Cardiac Tamponade Secondary to Influenza B Infection.

Every year, Influenza infection contributes to significant morbidity and mortality carrying a huge economic burden. Extra-pulmonary manifestations are increasingly being recognized. We present a 29-year-old woman with acute pericarditis and cardiac tamponade requiring emergent pericardiocentesis secondary to Influenza B infection. Although very rare in relation to Influenza B infection, the pericardial disease can occur during the acute infection or as a post-viral syndrome. Considering pericardial disease in patients with chest pain and any viral infection may facilitate timely diagnosis and prevent unnecessary life-threatening complications.

Vulnerabilities to Health Disparities and Statin Use in the REGARDS (Reasons for Geographic and Racial Differences in Stroke) Study.

BACKGROUND: Statins may be underutilized in certain vulnerable populations, but the effect of cumulative vulnerabilities within 1 individual is not well described. We sought to determine the likelihood of receiving statins with an increasing number of vulnerabilities in an individual, after controlling for factors known to influence health services utilization. METHODS AND RESULTS: We identified 18 216 participants from the REGARDS (Reasons for Geographic and Racial Differences in Stroke) study who had a statin indication or who were taking statins, as verified by pill bottle review. Statin use was assessed with respect to 5 major vulnerability domains alone and in combination: older age, black race, female sex, high area-level poverty, and lack of health insurance. The study included 5286 white men, 4180 black men, 2791 white women, and 4194 black women; 5.6% of the sample had no vulnerabilities, 20.6% had 1 vulnerability, 29.2% had 2 vulnerabilities, 27.3% had 3 vulnerabilities, and 17.3% had 4 or 5 vulnerabilities. All race-sex groups were less likely than white men to use statins; prevalence of use was 0.80 in black women with reference to white men (P<0.0001). In both unadjusted and adjusted models, as the number of vulnerabilities increased, statin use steadily decreased. After adjusting for factors that influence health services utilization, compared with those without any vulnerabilities, statin use prevalence was 0.91, 0.83, 0.74 and 0.68 (P<0.0001) in those with 1, 2, 3, and 4 or 5 vulnerabilities, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Participants with more simultaneously occurring vulnerabilities experienced the greatest disparities in statin use. Black women and those without health insurance were at particularly high risk of underutilization.

Pulmonary Rehabilitation Improves Outcomes in Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease Independent of Disease Burden.

RATIONALE: Current practice guidelines recommend pulmonary rehabilitation as an adjunct to standard pharmacologic therapy for individuals with moderate to severe chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Whether pulmonary rehabilitation benefits all subjects with COPD independent of baseline disease burden is not known. OBJECTIVES: To test whether pulmonary rehabilitation benefits patients with COPD independent of baseline exercise capacity, dyspnea, and lung function. METHODS: Data from a prospectively maintained database of participants with COPD enrolled in pulmonary rehabilitation at the University of Alabama at Birmingham from 1996 to 2013 were retrospectively analyzed. Subjects were divided into four quartiles based on their baseline level of dyspnea as assessed by the San Diego Shortness of Breath Questionnaire at the initial visit. Similar quartiles were assessed for FEV1 percent predicted as well as the 6-minute-walk distance (6MWD). The primary outcome was the change in quality of life as measured by the 36-item Short Form Health Survey (SF-36). Secondary outcomes were change in dyspnea, 6MWD, and depression scores assessed using the Beck Depression Inventory-II. Differences between baseline and final scores were compared using paired t tests and across quartiles using analysis of variance. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: A total of 229 subjects were included. Their mean age was 66.5 (SD, 9) years. Ninety-one (40%) were female, and 42 (18%) were African American. The mean FEV1 percent predicted was 46.3% (20.0%). On completion of pulmonary rehabilitation, clinically significant improvements were seen in most components of SF-36: physical function, 11.5 (95% confidence interval [CI], 7.4-15.5; P < 0.001); health perception, 2.1 (95% CI, -0.7 to 4.8; P = 0.12); physical role, 16.7 (95% CI, 10.3-23.1; P < 0.001); emotional role, 14.7 (95% CI, 7.1-22.3; P < 0.001); social function, 16.4 (95% CI, 11.3-21.5; P < 0.001); mental health, 5.4 (95% CI, 2.6-8.3; P < 0.001); pain, 5 (95% CI, 1-9.1; P = 0.02); vitality, 12.4 (95% CI, 8.8-16.1; P < 0.001); and depression, 0.01 (95% CI, -0.11 to 0.07; P = 0.54). There was no difference in improvement in SF-36 across quartiles of San Diego Shortness of Breath Questionnaire, 6MWD, and FEV1 percent predicted. CONCLUSIONS: Pulmonary rehabilitation results in significant improvement in quality of life, dyspnea, and functional capacity independent of baseline disease burden.