The incidence of clinically isolated syndrome in a multi-ethnic cohort.

The purpose of this study was to determine the incidence of clinically isolated syndrome (CIS), a potential precursor of multiple sclerosis (MS), and whether it varies by race/ethnicity in a multi-ethnic, population-based cohort. We conducted a retrospective cohort study of over 9 million person-years of observation from the multi-ethnic, community-dwelling members of Kaiser Permanente Southern California Health Plan from January 1, 2008 to December 31, 2010. Incidence of CIS and risk ratios comparing incidence rates between racial/ethnic groups were calculated using Poisson regression. We identified 468 newly diagnosed CIS cases that did not meet McDonald criteria for MS. The average age at diagnosis was 39.0 years (range 2.7-85.8) and 68.8% were women. The female preponderance was more pronounced among black (75.7%) and Hispanics (70.5%) than in white and Asian individuals with CIS (66.5 and 54.5%, respectively; P = 0.14). The most common presenting symptom in Hispanics was optic neuritis (P = 0.008), and in blacks, transverse myelitis (P = 0.07). Incidence of CIS was lower in Hispanics (3.8, 95% CI 3.2-4.4, P < 0.0001) and Asians (2.4, 95% CI 1.5-3.6, P < 0.0001) and similar in blacks (6.8, 95% CI 5.3-8.5, P = 0.30) compared with whites (5.9, 95% CI 5.1-6.7). The incidence of CIS varies by race/ethnicity and sex in a similar pattern to MS. In addition, the clinical presentation of CIS varies by race/ethnicity. These findings strengthen the probability that the old belief that blacks have a decreased risk of MS is no longer true. These findings highlight that studies that include minorities are likely to lead to important insights into the etiology and prognosis of CIS and MS.

Proton-pump inhibitor use and hip fractures in men: a population-based case-control study.

PURPOSE: To estimate the association between proton-pump inhibitor (PPI) use and hip fracture. METHODS: We conducted a case-control study of 6774 pairs of men aged 45 years or older, matched on age, race, and medical center. Cases sustained incident hip fractures in 1997-2006. Fracture date was index date for each case-control pair. PPI exposure was identified from electronic pharmacy records, 1991-2006. PPI use was measured as (1) ever versus never; (2) adherence; (3) duration; and (4) recentness. Omeprazole and pantoprazole were analyzed separately using conditional logistic regression, adjusted for comorbidities. Nonusers were the referent group. RESULTS: Eight hundred ninety-six (13.2%) cases and 713 (10.5%) controls used omeprazole before index date (matched odds ratio [OR], 1.13; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.01-1.27). Greatest adherence (medication possession ratio > 80%) (OR, 1.33; 95% CI, 1.09-1.62), highest tertile of duration (OR, 1.23; 95% CI, 1.02-1.48), and recent use (OR, 1.22; 95% CI, 1.02-1.47) were associated with hip fracture. Six hundred ninety-four (10.2%) cases and 576 (8.5%) controls had used pantoprazole (OR, 1.10; 95% CI, 0.97-1.24). Longest duration (OR, 1.25; 95% CI, 1.02-1.53) and most recent use (OR, 1.38; 95% CI, 1.12-1.71) were associated with hip fracture. Our study suggests that PPI use and hip fractures are associated, with risk increasing with longer duration and more recent use.

Validation of pediatric diabetes case identification approaches for diagnosed cases by using information in the electronic health records of a large integrated managed health care organization.

We explored the utility of different algorithms for diabetes case identification by using electronic health records. Inpatient and outpatient diagnosis codes, as well as data on laboratory results and dispensing of antidiabetic medications were extracted from electronic health records of Kaiser Permanente Southern California members who were less than 20 years of age in 2009. Diabetes cases were ascertained by using the SEARCH for Diabetes in Youth Study protocol and comprised the "gold standard." Sensitivity, specificity, positive and negative predictive values, accuracy, and the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) were compared in 1,000 bootstrapped samples. Based on data from 792,992 youth, of whom 1,568 had diabetes (77.2%, type 1 diabetes; 22.2%, type 2 diabetes; 0.6%, other), case identification accuracy was highest in 75% of bootstrapped samples for those who had 1 or more outpatient diabetes diagnoses or 1 or more insulin prescriptions (sensitivity, 95.9%; positive predictive value, 95.5%; AUC, 97.9%) and in 25% of samples for those who had 2 or more outpatient diabetes diagnoses and 1 or more antidiabetic medications (sensitivity, 92.4%; positive predictive value, 98.4%; AUC, 96.2%). Having 1 or more outpatient type 1 diabetes diagnoses (International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision, Clinical Modification, code 250.x1 or 250.x3) had the highest accuracy (94.4%) and AUC (94.1%) for type 1 diabetes; the absence of type 1 diabetes diagnosis had the highest accuracy (93.8%) and AUC (93.6%) for identifying type 2 diabetes. Information in the electronic health records from managed health care organizations provides an efficient and cost-effective source of data for childhood diabetes surveillance.

Incidence of multiple sclerosis in multiple racial and ethnic groups.

OBJECTIVE: To determine whether the incidence of multiple sclerosis (MS) varies by race/ethnicity in a multiethnic, population-based cohort. METHODS: We conducted a retrospective cohort study of more than 9 million person-years of observation from the multiethnic, community-dwelling members of Kaiser Permanente Southern California health plan from January 1, 2008 to December 31, 2010. Incidence of MS and risk ratios comparing incidence rates between racial/ethnic groups were calculated using Poisson regression. RESULTS: We identified 496 patients newly diagnosed with MS who met McDonald criteria. The average age at diagnosis was 41.6 years (range 8.6-78.3 years) and 70.2% were women. The female preponderance was more pronounced among black (79.3%) than white, Hispanic, and Asian individuals with MS (67.8%, 68.1%, and 69.2%, respectively; p = 0.03). The incidence of MS was higher in blacks (10.2, 95% confidence interval [CI] 8.4-12.4; p < 0.0001) and lower in Hispanics (2.9, 95% CI 2.4-3.5; p < 0.0001) and Asians (1.4, 95% CI 0.7-2.4; p < 0.0001) than whites (6.9, 95% CI 6.1-7.8). Black women had a higher risk of MS (risk ratio 1.59, 95% CI 1.27-1.99; p = 0.0005) whereas black men had a similar risk of MS (risk ratio 1.04, 95% CI = 0.67-1.57) compared with whites. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings do not support the widely accepted assertion that blacks have a lower risk of MS than whites. A possible explanation for our findings is that people with darker skin tones have lower vitamin D levels and thereby an increased risk of MS, but this would not explain why Hispanics and Asians have a lower risk of MS than whites or why the higher risk of MS among blacks was found only among women.