Health Care Resource Utilization by Patients with Alagille Syndrome.

OBJECTIVE: To assess and characterize health care resource utilization (HRU) in children with the rare, genetic, multisystem disorder, Alagille syndrome. STUDY DESIGN: This retrospective analysis reviewed commercially insured and Medicaid-insured claims from October 1, 2015 to December 31, 2019 to assess HRU in patients with Alagille syndrome. As there is no specific International Classification ofDiseases-10 code for Alagille syndrome, patients were identified using the following algorithm: ≥1 claim with diagnosis code Q44.7 (other congenital malformations of the liver); <18 years of age, with no history of biliary atresia (International Classification ofDiseases-10 code: Q44.2); and ≥6 months of insurance eligibility prior to diagnosis. HRU was summarized per patient per year over all available claims postdiagnosis. RESULTS: A total of 171 commercially insured and 215 Medicaid-insured patients with Alagille syndrome were available for analysis. Annually, commercially insured and Medicaid-insured patients averaged 31 medical visits (range, 1.5-237) and 48 medical visits (range, 0.7-690), respectively. The most common visits were outpatient with the majority encompassing lab/imaging and primary care visits (commercially insured: 21 [range, 0.0-183]; Medicaid-insured: 26 [range, 0.0-609]). Inpatient visits were the highest driver of costs in both the commercial and Medicaid populations. CONCLUSIONS: Patients with Alagille syndrome have a substantial HRU burden driven largely by numerous outpatient visits and costly inpatient stays. Given the complexity and variability of Alagille syndrome presentation, patients may benefit from multidisciplinary and subspecialized care.

Maralixibat Treatment Response in Alagille Syndrome is Associated with Improved Health-Related Quality of Life.

OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study was to assess the impact of treatment response to the ileal bile acid transporter inhibitor maralixibat on health-related quality of life (HRQoL) in children with Alagille syndrome. STUDY DESIGN: This analysis used data from the ICONIC trial, a phase 2 study with a 4-week double-blind, placebo-controlled, randomized drug withdrawal period in children with Alagille syndrome with moderate-to-severe pruritus. Clinically meaningful treatment response to maralixibat was defined a priori as a ≥1-point reduction in the Itch-Reported Outcome (Observer) score, from baseline to week 48. HRQoL was assessed using the Pediatric Quality of Life Inventory Generic Core, Family Impact, and Multidimensional Fatigue scale scores, which were collected via the caregiver. The minimal clinically important difference for HRQoL ranged from 4 to 5 points, depending on the scale. RESULTS: Twenty of the 27 patients (74%) included in this analysis achieved an Itch-Reported Outcome (Observer) treatment response at week 48. The mean (SD) change in Multidimensional Fatigue score was +25.8 (23.0) for responders vs -3.1 (19.8) for nonresponders (P = .03). Smaller and non-statistically significant mean changes were observed for the Pediatric Quality of Life Inventory Generic Core and Family Impact scores. Controlling for baseline Family Impact score, responders' Family Impact scores increased an average of 16.9 points over 48 weeks compared with non-responders (P = .05). Smaller and non-statistically significant point estimates were observed for the Pediatric Quality of Life Inventory Generic Core and Multidimensional Fatigue scores. CONCLUSION: The significant improvements in pruritus seen with maralixibat at week 48 of the ICONIC study are clinically meaningful and are associated with improved HRQoL. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ClinicalTrials.gov: NCT02160782.

Risk of Meningitis in Infants Aged 29 to 90 Days with Urinary Tract Infection: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the risk of bacterial meningitis in infants aged 29-90 days with evidence of urinary tract infection (UTI). METHODS: PubMed (MEDLINE), Embase, and the Cochrane Library were systematically searched for studies reporting rates of meningitis in infants aged 29-90 days with abnormal urinalysis or urine culture. Observational studies in infants with evidence of UTI who underwent lumbar puncture (LP) reporting age-specific event rates of bacterial meningitis and sterile cerebrospinal fluid pleocytosis were included. Prevalence estimates for bacterial meningitis in infants with UTI were pooled in a random effects meta-analysis. RESULTS: Three prospective and 17 retrospective cohort studies were included in the meta-analysis. The pooled prevalence of concomitant bacterial meningitis in infants with UTI was 0.25% (95% CI, 0.09%-0.70%). Rates of sterile pleocytosis ranged from 0% to 29%. Variation in study methods precluded calculation of a pooled estimate for sterile pleocytosis. In most studies, the decision to perform a LP was up to the provider, introducing selection bias into the prevalence estimate. CONCLUSIONS: The risk of bacterial meningitis in infants aged 29-90 days with evidence of UTI is low. A selective approach to LP in infants identified as low risk for meningitis by other clinical criteria may be indicated.