-induced hearing loss and contact dermatitis showed statistically significant increasing trends, 7% and 19%, respectively.

Trends in incidence of occupational asthma, contact dermatitis, noise-induced hearing loss, carpal tunnel syndrome and upper limb musculoskeletal disorders in European countries from 2000 to 2012.

OBJECTIVES: The European Union (EU) strategy for health and safety at work underlines the need to reduce the incidence of occupational diseases (OD), but European statistics to evaluate this common goal are scarce. We aim to estimate and compare changes in incidence over time for occupational asthma, contact dermatitis, noise-induced hearing loss (NIHL), carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS) and upper limb musculoskeletal disorders across 10 European countries. METHODS: OD surveillance systems that potentially reflected nationally representative trends in incidence within Belgium, the Czech Republic, Finland, France, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway, Spain, Switzerland and the UK provided data. Case counts were analysed using a negative binomial regression model with year as the main covariate. Many systems collected data from networks of 'centres', requiring the use of a multilevel negative binomial model. Some models made allowance for changes in compensation or reporting rules. RESULTS: Reports of contact dermatitis and asthma, conditions with shorter time between exposure to causal substances and OD, were consistently declining with only a few exceptions. For OD with physical causal exposures there was more variation between countries. Reported NIHL was increasing in Belgium, Spain, Switzerland and the Netherlands and decreasing elsewhere. Trends in CTS and upper limb musculoskeletal disorders varied widely within and between countries. CONCLUSIONS: This is the first direct comparison of trends in OD within Europe and is consistent with a positive impact of European initiatives addressing exposures relevant to asthma and contact dermatitis. Taking a more flexible approach allowed comparisons of surveillance data between and within countries without harmonisation of data collection methods.

Pesticide exposure and screen-positive neuropsychiatric disease in British sheep farmers.

BACKGROUND: Epidemiological evidence linking low dose pesticide exposure and chronic ill-health in UK sheep farmers is limited. Our aim was to examine whether neuropsychiatric disorders were associated with low dose chronic and/or more acute pesticide exposure in sheep farmers. METHODS: A cohort of British farmers working in the 1970s was sent a screening questionnaire which asked about their health and work history. The prevalence of screen-positive depression, dementia, Parkinsonism and neuropathy was determined using a priori algorithms. Self-reported pesticide exposure was assessed by whether the participant had ever handled the pesticide concentrate (for low dose chronic exposure) or sought advice for pesticide poisoning (acute exposure) and participants categorised into those with only acute or chronic exposure, those with both acute and chronic exposure and those with neither acute nor chronic exposure. Associations between acute and chronic pesticide exposure, and screen-positive ill-health were determined after adjustment for demographic, lifestyle, occupation and somatic severity scores and other variables. RESULTS: In those participants, who had never sought advice for pesticide poisoning, handling the pesticide concentrate for treating sheep was associated with elevated ORs for screen-positive neuropathy (ORadi 1.57 95%CI 0.97-2.54) and Parkinsonism (ORadj 1.56 95%CI 0.95-2.56) but not depression or dementia. In those participants who had handled the pesticide concentrate, seeking advice for pesticide poisoning was associated with screen-positive depression (Odds ratio, ORadj=9.97 95%CI 4.76-20.8 ), dementia (OR=6.94 95%CI 3.44-14.0), Parkinsonism (ORadj=4.77 95% 2.39-9.52), and neuropathy (ORadj=4.77 95%CI 2.39-9.52). Adjustment for somatic severity score modified little the associations with pesticide handling in those not acutely exposed but reduced the ORs for seeking advice for pesticide poisoning in those exposed chronically. Furthermore, stratification of results based upon somatic severity score indicated that the highest ORs for handling the pesticide concentrate associated with neuropathy and Parkinsonism were found in those participants whose somatic score was minimal. CONCLUSIONS: Results are consistent with low-dose exposure to pesticides being associated with screen-positive neuropathy and Parkinsonism but the stronger associations between seeking advice for pesticide poisoning and screen-positive ill-health suggest that acute pesticide exposure remains an important determinant of ill-health. Further work is required to better delineate to what extent low dose exposures may contribute to ill-health in populations without acute exposures. Somatising tendency does not appear to play an important role in this population.

A systematic literature review of the measurement of patient-reported fatigue in studies of disease modifying therapies for multiple sclerosis.

BACKGROUND: Fatigue is the most commonly experienced symptom among people with multiple sclerosis (MS) and has the greatest impact in reducing quality of life. It is important to measure change in MS-related fatigue (MS-fatigue) in response to treatment, particularly the more recent disease modifying therapies (DMTs). To date there has been no systematic literature review of the patient reported outcome (PRO) tools used to measure MS- fatigue specifically in the context of DMTs. METHODS: MEDLINE, Embase and Clinicaltrials.gov were searched from 01 January 2000 to 13 April 2021 to identify published studies of the treatment of MS with DMTs. Studies where MS-fatigue was measured as an outcome using a PRO tool were included in the review. Further literature searches were undertaken to provide information about the development and validation of each PRO tool. RESULTS: 739 abstracts and 96 clinical trials were manually screened resulting in 68 articles for full text screening. 48 studies were identified for the review; 10 of these were RCTs that considered MS-fatigue as a secondary outcome (4 were Phase 3 trials). The PRO instruments used in the 10 RCTs were the Fatigue Scale for Motor and Cognitive Functions, Fatigue Impact Scale, Modified Fatigue Impact Scale, Fatigue Severity Scale, and Fatigue Symptoms and Impacts Questionnaire - Relapsing Multiple Sclerosis. The other 38 studies were all open-label, longitudinal, non-randomized studies and used the following PRO instruments in addition to those listed above: the Visual Analogue Scale for Fatigue, the Fatigue Descriptive Scale, Modified Fatigue Impact Scale (5 items) and the Würzburger Fatigue Inventory for MS. All these PRO tools were specifically developed for MS-fatigue. Of these 9 PRO tools, 7 were of good methodological quality according to the existing validation studies using the Consensus-based standards for the selection of health measurement instruments (COSMIN) check list and were used in the majority of the MS DMT studies (44/48, 92%). The median follow-up time from baseline to PRO measurement was 12 months (range 1-36 months). Most studies reported on MS fatigue in terms of its change from baseline and whether the change was statistically significant. 5 studies also reported what they considered to be a clinically meaningful difference. CONCLUSIONS: Although fatigue has the greatest impact on quality of life in people with MS, few studies have rigorously investigated the impact of DMTs on fatigue. Comparisons between study outcomes using different PRO tools is challenging due to the variety of psychometric constructs addressed by the questionnaires and differences in the recall period for fatigue symptoms and the measurement scale. Furthermore most of the PRO tools used to quantify MS-fatigue in studies of DMTs are descended from PRO tools developed during the 1990s before DMTs emerged and before widespread patient involvement in PRO development. New PRO tools should involve patients in their development as recommended by the US Food and Drug Administration and the validation process should consider the sensitivity of the PRO tool to change in fatigue over time or between groups.

Correction to: Antipsychotic Prescribing to Patients Diagnosed with Dementia Without a Diagnosis of Psychosis in the Context of National Guidance and Drug Safety Warnings: Longitudinal Study in UK General Practice.

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Temporal trends in antidepressant prescribing to children in UK primary care, 2000-2015.

BACKGROUND: The prevalence of antidepressant prescribing in children and adolescents increased steadily in the United States and parts of Europe between 2005 and 2012 despite regulatory safety warnings. Little is known about the characteristics of those being prescribed antidepressants for the first time. METHODS: A longitudinal study of antidepressant prescribing in 3-17 year olds was carried out using data from the UK Clinical Practice Research Datalink (CPRD) between 2000 and 2015. Changes in the incidence of first ever antidepressant prescriptions and the characteristics of those being prescribed them was examined. RESULTS: Incidence of first ever prescriptions nearly doubled between 2006 and 2015 rising from 1.60 (95%CI: 1.51, 1.69) to 3.12 (3.00, 3.25) per 1000 person years. Only 21% of the 1721 patients with incident prescriptions in 2015 could be linked to a depression diagnosis, with an additional 22% of prescriptions linked to alternative indications. The incidence of prescriptions linked to a depression diagnosis increased between 2012 and 2015, with an adjusted incidence rate ratio of 1.46 (1.26, 1.70). Antidepressant prescribing for depression and other indications has been increasing most rapidly in 15 to 17 year old females. LIMITATIONS: Diagnoses are not directly linked to prescriptions in CPRD, so linkage must be inferred by temporal proximity. CONCLUSIONS: Antidepressant prescribing in children increased between 2006 and 2015. This is, at least in part, due to a rise in alternative uses of antidepressants, including the treatment of anxiety, chronic pain and migraines.

Antipsychotic Prescribing to Patients Diagnosed with Dementia Without a Diagnosis of Psychosis in the Context of National Guidance and Drug Safety Warnings: Longitudinal Study in UK General Practice.

INTRODUCTION: Policy interventions to address inappropriate prescribing of antipsychotic drugs to older people diagnosed with dementia are commonplace. In the UK, warnings were issued by the Medicines Healthcare products Regulatory Agency in 2004, 2009 and 2012 and the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence guidance was published in 2006. It is important to evaluate the impact of such interventions. METHODS: We analysed routinely collected primary-care data from 111,346 patients attending one of 689 general practices contributing to the Clinical Practice Research Datalink to describe the temporal changes in the prescribing of antipsychotic drugs to patients aged 65 years or over diagnosed with dementia without a concomitant psychosis diagnosis from 2001 to 2014 using an interrupted time series and a before-and-after design. Logistic regression methods were used to quantify the impact of patient and practice level variables on prescribing prevalence. RESULTS: Prescribing of first-generation antipsychotic drugs reduced from 8.9% in 2001 to 1.4% in 2014 (prevalence ratio 2014/2001 adjusted for age, sex and clustering within practices (0.14, 95% confidence interval 0.12-0.16), whereas there was little change for second-generation antipsychotic drugs (1.01, confidence interval 0.94-1.17). Between 2004 and 2012, several policy interventions coincided with a pattern of ups and downs, whereas the 2006 National Institute for Health and Care Excellence guidance was followed by a gradual longer term reduction. Since 2013, the decreasing trend in second-generation antipsychotic drug prescribing has plateaued largely driven by the increasing prescribing of risperidone. CONCLUSIONS: Increased surveillance and evaluation of drug safety warnings and guidance are needed to improve the impact of future interventions.

Examining variations in prescribing safety in UK general practice: cross sectional study using the Clinical Practice Research Datalink.

STUDY QUESTION: What is the prevalence of different types of potentially hazardous prescribing in general practice in the United Kingdom, and what is the variation between practices? METHODS: A cross sectional study included all adult patients potentially at risk of a prescribing or monitoring error defined by a combination of diagnoses and prescriptions in 526 general practices contributing to the Clinical Practice Research Datalink (CPRD) up to 1 April 2013. Primary outcomes were the prevalence of potentially hazardous prescriptions of anticoagulants, anti-platelets, NSAIDs, ß blockers, glitazones, metformin, digoxin, antipsychotics, combined hormonal contraceptives, and oestrogens and monitoring by blood test less frequently than recommended for patients with repeated prescriptions of angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitors and loop diuretics, amiodarone, methotrexate, lithium, or warfarin. STUDY ANSWER AND LIMITATIONS: 49 927 of 949 552 patients at risk triggered at least one prescribing indicator (5.26%, 95% confidence interval 5.21% to 5.30%) and 21 501 of 182 721 (11.8%, 11.6% to 11.9%) triggered at least one monitoring indicator. The prevalence of different types of potentially hazardous prescribing ranged from almost zero to 10.2%, and for inadequate monitoring ranged from 10.4% to 41.9%. Older patients and those prescribed multiple repeat medications had significantly higher risks of triggering a prescribing indicator whereas younger patients with fewer repeat prescriptions had significantly higher risk of triggering a monitoring indicator. There was high variation between practices for some indicators. Though prescribing safety indicators describe prescribing patterns that can increase the risk of harm to the patient and should generally be avoided, there will always be exceptions where the indicator is clinically justified. Furthermore there is the possibility that some information is not captured by CPRD for some practices-for example, INR results in patients receiving warfarin. WHAT THIS STUDY ADDS: The high prevalence for certain indicators emphasises existing prescribing risks and the need for their appropriate consideration within primary care, particularly for older patients and those taking multiple medications. The high variation between practices indicates potential for improvement through targeted practice level intervention. FUNDING, COMPETING INTERESTS, DATA SHARING: National Institute for Health Research through the Greater Manchester Primary Care Patient Safety Translational Research Centre (grant No GMPSTRC-2012-1). Data from CPRD cannot be shared because of licensing restrictions.

Early assessment by a mobile stroke team: a randomised controlled trial.

BACKGROUND: There is overwhelming evidence of the effectiveness of specialist stroke rehabilitation, but more limited evidence of the effectiveness of organised stroke care during the acute phase of stroke. OBJECTIVE: To determine the impact on outcome of access to a mobile team during the acute phase of stroke among patients admitted to general wards. STUDY POPULATION: 308 patients admitted to one of two hospitals within 5 days of the onset of a clinically diagnosed stroke. STUDY DESIGN: Randomised controlled trial. STUDY GROUPS: Following admission, patients in the intervention arm were visited by members of a mobile stroke team who advised clinical staff on appropriate and timely investigation and management. They co-ordinated early input from therapy groups and identified those ready for transfer to the stroke rehabilitation unit. Patients in the control arm were not visited by the mobile stroke team. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE: All-cause mortality measured at 6 weeks and 12 months. RESULTS: There was no statistically significant difference observed between study groups in mortality at 6 weeks (95% CI(adj) -7.4 to 7.4%) nor at 12 months ( 95% CI(adj) -4.1 to 15.9%). There were also no differences observed between study groups in morbidity outcomes or health-related quality of life measured at 12 months. CONCLUSION: The trial was terminated before the necessary sample size was collected but findings suggest that the mobile stroke team failed to confer significant long-term mortality benefit compared with general ward-based care alone.