High-density lipoprotein (HDL) as an indicator for alcohol use in a psychiatrically ill population.

AIMS: To examine the cross sectional and longitudinal associations between the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test-Concise (AUDIT-C) and differences in high-density lipoprotein (HDL) in a psychiatrically ill population. METHODS: Retrospective observational study using electronic health record data from a large healthcare system, of patients hospitalized for a mental health/substance use disorder (MH/SUD) from 1 July 2016 to 31 May 2023, who had a proximal AUDIT-C and HDL (N = 15 915) and the subset who had a repeat AUDIT-C and HDL 1 year later (N = 2915). Linear regression models examined the association between cross-sectional and longitudinal AUDIT-C scores and HDL, adjusting for demographic and clinical characteristics that affect HDL. RESULTS: Compared with AUDIT-C score = 0, HDL was higher among patients with greater AUDIT-C severity (e.g. moderate AUDIT-C score = 8.70[7.65, 9.75] mg/dl; severe AUDIT-C score = 13.02 [12.13, 13.90] mg/dL[95% confidence interval (CI)] mg/dl). The associations between cross-sectional HDL and AUDIT-C scores were similar with and without adjusting for patient demographic and clinical characteristics. HDL levels increased for patients with mild alcohol use at baseline and moderate or severe alcohol use at follow-up (15.06[2.77, 27.69] and 19.58[2.77, 36.39] mg/dL[95%CI] increase for moderate and severe, respectively). CONCLUSIONS: HDL levels correlate with AUDIT-C scores among patients with MH/SUD. Longitudinally, there were some (but not consistent) increases in HDL associated with increases in AUDIT-C. The increases were within range of typical year-to-year variation in HDL across the population independent of alcohol use, limiting the ability to use HDL as a longitudinal clinical indicator for alcohol use in routine care.

Clinical Characteristics and Healthcare Resource Utilization among Patients with Obstructive Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy Treated in a Range of Settings in the United States.

Obstructive hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (oHCM) has been studied primarily in comprehensive centers of excellence. Broadening the understanding of patients with oHCM in the general population may improve identification and treatment in other settings. This retrospective cohort study identified adults with oHCM from a large electronic medical record database comprising data from 39 integrated delivery networks (IBM Explorys; observational period: January 2009-July 2019). Clinical characteristics, healthcare resource utilization (HCRU), and outcomes were reported. Of 8791 patients, 53.0% were female and the mean index age was 61.8 years. Cardiovascular drugs prescribed included beta-blockers (80.5%), calcium channel blockers (46.0%), and disopyramide (2.4%). Over time, heart failure, atrial fibrillation, and ventricular arrhythmias increased. Surgical procedures included septal myectomy (22.0%), alcohol septal ablation (0.6%), and heart transplantation (0.3%). Implantable cardioverter defibrillators were present in 11.2% of patients. After initial septal reduction therapy (SRT), HCRU increased and 550 patients (27.7%) required a reintervention. Of the overall group, 2.7% experienced sudden cardiac arrest by end of study. In conclusion, this cohort of patients with oHCM had guideline-recommended drug therapy and procedures. Despite this, heart failure, atrial fibrillation, and ventricular arrhythmias increased, and more than a quarter of patients undergoing SRT required reintervention. These unresolved issues emphasize the unmet need for new, effective therapies for patients with oHCM.