Understanding Health Care Disparities Based on Medicare Use for Inflammatory and Infectious Eye Diseases.

Purpose: Inflammatory and infectious eye diseases are an important cause of visual impairment in patients older than 65 years of age. Health care disparities for eye care are present for general eye care. However, there is lack of national data on health disparities regarding eye care use for inflammatory and infectious eye diseases. Our study examines the effect of gender and race on eye care in patients with inflammatory and infectious eye diseases who are equal or greater than 65 years of age. Methods: We have used Medicare data to examine the effect gender and race on use of eye care services in patients with inflammatory and infectious eye diseases for 2014 to 2018. Medicare is a national insurance program administered by the government of United States to insure people age 65 years or older. Owing to its high enrollment, those in Medicare are representative of the U.S. population aged 65 and older. Results: We found that females have higher use for Medicare for inflammatory and infectious eye diseases across all races from 2014 to 2018. On examining the effect of race, African Americans have lower use as compared with Whites. People of Asian descent have the highest use, followed by Hispanic people. Conclusions: Health care disparities exist for eye care use for inflammatory and infectious eye diseases for patients 65 years of age and older. Future studies are required to address these disparities to provide equitable eye care. Translational Relevance: Identification of eye care disparities is the first step to addressing these disparities.

A Patient Develops Bullous Rash After Receiving the Second Dose of COVID-19 Vaccine.

Our knowledge about the clinical spectrum of COVID-19 has continued to evolve. The clinical features of the infection and vaccine are continuously updated. We present a case of bullous pemphigoid after receiving a second dose of the COVID-19 vaccine. This case highlights autoimmune skin findings seen in a patient after COVID-19 vaccination. A 70-year-old male presented with the chief complaint of blistering skin rash. He received his second dose of Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine two days before developing a painful pruritic maculopapular rash that started on his hands and extended proximally to his trunk. Physical exam was remarkable for tense bullae with negative Nikolsky sign. Biopsy and direct immunofluorescence lead to the diagnosis of bullous pemphigoid. The lesions improved significantly with steroids. Various cutaneous eruptions have been reported with Moderna and Pfizer COVID-19 vaccines, including the new onset of bullous pemphigoid. Based on our case, we suggest that bullous pemphigoid after COVID-19 vaccination is responsive to steroids and the prognosis is excellent. Understanding the clinical course and prognosis of bullous pemphigoid from the COVID-19 vaccine is of significant importance as we strive to keep our patients and communities safe. More data is needed to better guide recommendations, but so far looking at the example from our case, the benefits of COVID-19 vaccination seem to outweigh the risks. Therefore, patients should be advised to continue with future vaccinations.

Abdominal Pain in a Patient With Giant Cell Arteritis.

Giant cell arteritis (GCA) is a large vessel vasculitis seen in the elderly. It is primarily treated with corticosteroids, which are known to have a multitude of adverse effects, including predisposition to infection and intestinal diverticular perforation. We describe a unique case of a GCA patient with the subtle presentation of acute abdomen. A 71-year-old woman with GCA on corticosteroids presented with vague abdominal pain at a routine follow-up appointment. Diagnostic workup revealed perforated diverticulitis and urinary tract infection. She was admitted and managed conservatively. Clinicians may encounter similar scenarios to ours in which GCA patients will present with subtle symptoms of an acute abdomen. Corticosteroids mask symptoms in the setting of severe complications, especially in elderly patients. We recommend providers have a high index of suspicion for an acute condition, even when the clinical manifestations are subtle.

Subcutaneous Sweet Syndrome Presenting as Cellulitis in a Pregnant Female.

We report a case of subcutaneous Sweet syndrome in a pregnant woman that was initially believed to be cellulitis. She was admitted after failure of symptom resolution following multiple oral antibiotics as an outpatient. Her rash continued to progress, and she became nauseous with a lack of appetite. Infectious disease, rheumatology, and dermatology were consulted. Skin biopsies were taken, and while awaiting results, due to continued disease progression despite broad-spectrum antibiotic coverage, IV steroids were started with rapid resolution. Eventual biopsy results showed a dense neutrophilic infiltrate in the subcutaneous fat in a lobular distribution without evidence of vasculitis, confirming a diagnosis of subcutaneous Sweet syndrome. This disease is exceedingly rare in pregnant patients, with few reported cases.

Uveitis and health disparities: results from the National Inpatient Sample.

PURPOSE: Health disparities exist when the prevalence or outcome of the disease are influenced by age, race, sex or income. Health disparities are prevalent in autoimmune diseases. However, there is a lack of national US data regarding health disparities in uveitis. The primary aim of our study is to evaluate health disparities for uveitis in the USA. METHODS: We performed a retrospective, observational, cross-sectional study to ascertain health disparities for uveitis and its complications in the USA using the National Inpatient Sample (NIS) for the years 2002-2013. We used the International Classification of Disease, ninth revision, codes to identify uveitis cases and ocular complications. Uveitis was divided into total, infectious and non-infectious uveitis. We collected information on age, sex, race, income quartile and ocular complications. We preformed statistical analysis using SAS V.9.4. A logistic regression model was used to predict the odds of developing uveitis and its complications. RESULTS: There were a total of 94 143 978 discharges including 15 296 total uveitis, 4538 infectious and 10 758 non-infectious uveitis patients. Compared with the total NIS population, patients with uveitis were younger (mean age 45±18 vs 48±28 years, p value ≤0.0001, African-Americans (23% vs 10%, p value ≤0.0001), in the lowest income quartile (<$38 999; 29% vs 26%, p value ≤0.0001) and were insured by Medicaid (25% vs 20%, p value ≤0.0001). CONCLUSION: African-American patients have a higher prevalence of uveitis. Patients insured by Medicare and Medicaid have more frequent ocular complications. This knowledge may guide future research on disparity and shape healthcare decision making.

Population-based study of QT interval prolongation in patients with rheumatoid arthritis.

OBJECTIVES: Patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) are at increased risk of cardiovascular morbidity and mortality. Heart rate corrected QT interval (QTc) (which is obtained from a 12-lead electrocardiogram (ECG) and reflects ventricular repolarisation duration) is a strong predictor of cardiovascular mortality. Our primary purpose is to determine the impact of QTc prolongation on mortality in RA patients. METHODS: A population-based inception cohort of patients with RA fulfilling the 1987 ACR criteria in 1988-2007 was identified, with an age- and sex-matched comparison cohort and followed until death, migration or until the end of 2008. Data were collected on ECG variables, medications known to prolong QT interval, electrolytes, cardiovascular risk factors and disease status and RA disease characteristics. Cox proportional hazards models were used to examine QTc prolongation as predictor of mortality. RESULTS: QTc prolongation prior to RA incidence/index date was similar in RA (15%) and non-RA (18%) subjects. During follow-up, the cumulative incidence of QTc prolongation was higher among RA (48% at 20 years after RA incidence) than non-RA (38% at 20 years after index date; p=0.004). Idiopathic QTc prolongation (excluding prolongations explained by ECG changes, medications, etc.) was marginally associated with all-cause mortality (HR: 1.28; 95% CI: 0.91-1.81, p=0.16), but was not associated with cardiovascular mortality (HR: 1.10; 95% CI:0.43-2.86, p=0.83) in RA. CONCLUSIONS: RA patients have a significantly elevated risk of developing QTc prolongation. However, idiopathic prolonged QTc was only marginally associated with all-cause mortality in RA patients. The clinical implications of these findings in RA require further study.

A case of blau syndrome.

We present a case of systemic granulomatous disorder/Blau syndrome. A patient was seen at our clinic with a diagnosis of Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis (JIA). He was diagnosed with polyarticular JIA when he was two years old, at that time primary manifestations included inflammation of the hand and wrist joints bilaterally, later he developed ocular symptoms, which were attributed to JIA. He had liver, skin, pulmonary manifestations, and diagnostic workup including biopsy revealed granulomatous inflammation of these sites. During the diagnostic workup, he had worsening of ocular complaints, retinal exam showed panuveitis with multifocal choroiditis. These ocular findings are not seen in JIA, this, along with his other systemic manifestations, led us to revisit the diagnosis. Laboratory testing for genetic mutation for Blau syndrome was done and came back positive. Now all of his systemic findings were placed under one umbrella of systemic granulomatous syndrome/Blau syndrome. Due to worsening of ocular manifestations, he was started on Adalimumab with marked improvement of ocular and systemic manifestations and is followed by team that consists of Rheumatologist, Ophthalmologist, and Gastroenterologist.

Electrocardiographic abnormalities of takotsubo cardiomyopathy in a patient with paced ventricular rhythm.

Takotsubo cardiomyopathy (TCM) is a unique cardiomyopathy characterized by chest pain, ECG, and regional wall motion abnormalities closely mimicking acute myocardial infarction, in the absence of significant coronary artery disease. Classic ECG changes of TCM include ST elevation or T wave inversion. However, ECG abnormalities of TCM in patients with paced ventricular rhythms have not been well characterized. Herein, we report the case of an 85-year-old pacemaker dependant female who was diagnosed with TCM four weeks following the demise of her husband. Abnormal negative T wave concordance in precordial leads and QT interval prolongation were the only new ECG findings and these reverted back to baseline on followup.

Adducin 1 (alpha) Gly460Trp variant is associated with left ventricular geometry in Caucasians and African Americans: The HyperGEN Study.

Normal left ventricular (LV) mass and geometry is required for optimal LV functioning. Abnormalities in either result in increased morbidity and mortality. The adducing 1 (alpha) gene (ADD1) Gly460Trp polymorphism has been associated with high blood pressure and increased plasma volume, both predictors of LV mass and function. In this cross-sectional study, we evaluate the association between this polymorphism and LV mass and geometry. LV mass, relative wall thickness (RWT), and systolic and diastolic parameters were measured using echocardiography in 3483 African American and Caucasian subjects from the Hypertension Genetic Epidemiology Network (HyperGEN). Analysis of covariance was used to estimate the polymorphism's association with echocardiograph parameters, stratified by race. The model was adjusted for age, diastolic and systolic blood pressure, glomerular filtration rate, smoking, low and high density lipoprotein cholesterol, urinary sodium, and body mass index. In Caucasians, the Trp allele was associated with higher ejection fraction (EF) (P = .02), fractional shortening (FS) (P = .02), and RWT (P = .03). In African Americans, the Trp allele was negatively associated with RWT (P = .02), but no association was found with EF (P= .08) or FS (P= .09). The polymorphism was not associated with diastolic function parameters in either racial group. We found no association of ADD1 Gly460Trp with LV mass in Caucasians or African Americans; however, it was associated with unfavorable LV geometry (higher RWT) in Caucasians and favorable LV geometry (lower RWT) in African Americans after controlling for factors that would affect plasma volume.