Faculty Bibliography

BACKGROUND:There exist racial and ethnic disparities in the prevalence of chronic medical illnesses. However, it is unclear if the disparities arise from patients' self-reported estimates on these diseases and whether there is an association between healthcare utilization and diagnosis. OBJECTIVE:To estimate national racial/ethnic prevalence of undiagnosed hypertension, diabetes, high cholesterol, and kidney disease and identify characteristics associated with undiagnosed diseases. DESIGN/METHODS:Retrospective analysis of multi-year survey data. PARTICIPANTS/METHODS:Adults 18 years and older who participated in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey during 2011-2014 (n = 10,403). MAIN OUTCOMES/RESULTS:Undiagnosed hypertension (SBP ≥ 140 or DBP ≥ 90 on physical examination with no history of hypertension), undiagnosed diabetes (hgba1c ≥ 6.5% with no history of diabetes), undiagnosed high cholesterol (LDL ≥ 160 mg/dL with no history of high cholesterol), and undiagnosed kidney disease (eGFR ≤ 30 with no history of kidney disease). RESULTS:The study sample was categorized into Whites, Blacks, Hispanics, Asians, and Other. After adjusting for sociodemographic characteristics, Asians had increased odds of undiagnosed hypertension (OR = 1.41 [1.06-1.86]) and diabetes (OR = 6.16 [3.76-10.08]) compared to Whites. Blacks (OR = 2.53 [1.71-3.73]) and Hispanics (OR = 1.88 [1.19-2.99]) had increased odds of undiagnosed diabetes compared to Whites. Multivariate logistic regression analysis indicated that not having any health insurance was associated with increased odds of undiagnosed diabetes and hyperlipidemia (OR = 1.56 [1.00-2.44] and OR = 2.08 [1.44-3.00], respectively). A recent healthcare visit was associated with a lower likelihood of having undiagnosed hypertension (OR = 0.58 [0.41-0.83]) and diabetes (OR = 0.35 [0.18-0.69]). CONCLUSIONS:In a nationally representative cohort, Asians had higher rates of undiagnosed hypertension and diabetes, and all minorities were more likely to have undiagnosed diabetes compared to Whites. Healthcare utilization was associated with undiagnosed medical conditions. Our study showed that reliance on self-reported data may systemically underestimate the prevalence of chronic illnesses among minorities and further research is needed to understand the significance of healthcare utilization in health outcomes.

INTRODUCTION:Treatment of type 2 diabetes (T2D) in children and adolescents is particularly challenging. Metformin monotherapy is the standard initial treatment for youth with T2D, once metabolic control is restored with insulin in patients who present with ketosis and/or marked hyperglycemia. Insulin, the only other drug approved for use in youth with T2D, is also used as add-on therapy when patients fail metformin mono-therapy. Areas covered: In this paper, we will summarize the current use of both metformin and insulin in the treatment of pediatric type 2 diabetes, as well as comment on their limitations. Given the rapid progression of T2D in youth, there is also considerable interest in treating youth with new oral and injectable agents that have been approved for use in adults with T2D. The potential for improving clinical outcomes of each of the main classes of new drugs for the treatment of pediatric T2D will be summerized. Expert commentary: We will conclude by reviewing why phase 3 randomized clinical trials examining the safety and efficacy of these medications in the pediatric population have been difficult to complete and discuss a potential pathway to overcome these obstacles to regulatory approval for these drugs for adolescents with T2D.

The impact of subclinical inflammation (SCI) noted on early kidney allograft biopsies remains unclear. This study evaluated the outcome of SCI noted on 3-month biopsy. A total of 273/363 (75%) kidney transplant recipients with a functioning kidney underwent allograft biopsies 3-months posttransplant. Among those with stable allograft function at 3 months, 200 biopsies that did not meet the Banff criteria for acute rejection were identified. These were Group I: No Inflammation (NI, n = 71) and Group II: Subclinical Inflammation (SCI, n = 129). We evaluated differences in kidney function at 24-months and allograft histology score at 12-month biopsy. SCI patients had a higher serum creatinine (1.6 ± 0.7 vs 1.38 ± 0.45; P = .02) at 24-months posttransplant, and at last follow-up at a mean of 42.5 months (1.69 ± 0.9 vs 1.46 ± 0.5 mg/dL; P = .027). The allograft chronicity score (ci + ct + cg + cv) at 12-months posttransplant was higher in the SCI group (2.4 ± 1.35 vs 1.9 ± 1.2; P = .02). The incidence of subsequent rejections within the first year in SCI and NI groups was 24% vs 10%, respectively (P = .015). De novo donor-specific antibody within 12 months was more prevalent in the SCI group (12/129 vs 1/71, P = .03). SCI is likely not a benign finding and may have long-term implications for kidney allograft function.

Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is common, and many cross-sectional and longitudinal studies have established OSA as an independent risk factor for the development of a variety of adverse metabolic disease states, including hypertension, insulin resistance, type 2 diabetes, nonalcoholic fatty liver disease, dyslipidemia, and atherosclerosis. Nasal continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) has long been the mainstay of therapy for OSA, but definitive studies demonstrating the efficacy of CPAP in improving metabolic outcomes, or in reducing incident disease burden, are lacking; moreover, CPAP has variable rates of adherence. Therefore, the future of OSA management, particularly with respect to limiting OSA-related metabolic dysfunction, likely lies in a coming wave of alternative approaches to endophenotyping OSA patients, personalized care, and defining and targeting mechanisms of OSA-induced adverse health outcomes.

OBJECTIVES/OBJECTIVE:The National Patient-Centered Clinical Research Network (PCORnet) supports observational and clinical research using healthcare data. The PCORnet Antibiotics and Childhood Growth Study is one of PCORnet's inaugural observational studies. The objectives of this manuscript are to describe (1) the processes used to integrate and analyze data from children across 36 participating institutions and (2) the cohort characteristics and prevalence of antibiotic use. METHODS:percentile. RESULTS:681,739 children met the cohort inclusion criteria and were racially/ethnically diverse (24.9% black, 17.5% Hispanic). Before 24 months, 55.2% of children received at least one antibiotic prescription; 21.3% received a single antibiotic prescription, 14.3% received four or more, and 33.3% received a broad spectrum antibiotic. Overweight and obesity prevalence was 27.6% at 4 to <6 years of age (n=362,044) and 36.2% at 9 to <11 years (n=58,344). CONCLUSION/CONCLUSIONS:The PCORnet Antibiotics study is a large, national longitudinal observational study in a diverse population that will examine the relationship between early antibiotic use and subsequent growth patterns in children.

Background/UNASSIGNED:Primary care models that offer comprehensive, accessible care to all patients may provide insufficient resources to meet the needs of patients with complex conditions who have the greatest risk for hospitalization. Objective/UNASSIGNED:To assess whether augmenting usual primary care with team-based intensive management lowers utilization and costs for high-risk patients. Design/UNASSIGNED:Randomized quality improvement trial. (ClinicalTrials.gov: NCT03100526). Setting/UNASSIGNED:5 U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) medical centers. Patients/UNASSIGNED:Primary care patients at high risk for hospitalization who had a recent acute care episode. Intervention/UNASSIGNED:Locally tailored intensive management programs providing care coordination, goals assessment, health coaching, medication reconciliation, and home visits through an interdisciplinary team, including a physician or nurse practitioner, a nurse, and psychosocial experts. Measurements/UNASSIGNED:Utilization and costs (including intensive management program expenses) 12 months before and after randomization. Results/UNASSIGNED:2210 patients were randomly assigned, 1105 to intensive management and 1105 to usual care. Patients had a mean age of 63 years and an average of 7 chronic conditions; 90% were men. Of the patients assigned to intensive management, 487 (44%) received intensive outpatient care (that is, ≥3 encounters in person or by telephone) and 204 (18%) received limited intervention. From the pre- to postrandomization periods, mean inpatient costs decreased more for the intensive management than the usual care group (-$2164 [95% CI, -$7916 to $3587]). Outpatient costs increased more for the intensive management than the usual care group ($2636 [CI, $524 to $4748]), driven by greater use of primary care, home care, telephone care, and telehealth. Mean total costs were similar in the 2 groups before and after randomization. Limitations/UNASSIGNED:Sites took up to several months to contact eligible patients, limiting the time between treatment and outcome assessment. Only VA costs were assessed. Conclusion/UNASSIGNED:High-risk patients with access to an intensive management program received more outpatient care with no increase in total costs. Primary Funding Source/UNASSIGNED:Veterans Health Administration Primary Care Services.