High risk of depression, anxiety, and an unfavorable complex comorbidity profile is associated with SLE: a nationwide patient-level study.

OBJECTIVES: The aim of this national population-based, retrospective database study is to compare the comorbidity profiles of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) patients and general population controls matched for age, gender, and region and assess the risk of depression or anxiety when controlled for age, gender and adjusted for the Charlson Comorbidity Index (CCI). METHODS: Claims data of 1051 patients diagnosed with SLE (full population between January 01, 2011, and December 31, 2014) from the Hungarian National Health Insurance Fund have been analyzed against matched controls (1:5 ratio) with a follow-up of 30 months. The first record of SLE diagnosis was considered the diagnosis date. The odds ratio (OR) and 99.9% confidence interval (CI) of having depression or anxiety among patients with SLE vs. controls have been assessed using logistic regression models. RESULTS: SLE patients report more comorbidities than the matched general population both in pre- and post-index periods (mean CCI 1.79 vs. 1.15 and 2.78 vs. 1.22 [both p<0.001], respectively). Both SLE patients and controls diagnosed with depression or anxiety had significantly higher CCI than those without comorbid depression or anxiety (p<0.001). However, SLE patients had a twofold higher risk of depression or anxiety than matched controls when controlled for age, gender, and adjusted for CCI. CONCLUSION: Our analysis indicates the enormity of comorbidity burden in SLE, especially that of anxiety and depression. The size and complexity of the comorbidity burden emphasizes the importance of early diagnosis and intervention with comprehensive modalities incorporating attention to comorbidities in SLE patients.

Epidemiology, mortality and prevalence of colorectal cancer in ulcerative colitis patients between 2010-2016 in Hungary - a population-based study.

BACKGROUND: The incidence and prevalence of ulcerative colitis (UC) varies geographically. The risk of colorectal cancer (CRC) and possibly some other malignancies is increased among patients with UC. It is still debated if patients with UC are at a greater risk of dying compared with the general population. Our aim was to describe the epidemiology and mortality of the Hungarian UC population from 2010 to 2016 and to analyze the associated malignancies with a special focus on CRC. METHODS: This is an observational, descriptive, epidemiological study based on the National Health Insurance Fund social security databases from 2010 to 2016. All adult patients who had at least two events in outpatient care or at least two medication prescriptions, or at least one inpatient event with UC diagnosis were analyzed. Malignancies and CRC were defined using ICD-10 codes. We also evaluated the survival of patients suffering from UC compared with the general population using a 3 to 1 matched random sample (age, gender, geography) from the full population of Hungary. RESULTS: We found the annual prevalence of UC 0.24-0.34%. The incidence in 2015 was 21.7/100 000 inhabitants. Annual mortality rate was 0.019-0.023%. In this subpopulation, CRC was the most common cancer, followed by non-melanotic skin and prostate cancer. 8.5% of the UC incident subpopulation was diagnosed with CRC. 470 (33%) of the CRC patients died during the course of the study (25% of all deaths were due to CRC), the median survival was 9.6 years. UC patients had significantly worse survival than their matched controls (HR = 1.65, 95% CI: 1.56-1.75). SUMMARY: This is the first population-based study from Eastern Europe to estimate the different malignancies and mortality data amongst Hungarian ulcerative colitis patients. Our results revealed a significantly worse survival of patients suffering from UC compared to the general population.

Epidemiological data and utilization patterns of anti-TNF alpha therapy in the Hungarian ulcerative colitis population between 2012-2016.

Background: Anti-TNF therapy is efficacious in the maintenance of remission in ulcerative colitis (UC); however, long-term data on real-life use of these agents are lacking.Methods: This observational, retrospective, epidemiological study using the National Health Insurance Fund social security database aimed to understand patient characteristics and therapeutic patterns of anti-TNF therapy. Data of adult Hungarian, UC patients treated with anti-TNF agents (IFX-infliximab, ADA-adalimumab) between 2012 and 2016 were analyzed.Results: Five hundred and sixty-eight UC patients were identified. Approximately 70-80% of the patients reached maintenance therapy. A large proportion of patients stopped therapy after 10 to 12 months due to the reimbursement policy. Corticosteroid use decreased significantly after the initiation of biological therapy. The dose-escalation rate was 19.8% for ADA and 10.9% for IFX, respectively, and was performed earlier along the treatment timeline for patients on ADA. In the present study, the rate of primary non-response (PNR) was 11.6% and the rate of secondary loss of response (LOR) was 36.5%.Summary: Treatment length is in correspondence with the Hungarian reimbursement policies. The mandatory stop of treatment in the reimbursement policy is suboptimal in UC patients requiring biological therapy. The corticosteroid-sparing effect of biological therapy was demonstrated.

Is stroke indeed a "Monday morning disease"?

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: The therapeutic time window of acute stroke is short. Decision on the use of intravenous thrombolysis is based on well-defined criteria. Any delay in the transport to a designated stroke centre decreases the odds of therapeutic success. In Hungary, the admission rate of stroke patients peaks on Monday, the number gradually decreasing by the end of the week. This phenomenon has long been suggested to be due to the lack of emergency care approach. According to the literature, however, returning to work following a holiday is a risk factor for acute stroke. A similar phenomenon is well-known in veterinary medicine, a condition in horses referred to as 'Monday morning disease'. In our study, we analysed the distribution of admissions due to acute stroke by the day of the week in 4 independent data sources. METHODS: The number of patients admitted to the Szent János Hospital, Budapest, Hungary with stroke and that of emergency ambulance transports in the whole city of Budapest due to acute stroke were analysed in the period between January 1 and March 31, 2009. The distribution of thrombolytic interventions reflecting hospitalizations for hyperacute stroke was analysed based on data of the Szent János Hospital in 2009-2012, and on national data from 2006-2012. Descriptive statistics was used to present the data. The variation between daily admission was compared by chi-square test. RESULTS: The proportion of daily admission of stroke patients admitted to the Szent János Hospital was the highest at the beginning of the week (18% on Monday, and 21% on Tuesday) and the lowest on the weekend (9% and 9% on Saturday and Sunday, respectively). The distribution of ambulance transports in Budapest due to acute stroke tended to be similar (15% and 15% on Monday and Tuesday, whereas 13% and 12% on Saturday and Sunday, respectively) on different days of the week. No such Monday peak could be observed in a single centre regarding thrombolytic interventions: 18% and 19% of the total of 80 thrombolytic interventions in the Szent János Hospital were performed on Monday and Sunday, respectively. At the national level the higher Monday rate is obvious: during a 7-year period 16.0%, 12.7%, and 13.5% of all thrombolytic interventions in Hungary were performed on Monday, Saturday and Sunday, respectively. CONCLUSION: Monday preference of stroke is not exclusively caused by the lack of emergency care approach, and the phenomenon is not consistent at the individual hospital level in cases undergoing thrombolysis.

Long-term costs and survival of prostate cancer: a population-based study.

PURPOSE: There is a rising interest in measuring the societal burden of malignancies including prostate cancer. However, population-based studies reporting incidence costs of prostate cancer in the long term are lacking in Europe. The objectives of the study are to analyse the long-term costs and survival of prostate cancer patients treated by radical prostatectomy (RP) or conservative management (nRP). METHODS: A retrospective claims data analysis of the National Health Insurance Found Administration of Hungary between 01.01.2002 and 31.10.2013 was carried out. Annual incidence costs related to prostate cancer and overall survival were calculated for a cohort of patients diagnosed between 2002 and 2005. RESULTS: Altogether 17,642 patients were selected; 2185 (12%) of them have undergone RP. The annual incidence rate ranged between 4177 and 4736 cases. Mean age of RP and nRP patients was 59.4 (SD 5.9) and 71.0 (8.4) years, respectively. The mean survival time of the RP patients was significantly longer compared to nRP patients both in the total sample (11.2 vs. 7.4 years; p < 0.001) and in the subgroup <70 years (11.3 vs. 8.8 years; p < 0.001). At the end of the 12-year follow-up, RP patients had a higher (0.83 vs. 0.68), while nRP patients had a slightly lower (0.35 vs. 38) probability of being alive compared with the age-matched general male population. The long-term cumulative costs of the RP and nRP patients amounted to €4448 and €8616. The main driver of the cost difference was the high drug costs in the nRP group. CONCLUSIONS: To our knowledge, this study applied the longest time-window in reporting population-based incidence costs in Europe. We found that not only RP patients lived longer but they had significantly lower total long-term costs than nRP patients. Therefore, radical prostatectomy is a cost-effective strategy in prostate cancer.

Nationwide prevalence and drug treatment practices of inflammatory bowel diseases in Hungary: A population-based study based on the National Health Insurance Fund database.

BACKGROUND: Crohn's disease (CD) and ulcerative colitis (UC) are chronic inflammatory diseases associated with a substantial healthcare utilization. AIM: Our aim was to estimate the national prevalence of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), CD and UC and to describe current drug treatment practices in CD and UC. METHODS: Patients and drug dispensing events were identified according to international classification codes for UC and CD in in-patient care, non-primary out-patient care and drug prescription databases (2011-2013) of the National Health Insurance Fund. RESULTS: A total of 55,039 individuals (men: 44.6%) with physician-diagnosed IBD were alive in Hungary in 2013, corresponding to a prevalence of 0.55% (95% CI, 0.55-0.56). The prevalence of CD 0.20% (95% CI, 0.19-0.20), and UC was 0.34% (95% CI, 0.33-0.34). The prevalence both in men and women was the highest in the 20-39 year-olds in CD. Current use of immunosuppressives and biological therapy was highest in the pediatric CD population (44% and 15%) followed by adult CD (33% and 9%), while their use was lowest in elderly patients. Interestingly, current use of 5-ASA (5-aminosalicylates) was high in both UC and CD irrespective of the age group. CONCLUSIONS: The Hungarian IBD prevalence based on nationwide database of the National Health Insurance Fund was high. We identified significant differences in the drug prescription practices according to age-groups.

Higher Incidence of Stroke on the Last Day of the Month in Hungary-a Role for Psychosocial Factors and Financial Insecurity?

BACKGROUND: The seasonal cumulation of acute ischemic stroke events is a well-known phenomenon. Critical days are determined by both biological and psychosocial factors. We hypothesized that the financial stability of those with a monthly income living in an economically unpredictable environment rises upon the arrival of their salary and decreases in the preceding days, leading to anxiety and existential insecurity, which may increase the incidence of acute ischemic stroke. METHODS: We assessed the daily average number of thrombolytic treatments due to acute ischemic stroke in Hungary between December 1, 2005, and November 30, 2013, calculating the ratio of thrombolytic treatments on the last day of the month (irrespectively whether it was the 28th-31st days) to thrombolytic treatments on the other days, and determined 95% confidence intervals. RESULTS: In this period, 7880 thrombolytic treatments were performed nationwide (2.70/day), out of which 1867 occurred on the last day of the month (19.45/day). If the 28th, 29th, or 30th was not the last day of the month, 15.8, 20.6, and 22 times less thrombolytic treatments, respectively, were performed than on the last day of that month. CONCLUSION: We propose that financial insecurity on the days prior to the receipt of a salary might play a role in the elevation of stroke incidence observed on the last day of the month in Hungary. Further analysis of this phenomenon and its psychosocial effects is needed to adequately allocate healthcare resources and to take preventive measures in the high-risk population.