Impact of nine chronic conditions for US adults aged 65 years and older: an application of a hybrid estimator of quality-adjusted life years throughout remainder of lifetime

Healthy life expectancy with cardiovascular disease among Chinese rural population based on the prospective cohort study

BACKGROUND

Limited research has explored the impact of cardiovascular disease (CVD) on healthy life expectancy (HLE) especially in resource-limited areas. This study aimed to investigate the association between CVD and HLE in Chinese rural population.

METHODS

This study included 11,994 participants aged 45 years and older from the baseline and follow-up surveys of the Henan rural cohort study. Healthy status was measured via a Visual Analogue Scale. The multistate Markov model was applied to estimate the association between CVD and transitions in health, unhealthiness and death. Gender-specific total life expectancy, HLE and unhealthy life expectancy were calculated by the multistate life table method.

RESULTS

During a mean follow-up time of 3.85 (3.84-3.86) years, there were 588 deaths recorded. For individuals with CVD, the risk of switching from health to unhealthiness status was increased by 71% [hazard ratio (HR) = 1.71, 95% CI: 1.42-2.07], the chance of recovery was reduced by 30% (HR = 0.70, 95% CI: 0.60-0.82). Men aged 45 years without CVD could gain an extra 7.08 (4.15-10.01) years of HLE and lose 4.00 (1.60-6.40) years of unhealthy life expectancy compared to their peers with CVD, respectively. The corresponding estimates among women were 8.62 (5.55-11.68) years and 5.82 (2.59-9.04) years, respectively.

CONCLUSIONS

This study indicated that CVD was significantly associated with poorer health status and lower HLE among Chinese rural population. It is an important public health policy to adopt targeted measures to reduce the CVD burden and enhance the quality of life and HLE in resource-limited areas.

Socioeconomic Disparities in Individual-Level Quality-Adjusted Life Years throughout Remaining Lifetimes: A National Representative Longitudinal Survey in China

Socioeconomic disparities in health within and across low- and middle-income countries pose a significant global public health concern. While prior research has demonstrated the importance of socioeconomic status on health outcomes, few studies have employed comprehensive measures of individual-level health such as quality-adjusted life years (QALYs) in exploring the quantitative relationship. In our study, we employed QALYs to measure individual-level health, using health-related quality of life scores based on the Short Form 36 and predicted remaining life years through individual-specific Weibull survival analysis. We then constructed a linear regression model to explore the socioeconomic factors that influence QALYs, providing a predictive model of individual-level QALYs throughout remaining lifetimes. This practical tool can help individuals predict their remaining healthy life years. Using data from the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study between 2011 and 2018, we found that education and occupation were the primary factors influencing health outcomes among individuals aged 45 and above, while income appeared to have less of an impact when education and occupation were simultaneously controlled for. To promote the health status of this population, low- and middle-income countries should prioritize the long-term advancement of their population's education while controlling unemployment rates in the short term.

Procedure for Organizing a Post-FDA-approval Evaluation of Antidepressants

Purpose: The study reports the construction of a cohort used to study the effectiveness of antidepressants.

Methods: The cohort includes experiences of 3,678,082 patients with depression in the United States on antidepressants between January 1, 2001, and December 31, 2018. A total of 10,221,145 antidepressant treatment episodes were analyzed. Patients who had no utilization of health services for at least two years, or who had died, were excluded from the analysis. Follow-up was passive, automatic, and collated from fragmented clinical services of diverse providers.

Results: The average follow-up was 2.93 years, resulting in 15,096,055 person-years of data. The mean age of the cohort was 46.54 years (standard deviation of 17.48) at first prescription of antidepressant, which was also the enrollment event (16.92% were over 65 years), and most were female (69.36%). In 10,221,145 episodes, within the first 100 days of start of the episode, 4,729,372 (46.3%) continued their treatment, 1,306,338 (12.8%) switched to another medication, 3,586,156 (35.1%) discontinued their medication, and 599,279 (5.9%) augmented their treatment.

Conclusions: We present a procedure for constructing a cohort using claims data. A surrogate measure for self-reported symptom remission based on the patterns of use of antidepressants has been proposed to address the absence of outcomes in claims. Future studies can use the procedures described here to organize studies of the comparative effectiveness of antidepressants.

QALY losses for chronic diseases and its social distribution in the general population: results from the Belgian Health Interview Survey

BACKGROUND

The burden of chronic diseases is rapidly rising, both in terms of morbidity and mortality. This burden is disproportionally carried by socially disadvantaged population subgroups. Quality-adjusted life years (QALYs) measure the impact of disease on mortality and morbidity into a single index. This study aims to estimate the burden of chronic diseases in terms of QALY losses and to model its social distribution for the general population.

METHODS

The Belgian Health Interview Survey 2013 and 2018 provided data on self-reported chronic conditions for a nationally representative sample. The annual QALY loss per 100,000 individuals was calculated for each condition, incorporating disease prevalence and health-related quality of life (HRQoL) data (EQ-5D-5L). Socioeconomic inequalities, based on respondents' socioeconomic status (SES), were assessed by estimating population attributable fractions (PAF).

RESULTS

For both years, the largest QALY losses were observed in dorsopathies, arthropathies, hypertension/high cholesterol, and genitourinary problems. QALY losses were larger in women and in older individuals. Individuals with high SES had consistently lower QALY loss when facing a chronic disease compared to those with low SES. In both years, a higher PAF was found in individuals with hip fracture and stroke. In 2013, the health inequality gap amounts to 33,731 QALYs and further expanded to 42,273 QALYs in 2018.

CONCLUSION

Given that chronic diseases will rise in the next decades, addressing its burden is necessary, particularly among the most vulnerable (i.e. older persons, women, low SES). Interventions in these target groups should get priority in order to reduce the burden of chronic diseases.

Cost-effectiveness analysis of trastuzumab monotherapy versus adjuvant chemotherapy plus trastuzumab in elderly patients with HER2-positive early breast cancer

BACKGROUND

In elderly patients with human epidermal growth factor 2-positive breast cancer, adjuvant chemotherapy was associated with decreased quality of life, with relatively small benefits for prognosis. We examined the cost-effectiveness of trastuzumab monotherapy versus adjuvant chemotherapy plus trastuzumab in elderly patients with human epidermal growth factor 2-positive breast cancer.

METHODS

A Markov model was developed to evaluate the costs and benefits of trastuzumab monotherapy over adjuvant chemotherapy plus trastuzumab for elderly patients with human epidermal growth factor 2-positive breast cancer. We built the model with a yearly cycle over a 20-year time horizon and five health states: disease-free, relapse, post-relapse, metastasis and death. The parameters in the model were based on a previous randomized controlled trial and a nationwide administrative database in Japan. The incremental cost-effectiveness ratio, expressed as Japanese yen per the quality-adjusted life-years, was estimated from the perspective of health care payers. One-way deterministic sensitivity analysis and probabilistic sensitivity analysis with Monte-Carlo simulations of 10 000 samples were conducted.

RESULTS

The incremental cost-effectiveness ratio of trastuzumab monotherapy over adjuvant chemotherapy plus trastuzumab was $\sim$1.8 million Japanese yen /quality-adjusted life-year. The one-way deterministic sensitivity analysis showed that transition probability from disease-free to metastasis status and cost of metastasis status had the greatest influence on the incremental cost-effectiveness ratio. More than half the estimates in the probabilistic sensitivity analysis were located below a threshold of willingness-to-pay of 5 million Japanese yen /quality-adjusted life-year.

CONCLUSION

In this first comparative cost-effectiveness analysis of adjuvant chemotherapy plus trastuzumab versus trastuzumab monotherapy in the elderly, the latter was found favorable for elderly patients with human epidermal growth factor 2-positive breast cancer.

Real-world impact of disease on functioning and activity: what is missed when using general instruments to estimate quality-adjusted life years

OBJECTIVE

Economic evaluations conducted to inform healthcare resource allocation often rely on quality-adjusted life years (QALYs) to measure therapeutic benefit. However, QALYs, with underlying health utilities estimated using the EQ-5D or SF-36, may fail to capture the impact of disease for all patients. How well-being and heath utility differ across several common conditions was explored.

METHODS

This study examined eight diseases: arthritis, asthma, cancer, depression, diabetes, heart disease, lung disease and stroke. Health utilities for each disease were obtained from published literature. Other measures of disease burden, including physical functioning, cognitive functioning and physical activity, were estimated from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES). Group rankings by these measures were compared to rankings by health utility.

RESULTS

Health utilities were lowest for patients with depression (0.44), and highest for those with cancer (0.81). Physical functioning was most limited (higher score) among those with stroke (28.2) and had the least impact for cancer (24.4). Physical activity was most impacted by heart disease (27.3) and least impacted by depression (40.7). Cognitive functioning was lowest in stroke (41.6) and highest in asthma (52.0).

CONCLUSION

Differences in rankings of disease severity by metric indicate that the results of cost-utility analyses might be biased against treatments for certain diseases. As patient preferences for clinical outcomes vary, the full burden of disease should be considered in evaluations. Restricting access to treatments based on an incomplete estimate of burden could lead to misallocation of resources and a withholding of therapies that patients find valuable.

Economic Burden of Dementia Caused by Cardiovascular Disease in Australia

Background: The established link between cardiovascular disease (CVD) and dementia may provide new insights into dementia prevention. Objective: It aims to quantify the burden of dementia attributable to people with CVD. Methods: A Markov microsimulation model was developed to simulate the lifetime cost and quality-adjusted life-years (QALYs) related to people with and without CVD in Australia. A de-novo systematic review was undertaken to identify all evidence around the association between CVD [i.e., stroke, myocardial infarction (MI), atrial fibrillation (AF), and heart failure (HF)] and the risk of developing dementia. Incremental costs and QALY losses were estimated for people by type of CVD compared to the general Australian population without CVD. Results: Of the comprehensive literature search, 19 observational studies were included in the qualitative synthesis. Patients who had CVD incurred both higher healthcare costs over their lifetime (ranging from $73,131 for patients with AF to $127,396 for patients with HF) and fewer QALYs gains (from –1.099 for patients with MI to –5.163 for patients with stroke), compared to people who did not have CVD. The total incremental economic burden of dementia from patients aged 65 years and over with CVD was $6.45 billion (stroke), $11.89 billion (AF), $17.57 billion (MI), or $7.95 billion (HF) over their remaining life expectancy. Conclusion: The results highlighted the importance of CVD prevention to reduce the CVD burden and decrease the prevalence of dementia. Interventions that target patients with dementia risk factors like CVD may prove to be effective and cost-effective strategies.

Developing the Total Health Profile, a Generalizable Unified Set of Multimorbidity Risk Scores Derived From Machine Learning for Broad Patient Populations: Retrospective Cohort Study

BACKGROUND

Multimorbidity clinical risk scores allow clinicians to quickly assess their patients' health for decision making, often for recommendation to care management programs. However, these scores are limited by several issues: existing multimorbidity scores (1) are generally limited to one data group (eg, diagnoses, labs) and may be missing vital information, (2) are usually limited to specific demographic groups (eg, age), and (3) do not formally provide any granularity in the form of more nuanced multimorbidity risk scores to direct clinician attention.

OBJECTIVE

Using diagnosis, lab, prescription, procedure, and demographic data from electronic health records (EHRs), we developed a physiologically diverse and generalizable set of multimorbidity risk scores.

METHODS

Using EHR data from a nationwide cohort of patients, we developed the total health profile, a set of six integrated risk scores reflecting five distinct organ systems and overall health. We selected the occurrence of an inpatient hospital visitation over a 2-year follow-up window, attributable to specific organ systems, as our risk endpoint. Using a physician-curated set of features, we trained six machine learning models on 794,294 patients to predict the calibrated probability of the aforementioned endpoint, producing risk scores for heart, lung, neuro, kidney, and digestive functions and a sixth score for combined risk. We evaluated the scores using a held-out test cohort of 198,574 patients.

RESULTS

Study patients closely matched national census averages, with a median age of 41 years, a median income of $66,829, and racial averages by zip code of 73.8% White, 5.9% Asian, and 11.9% African American. All models were well calibrated and demonstrated strong performance with areas under the receiver operating curve (AUROCs) of 0.83 for the total health score (THS), 0.89 for heart, 0.86 for lung, 0.84 for neuro, 0.90 for kidney, and 0.83 for digestive functions. There was consistent performance of this scoring system across sexes, diverse patient ages, and zip code income levels. Each model learned to generate predictions by focusing on appropriate clinically relevant patient features, such as heart-related hospitalizations and chronic hypertension diagnosis for the heart model. The THS outperformed the other commonly used multimorbidity scoring systems, specifically the Charlson Comorbidity Index (CCI) and the Elixhauser Comorbidity Index (ECI) overall (AUROCs: THS=0.823, CCI=0.735, ECI=0.649) as well as for every age, sex, and income bracket. Performance improvements were most pronounced for middle-aged and lower-income subgroups. Ablation tests using only diagnosis, prescription, social determinants of health, and lab feature groups, while retaining procedure-related features, showed that the combination of feature groups has the best predictive performance, though only marginally better than the diagnosis-only model on at-risk groups.

CONCLUSIONS

Massive retrospective EHR data sets have made it possible to use machine learning to build practical multimorbidity risk scores that are highly predictive, personalizable, intuitive to explain, and generalizable across diverse patient populations.

The impact of multimorbidity patterns on health-related quality of life in the general population: results of the Belgian Health Interview Survey

BACKGROUND

Chronic diseases and multimorbidity are a major cause of disease burden-for patients, caregivers, and society. Little is known however about potential interaction effects between specific disease combinations. Besides an additive effect, the presence of multiple conditions could also act synergistically or antagonistically regarding the impact on patients' health-related quality of life (HRQoL). The aim was to estimate the impact of coexisting chronic diseases on HRQoL of the adult general Belgian population.

METHODS

The Belgian Health Interview Survey 2018 provided data on self-reported chronic conditions and HRQoL (EQ-5D-5L) for a nationally representative sample. Linear mixed models were used to analyze two-way and three-way interactions of disease combinations on HRQoL.

RESULTS

Multimorbidity had a prevalence of 46.7% (≥ 2 conditions) and 29.7% (≥ 3 conditions). HRQoL decreased considerably with the presence of multiple chronic diseases. 14 out of 41 dyad combinations and 5 out of 13 triad combinations showed significant interactions, with a dominant presence of negative/synergistic effects. Positive/antagonistic effects were found in more subjective chronic diseases such as depression and chronic fatigue. Conditions appearing the most frequently in significant disease pair interactions were dorsopathies, respiratory diseases, and arthropathies.

CONCLUSIONS

Diverse multimorbidity patterns, both dyads and triads, were synergistically or antagonistically associated with lower HRQoL. Tackling the burden of multimorbidity is needed, especially because most disease combinations affect each other synergistically, resulting in a greater reduction in HRQoL. Further knowledge about those multimorbidity patterns with a greater impact on HRQoL is needed to better understand disease burden beyond mortality and morbidity data.

Systematic review on the instruments used for measuring the association of the level of multimorbidity and clinically important outcomes

OBJECTIVES

There are multiple instruments for measuring multimorbidity. The main objective of this systematic review was to provide a list of instruments that are suitable for use in studies aiming to measure the association of a specific outcome with different levels of multimorbidity as the main independent variable in community-dwelling individuals. The secondary objective was to provide details of the requirements, strengths and limitations of these instruments, and the chosen outcomes.

METHODS

We conducted the review according to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines (PROSPERO registration number: CRD42018105297). We searched MEDLINE, Embase and CINAHL electronic databases published in English and manually searched the Journal of Comorbidity between 1 January 2010 and 23 October 2020 inclusive. Studies also had to select adult patients from primary care or general population and had at least one specified outcome variable. Two authors screened the titles, abstracts and full texts independently. Disagreements were resolved with a third author. The modified Newcastle-Ottawa Scale was used for quality assessment.

RESULTS

Ninety-six studies were identified, with 69 of them rated to have a low risk of bias. In total, 33 unique instruments were described. Disease Count and weighted indices like Charlson Comorbidity Index were commonly used. Other approaches included pharmaceutical-based instruments. Disease Count was the common instrument used for measuring all three essential core outcomes of multimorbidity research: mortality, mental health and quality of life. There was a rise in the development of novel weighted indices by using prognostic models. The data obtained for measuring multimorbidity were from sources including medical records, patient self-reports and large administrative databases.

CONCLUSIONS

We listed the details of 33 instruments for measuring the level of multimorbidity as a resource for investigators interested in the measurement of multimorbidity for its association with or prediction of a specific outcome.

Relationship between Quality of Life and Sociodemographic, Physical and Mental Health Variables in People over 65 in the Community of Madrid

Except in the case of depression, there are few studies that analyze mental health variables related to quality of life (QoL) in people over 65 years of age. The objective of this study is to analyze the relationship between QoL and the following variables: sociodemographic and physical and mental health of people over 65 years of age. The sample was randomly selected and consists of men and women between 65 and 84 years of age (N = 555) from the Community of Madrid. Mental disorders were evaluated with the CIDI65+ interview and QoL with the WHOQoL-BREF scale. Means, ANOVA and multiple linear regression analyses were performed. Women have worse QoL than men and QoL worsens with age. The regression model for the dependent variable “WHOQoL BREF Scale” explains 41.43% of the variance (R² = 0.413). The variables that have the greatest impact on QoL are as follows: a greater number of physical and psychological symptoms, experiencing financial difficulties and the presence of a psychological disorder, while continuing to work has a positive effect on QoL. Physical and mental disorders have a similar impact on QoL. The presence of a greater number of psychological symptoms (without necessarily fulfilling the criteria of a mental disorder) is a predictive variable of worse QoL. Mental health has a burden on the QoL of people over 65 years of age that is as powerful as physical health.

Cost-Effectiveness Analysis of Four Common Diagnostic Methods for Clostridioides difficile Infection

BACKGROUND

No studies have evaluated the cost-effectiveness of single and two-step different diagnostic test strategies for Clostridioides difficile infection (CDI), including direct and indirect costs.

OBJECTIVE

To evaluate the cost-effectiveness of commonly available diagnostic tests for CDI including nucleic acid amplification testing (NAAT) alone, glutamate dehydrogenase followed by enzyme immunoassay for toxin (GDH/EIA), GDH then NAAT (GDH/NAAT), and NAAT then EIA (NAAT/EIA).

DESIGN

Decision tree model from the US societal perspective with inputs derived from the literature. Willingness-to-pay threshold was set at $150,000 per quality-adjusted life year (QALY) gained. To assess the impact of uncertainty in model inputs on the findings, we performed one-way and probabilistic sensitivity analyses.

PARTICIPANTS

We conducted the analysis to represent a population aged 65 years old with diarrhea who received a CDI diagnostic test.

MAIN MEASURES

Incremental cost-effectiveness ratios (ICER) and incremental net monetary benefits (INMB).

KEY RESULTS

NAAT alone was the most cost-effective approach overall; GDH/NAAT was the most cost-effective two-step option. NAAT alone led to the highest QALYs gained, at an incremental cost of $54,547 (vs. GDH/NAAT), $55,410 (vs. GDH/EIA), and $50,231 (vs. NAAT/EIA) per QALY gained. NAAT/EIA was not cost-effective compared to any other strategy. GDH/NAAT resulted in a higher QALY compared to GDH/EIA, at an incremental cost of $96,841 per QALY gained. Variability in the likelihood of comorbidities, CDI probability, and age at disease onset did not substantially change the results. One-way sensitivity analyses showed that results were most sensitive to likelihood of recurrence, followed by CDI mortality rate and probability of severe CDI. Probabilistic sensitivity analyses explored known uncertainties in the base case and confirmed the robustness of the results.

CONCLUSIONS

NAAT alone and GDH/NAAT (among the two-step options) were the most cost-effective diagnostic test approaches for CDI.

Emergency department and inpatient utilization among U.S. older adults with multiple chronic conditions: a post-reform update

Background

The Affordable Care Act (ACA) was enacted to enhance access to care primarily among nonelderly and low-income populations; however, several provisions addressed key determinants of emergency department (ED) and inpatient visits among Medicare beneficiaries over age 65 years. We take stock of the overall changes in these visits among older Medicare beneficiaries, focusing on those with multiple chronic conditions (MCCs), and provide a nationally representative post-reform update.

Methods

We analyzed a sample of 32,919 older adults (65+) on Medicare from the 2006–2015 Medical Expenditure Panel Survey (MEPS). Using a survey-weighted two-part model, we examined changes in ED visits, inpatient visits, and length of stay (LOS) by MCC status, before (2006–2010), during (2011–2013), and after the ACA (2014–2015).

Results

Prior to the ACA, 18.1% of Medicare older adults had ≥1 ED visit, whereas 17.1% had ≥1 inpatient visits, with an average of 5.1 nights/visit. Following ACA reforms, among those with 2+ chronic conditions, the rate of ever having an ED visit increased by 4.3 percentage points [95% confidence intervals [CI]: 2.5, 6.1, p < 0.01], whereas the rate of inpatient visits decreased by 1.4 percentage points [95%CI: − 2.9, 0.2, p < 0.1], after multivariable adjustment.

Conclusions

We found sizable increases in ED visits and nontrivial decreases in inpatient visits among older Medicare beneficiaries with MCCs, underscoring the continuing need for improving access to and quality of care among older adults with MCCs to decrease reliance on the ED and reduce preventable hospitalizations.

Estimation of Quality-Adjusted Life Expectancy of Patients With Oral Cancer: Integration of Lifetime Survival With Repeated Quality-of-Life Measurements

BACKGROUND

Quality-adjusted life year is widely applied nowadays, which consider both survival and quality of life (QoL). When most diseases are becoming chronic, it is imperative to quantify the overall health impact of a disease in lifetime perspective.

OBJECTIVE

The purpose of this study is to introduce methods for estimating quality-adjusted life expectancy (QALE) and loss of QALE in patients with a disease or specific conditions.

METHODS

The QALE of an index cohort can be represented as the integration of the product of lifetime survival function and mean QoL function. We introduce a robust extrapolation approach for estimating lifetime survival function and propose an approach for estimating lifetime mean QoL function for studies with limited follow-up. The best part of the proposed method is that the survival data and QoL data can be collected separately. A cohort of patients with a specific condition can be identified by databases that regularly collect data for the control of diseases, and their survival status is verified by linking to a mortality registry. Although nationwide QoL data are not available, researchers can implement a relative short-term follow-up interview on a random sample of patients to collect QoL data. For demonstration, we applied the proposed methods to estimate QALE and loss of QALE of oral cancer patients.

RESULTS

The estimates (95% confidence interval) of QALE for oral cancer patients were 11.0 (10.5-11.6) and 14.2 (12.7-15.5) quality-adjusted life years (QALYs) for men and women, respectively. The estimates of loss of QALE for the male and female patients with oral cancer were 14.4 (13.8-14.9) and 7.5 (6.2-9.0) QALYs, respectively.

CONCLUSIONS

The methods for estimating QALE and loss of QALE can be applied to economic evaluation of cancer control, including screening.

Optimizing Outcomes of Treatment-Resistant Depression in Older Adults (OPTIMUM): Study Design and Treatment Characteristics of the First 396 Participants Randomized

OBJECTIVE

Evidence from clinical trials comparing effectiveness and safety of pharmacological strategies in older adults unresponsive to first-line antidepressants is limited. The study, Optimizing Outcomes of Treatment-Resistant Depression in Older Adults (OPTIMUM), tests three hypotheses concerning pharmacotherapy strategies for treatment-resistant late-life depression: 1) augmentation strategies will provide greater improvement than switching monotherapies; 2) augmentation strategies will have lower tolerability and more safety concerns than switching monotherapies; and 3) age will moderate the effectiveness and safety differences between treatment strategies. The authors describe the methodology, processes for stakeholder engagement, challenges, and lessons learned in the early phases of OPTIMUM.

METHODS

This pragmatic randomized clinical trial located in five North American regions will enroll 1,500 participants aged 60 years and older unresponsive to two or more antidepressant trials. The authors evaluate two strategies (medication augmentation versus switch) using four medications (aripiprazole, bupropion, lithium, and nortriptyline) via a stepwise, prespecified protocol. Primary outcomes include: 1) symptom remission (Montgomery Asberg Depression scale ≤10); 2) psychological well-being, comprising positive affect, general life satisfaction, and purpose; and 3) safety (rates of serious adverse events and prevalence of falls and fall-related injuries).

RESULTS

To date, 396 participants have been randomized. The authors report on four challenges: 1) engagement and recruitment; 2) increasing polypharmacy in older adults, resulting in potentially hazardous scenarios; 3) reporting adverse events and procedure standardization across sites; and 4) dissemination of results.

CONCLUSION

Solutions to these challenges, including early inclusion of stake holders, will inform future pragmatic studies in older adults with depression.

Prevalence, risk factors, and burden of disease for falls and balance or walking problems among older adults in the U.S

This study assesses the prevalence of falls, factors predicting future falls, and health impacts of falls and balance or walking problems for U.S. older adults. Data were from participants ≥65 years in the Medicare Health Outcomes Survey Cohort 15 (baseline survey in 2012; follow-up survey in 2014; n = 164,597). We examined baseline factors predicting falls at follow-up and estimated the impact of falls and balance/walking problems on health-related quality of life (HRQOL), mortality, and quality-adjusted life years (QALYs). About 23% reported falls and 34% reported balance/walking problems in the past 12 months. The strongest predictors of falls were previous falls [adjusted odds ratio (OR) = 2.9] and balance/walking problems (OR = 1.7). Many self-reported chronic conditions (e.g., depression, stroke, and diabetes), geriatric symptoms (e.g., urine leakage), and limitations of activities of daily living (e.g., transferring and walking) also predicted falls, but at a smaller magnitude (ORs = 1.1-1.3). Having balance/walking problems was associated with a greater decrease in HRQOL scores (0.195 points) than falls (0.077 points), while falls were associated with a greater increase in mortality [adjusted hazard ratio (HR) = 1.5] than balance/walking problems (HR = 1.1). Falls were associated with a 4.6-year (48%) decrease in QALYs, while balance/walking problems was associated with a 7.3-year (62%) decrease in QALYs. Falls are a major problem for U.S. elderly and will continue to have an even greater impact as the population ages. The nearly 50% decrease in QALYs for falls and >60% decrease for balance or walking problems demonstrates the substantial burden associated with these problems among older Americans.

Dose-response effect of smoking status on quality-adjusted life years among U.S. adults aged 65 years and older

Background

To estimate the impact of smoking on quality-adjusted life years (QALY) for US adults aged 65 years and older.

Methods

Using the 2003-08 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey Linked Mortality File, we estimated the mean QALY throughout the remaining lifetime by participants' smoking status as well as smoking intensity and time since cessation.

Results

Never, former and current smokers had a mean QALY of 16.1, 12.7 and 7.3 years, respectively. Among current smokers, those who started smoking before age 18 had fewer QALYs than those who started at or after age 18 (6.0 and 8.5 years, respectively) and those smoking ≥20 cigarettes per day had fewer QALYs than those smoking <20 cigarettes per day (6.6 and 8.1 years, respectively). QALYs also declined with a longer duration of smoking and a shorter time since cessation. The potential gains if a person quit smoking would be 5.4 QALYs, and the gains would increase with a longer time since quitting as well as quitting at a younger age.

Conclusions

This study demonstrated the dose-response effect of smoking status on QALY. The results indicate the health benefits of tobacco cessation at any age and sizeable losses for former or current smokers.

Comparing the Performance of 2 Health Utility Measures in the Medicare Health Outcome Survey (HOS)

BACKGROUND

The Medicare Health Outcomes Survey (HOS), a nationwide annual survey of Medicare beneficiaries, includes the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's HRQOL-4 questionnaire and Veterans RAND 12-item Health Survey (VR-12). This study compared EQ-5D scores derived from the HRQOL-4 (dEQ-5D) to SF-6D scores derived from VR-12.

METHODS

Data were from Medicare HOS Cohort 15 (2012 baseline; 2014 follow-up). We included participants aged 65+ ( n = 105,473). We compared score distributions, evaluated known-groups validity, assessed each index as a predictor for mortality, and estimated quality-adjusted life years (QALYs) using the dEQ-5D and SF-6D.

RESULTS

Compared to the SF-6D, the dEQ-5D had a higher mean score (0.787 v. 0.691) and larger standard deviation (0.310 v. 0.101). The decreases in estimated scores associated with chronic conditions were greater for the dEQ-5D than for the SF-6D. For example, dEQ-5D scores for persons with depression decreased 0.456 points compared to 0.141 points for the SF-6D. The dEQ-5D strongly predicted mortality, as adjusted hazard ratios for the first to fourth quintiles, relative to the fifth quintile, were 2.2, 1.7, 1.8, and 1.5, respectively, while the association between SF-6D and mortality was weaker or nonexistent (adjusted hazard ratios were 1.3, 1.1, 1.0, and 0.6, respectively). Compared to the SF-6D, QALYs estimated using the dEQ-5D were higher overall (5.6 v. 4.9 years), higher for persons with less debilitating conditions (e.g., hypertension, 5.0 v. 4.4 years), and lower for more debilitating conditions (e.g. depression, 2.5 v. 2.8 years).

CONCLUSIONS

Compared to the SF-6D, the dEQ-5D was better able to measure individuals' overall health; detect the differential impact of chronic conditions, particularly among persons in poorer health; and predict mortality. The HRQOL-4 questionnaire may be valuable for monitoring and improving health outcomes for the Medical HOS data set.

The health impacts of energy performance investments in low-income areas: a mixed-methods approach

Background

Cold homes and fuel poverty contribute to health inequalities in ways that could be addressed through energy efficiency interventions.

Objectives

To determine the health and psychosocial impacts of energy performance investments in low-income areas, particularly hospital admissions for cardiorespiratory conditions, prevalence of respiratory symptoms and mental health status, hydrothermal conditions and household energy use, psychosocial outcomes, cost consequences to the health system and the cost utility of these investments.

Design

A mixed-methods study comprising data linkage (25,908 individuals living in 4968 intervention homes), a field study with a controlled pre-/post-test design (intervention,n = 418; control,n = 418), a controlled multilevel interrupted time series analysis of internal hydrothermal conditions (intervention,n = 48; control,n = 40) and a health economic assessment.

Setting

Low-income areas across Wales.

Participants

Residents who received energy efficiency measures through the intervention programme and matched control groups.

Main outcome measures

Primary outcomes – emergency hospital admissions for cardiorespiratory conditions, self-reported respiratory symptoms, mental health status, indoor air temperature and indoor relative humidity. Secondary outcomes – emergency hospital admissions for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease-related cardiorespiratory conditions, excess winter admissions, health-related quality of life, subjective well-being, self-reported fuel poverty, financial stress and difficulties, food security, social interaction, thermal satisfaction and self-reported housing conditions.

Methods

Anonymously linked individual health records for emergency hospital admissions were analysed using mixed multilevel linear models. A quasi-experimental controlled field study used a multilevel repeated measures approach. Controlled multilevel interrupted time series analyses were conducted to estimate changes in internal hydrothermal conditions following the intervention. The economic evaluation comprised cost–consequence and cost–utility analyses.

Data sources

The Patient Episode Database for Wales 2005–14, intervention records from 28 local authorities and housing associations, and scheme managers who delivered the programme.

Results

The study found no evidence of changes in physical health. However, there were improvements in subjective well-being and a number of psychosocial outcomes. The household monitoring study found that the intervention raised indoor temperature and helped reduce energy use. No evidence was found of substantial increases in indoor humidity levels. The health economic assessment found no explicit cost reductions to the health service as a result of non-significant changes in emergency admissions for cardiorespiratory conditions.

Limitations

This was a non-randomised intervention study with household monitoring and field studies that relied on self-response. Data linkage focused on emergency admissions only.

Conclusion

Although there was no evidence that energy performance investments provide physical health benefits or reduce health service usage, there was evidence that they improve social and economic conditions that are conducive to better health and improved subjective well-being. The intervention has been successful in reducing energy use and improving the living conditions of households in low-income areas. The lack of association of emergency hospital admissions with energy performance investments means that we were unable to evidence cost saving to health-service providers.

Future work

Our research suggests the importance of incorporating evaluations with follow-up into intervention research from the start.

Funding

The National Institute for Health Research Public Health Research programme.

An Official American Thoracic Society Workshop Report: Evaluation and Management of Asthma in the Elderly

Asthma in the elderly (>65 yr old) is common and associated with higher morbidity and mortality than asthma in younger patients. The poor outcomes in this group are due, in part, to underdiagnosis and undertreatment. There are a variety of factors related to aging itself that affect the presentation of asthma in the elderly and influence diagnosis and management. Structural changes in the aging lung superimposed on structural changes due to asthma itself can worsen the disease and physiologic function. Changes in the aging immune system influence the cellular composition and function in asthmatic airways. These processes and differences from younger individuals with asthma are not well understood. Phenotypes of asthma in the elderly have not been clearly delineated, but it is likely that age of onset and overlap with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease impact disease characteristics. Physiologic tests and biomarkers used to diagnose and follow asthma in the elderly are generally similar to testing in younger individuals; however, whether they should be modified in aging has not been established. Confounding influences, such as comorbidities (increasing the risk of polypharmacy), impaired cognition and motor skills, psychosocial effects of aging, and age-related adverse effects of medications, impact both diagnosis and treatment of asthma in the elderly. Future efforts to understand asthma in the elderly must include geriatric-specific methodology to diagnose, characterize, monitor, and treat their disease.

Burden of disease associated with lower levels of income among US adults aged 65 and older

BACKGROUND

Persons aged 65 years and older represent a heterogeneous group whose prevalence in the USA is expected to markedly increase. Few investigations have examined the total burden of disease attributable to lower levels of income in a single number that accounts for morbidity and mortality.

METHODS

We ascertained respondents' health-related quality of life (HRQOL) scores and mortality status from the 2003 to 2004, 2005 to 2006, 2007 to 2008 and 2009 to 2010 cohorts of the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) with mortality follow-up through 31 December 2011. A mapping algorithm based on respondents' age and answers to the 4 core Healthy Days questions was used to obtain values of a preference-based measure of HRQOL, the EuroQol five dimensions questionnaire (EQ-5D) index, which enables quality-adjusted life years (QALYs) to be calculated. We included only respondents aged 65 years and older at the baseline, yielding a total sample size of 4952. We estimated mean QALYs according to different categories of income based on the percentage of Federal Poverty Level (FPL).

RESULTS

After adjusting for age, gender and education, the remaining QALYs decreased with each successive decrement of category of income, ranging from 18.4 QALY (≥500% FPL) to 8.6 QALY (<100% FPL). Compared with participants with a mean income of ≥250% FPL, participants with an income <250% FPL had significant losses in QALY for most of the sociodemographic groups examined. In contrast, persons with a lower educational attainment did not show a corresponding loss in QALY according to income category.

CONCLUSIONS

This study confirmed the association between lower income category and greater burden of disease, as measured by QALYs lost, among the US population aged 65 years and older. Our findings provide additional evidence of the role played by other key determinants of health and how factors not traditionally addressed by the healthcare system impact the life cycle of individuals and communities.

Incremental decreases in quality-adjusted life years (QALY) associated with higher levels of depressive symptoms for U.S. Adults aged 65 years and older

Background

Quality-adjusted life years (QALY) is a single value index that quantifies the overall burden of disease. It reflects all aspects of heath, including nonfatal illness and mortality outcomes by weighting life-years lived with health-related quality of life (HRQOL) scores. This study examine the burden of disease due to increasing levels of depressive symptoms by examining the association between the 9-item Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9) scores and QALY for U.S. adults aged 65 years and older.

Methods

We ascertained respondents’ HRQOL scores and mortality status from the 2005–2006, 2007–2008, and 2009–2010 cohorts of the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) with mortality follow-up data through December 31, 2011. This analysis included respondents aged 65 years and older (n = 3,680). We estimated the mean QALY throughout the remaining lifetime according to participants’ depression severity categories: none or minimal (PHQ-9 score 0–4), mild (5–9), moderate (10–14), and moderately severs and severe (15 or higher). We estimated QALY loss due to major depressive disorder (PHQ-9 score 10 or higher) and to mild depression (5–9).

Results

The QALY for persons with none/minimal, mild, moderate, and moderately severe/severe depression were 14.0, 7.8, 4.7, and 3.3 years, respectively. Compared to persons without major depressive disorder, persons with major depressive disorder had 8.3 fewer QALY (12.7 vs. 4.4), or a 65% loss. Compared to persons who reported “none” or minimal depressive symptoms, persons who reported mild depressive symptoms had 6.2 fewer QALY (14.0 vs. 7.8), or a 44% loss. The same patterns were noted in demographic and socioeconomic subgroups and according to number of comorbidities.

Conclusions

This study not only confirmed the significant burden of disease for major depressive disorder among the U.S. elderly, but also showed an incremental decrease in QALY with an increasing severity of depressive symptoms as well as significant QALY loss due to mild depression. Specifically, individuals with higher (or more impaired) PHQ-9 scores had significantly fewer QALYs and our findings of fewer years of QALY for persons with major depressive disorder and mild depression were not only statistically significant but also clinically important.