Rural and urban disparities in the care of Canadian patients with inflammatory bowel disease: a population-based study.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Canada's large geographic area and low population density pose challenges in access to specialized health care for remote and rural residents. We compared health services use, surgical rate, and specialist gastroenterologist care in rural and urban inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) patients in Canada. METHODS: We used validated algorithms that were applied to population-based health administrative data to identify all people living with the following three Canadian provinces: Alberta, Manitoba, and Ontario (ON). We compared rural residents with urban residents for time to diagnosis, hospitalizations, outpatient visits, emergency department (ED) use, surgical rate, and gastroenterologist care. Multivariable regression compared the outcomes in rural/urban patients, controlling for confounders. Provincial results were meta-analyzed using random-effects models to produce overall estimates. RESULTS: A total of 36,656 urban and 5,223 rural residents with incident IBD were included. Outpatient physician visit rate was similar in rural and urban patients. IBD-specific and IBD-related hospitalization rates were higher in rural patients (incidence rate ratio [IRR] 1.17, 95% CI 1.02-1.34, and IRR 1.27, 95% CI 1.04-1.56, respectively). The rate of ED visits in ON were similarly elevated for rural patients (IRR 1.53, 95% CI 1.42-1.65, and IRR 1.33, 95% CI 1.25-1.40). There were no differences in surgical rates or prediagnosis lag time between rural and urban patients. Rural patients had fewer IBD-specific gastroenterologist visits (IRR 0.79, 95% CI 0.73-0.84) and a smaller proportion of their IBD-specific care was provided by gastroenterologists (28.3% vs 55.2%, P<0.0001). This was less pronounced in children <10 years at diagnosis (59.3% vs 65.0%, P<0.0001), and the gap was widest in patients >65 years (33.0% vs 59.2%, P<0.0001). CONCLUSION: There were lower rates of gastroenterologist physician visits, more hospitalizations, and greater rates of ED visits in rural IBD patients. These disparities in health services use result in costlier care for rural patients. Innovative methods of delivering gastroenterology care to rural IBD patients (such as telehealth, online support, and remote clinics) should be explored, especially for communities lacking easy access to gastroenterologists.

Corrigendum: Rural and Urban Residence During Early Life Is Associated with a Lower Risk of Inflammatory Bowel Disease: A Population-Based Inception and Birth Cohort Study.

This corrects the article DOI: 10.1038/ajg.2017.208.

Rural and Urban Residence During Early Life is Associated with Risk of Inflammatory Bowel Disease: A Population-Based Inception and Birth Cohort Study

OBJECTIVES: To determine the association between inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) and rural/urban household at the time of diagnosis, or within the first 5 years (y) of life. METHODS: Population-based cohorts of residents of four Canadian provinces were created using health administrative data. Rural/urban status was derived from postal codes based on population density and distance to metropolitan areas. Validated algorithms identified all incident IBD cases from administrative data (Alberta: 1999-2008, Manitoba and Ontario: 1999-2010, and Nova Scotia: 2000-2008). We determined sex-standardized incidence (per 100,000 patient-years) and incident rate ratios (IRR) using Poisson regression. A birth cohort was created of children in whom full administrative data were available from birth (Alberta 1996-2010, Manitoba 1988-2010, and Ontario 1991-2010). IRR was calculated for residents who lived continuously in rural/urban households during each of the first 5 years of life. RESULTS: There were 6,662 rural residents and 38,905 urban residents with IBD. Incidence of IBD per 100,000 was 33.16 (95% CI 27.24-39.08) in urban residents, and 30.72 (95% CI 23.81-37.64) in rural residents (IRR 0.90, 95% CI 0.81-0.99). The protective association was strongest in children <10 years (IRR 0.58, 95% CI 0.43-0.73) and 10-17.9 years (IRR 0.72, 95% CI 0.64-0.81). In the birth cohort, comprising 331 rural and 2,302 urban residents, rurality in the first 1-5 years of life was associated with lower risk of IBD (IRR 0.75-0.78). CONCLUSIONS: People living in rural households had lower risk of developing IBD. This association is strongest in young children and adolescents, and in children exposed to the rural environment early in life.

Trends in Epidemiology of Pediatric Inflammatory Bowel Disease in Canada: Distributed Network Analysis of Multiple Population-Based Provincial Health Administrative Databases.

OBJECTIVES: The incidence of pediatric-onset inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is increasing worldwide. We used population-based health administrative data to determine national Canadian IBD incidence, prevalence, and trends over time of childhood-onset IBD. METHODS: We identified children <16 years (y) diagnosed with IBD 1999-2010 from health administrative data in five provinces (Alberta, Manitoba, Nova Scotia, Ontario, Quebec), comprising 79.2% of the Canadian population. Standardized incidence and prevalence were calculated per 100,000 children. Annual percentage change (APC) in incidence and prevalence were determined using Poisson regression analysis. Provincial estimates were meta-analyzed using random-effects models to produce national estimates. RESULTS: 5,214 incident cases were diagnosed during the study period (3,462 Crohn's disease, 1,382 ulcerative colitis, 279 type unclassifiable). The incidence in Canada was 9.68 (95% CI 9.11 to 10.25) per 100,000 children. Incidence was similar amongst most provinces, but higher in Nova Scotia. APC in incidence did not significantly change over the study period in the overall cohort (+2.06%, 95% CI -0.64% to +4.76%). However, incidence significantly increased in children aged 0-5y (+7.19%, 95% +2.82% to +11.56%). Prevalence at the end of the study period in Canada was 38.25 (95% CI 35.78 to 40.73) per 100,000 children. Prevalence increased significantly over time, APC +4.56% (95% CI +3.71% to +5.42%). CONCLUSIONS: Canada has amongst the highest incidence of childhood-onset IBD in the world. Prevalence significantly increased over time. Incidence was not statistically changed with the exception of a rapid increase in incidence in the youngest group of children.

A phosphorylation code for oestrogen receptor-alpha predicts clinical outcome to endocrine therapy in breast cancer.

To determine the relationship of the multiple sites of oestrogen receptor alpha (ERalpha) phosphorylation to clinical outcome after tamoxifen therapy, sections from tissue microarrays representing over 300 ER+ breast cancers from patients who were treated with surgery+radiation and then tamoxifen were used for immunohistochemical determination of total ERalpha, p-S104/106-ERalpha, p-S118-ERalpha, p-S167-ERalpha, p-S282-ERalpha, p-S294-ERalpha, p-T311-ERalpha and p-S559-ERalpha. Relationships of phosphorylated ERalpha to overall and relapse-free survival (RFS; breast cancer death or recurrence) were tested using single (univariate) and multiple (multivariate) predictor statistical models. Large tumour size, node positivity, high grade, progesterone receptor (PR) negative status and low levels of p-S282-ERalpha were significantly associated with reduced overall survival (OS). Along with tumour size and node status, a novel phosphorylation score (P(7) score > or = 3), taking into account all seven p-ERalpha sites, was significantly associated with reduced OS in univariate and multivariate analyses (hazard ratio (HR)=2.24, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.15-4.34, n=335; P=0.018). Along with tumour size, node status, grade and PR status, a high P(7) score (> or = 3) was significantly associated with reduced RFS in univariate and multivariate analyses (HR=1.71, 95% CI 1.03-2.86, n=332; P=0.039). Since ERalpha is the site at which integration of diverse signals occurs to regulate breast cancer growth and survival, the ERalpha phosphorylation score may be a surrogate marker of the balance between oestrogen-dependent and crosstalk-dependent receptor activity, and is potentially a prognostic marker of clinical outcome in a tamoxifen-treated population of patients.