Project description:RationaleIn developing countries, poor and rural areas have a high burden of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), and environmental pollutants and indoor burning of biomass have been implicated as potential causal exposures. Less is known about the prevalence of COPD in the United States with respect to urban-rural distribution, poverty, and factors that uniquely contribute to COPD among never-smokers.ObjectivesTo understand the impact of urban-rural status, poverty, and other community factors on COPD prevalence nationwide and among never-smokers.MethodsWe studied a nationally representative sample of adults in the National Health Interview Survey 2012-2015, with data linkage between neighborhood data from the U.S. Census's American Community Survey and the National Center for Health Statistics Urban-Rural Classification Scheme. The main outcome was COPD prevalence.Measurements and main resultsThe prevalence of COPD in poor, rural areas was almost twice that in the overall population (15.4% vs. 8.4%). In adjusted models, rural residence (odds ratio [OR], 1.23; P < 0.001) and census-level poverty (OR, 1.12; P = 0.012) were both associated with COPD prevalence, as were indicators of household wealth. Among never-smokers, rural residence was also associated with COPD (OR, 1.34; P < 0.001), as was neighborhood use of coal for heating (OR, 1.09; P < 0.001).ConclusionsIn a nationally representative sample, rural residence and poverty were risk factors for COPD, even among never-smokers. The use of coal for heating was also a risk factor for COPD among never-smokers. Future disparities research to elucidate contributors to COPD development in poor and rural areas, including assessments of heating sources and environmental pollutants, is needed.
Project description:Lyme disease (LD) is the most common vector-borne disease in the USA. Beyond its tick-borne nature, however, risk factors for LD are poorly understood. We used an online questionnaire to compare LD patients and non-LD counterparts and elucidate factors associated with LD. We investigated demographic, lifestyle, and household characteristics and use of prevention measures. Associations with LD were modeled using logistic regression, and average marginal effects were estimated. In total, 185 active or past LD patients and 139 non-patients participated. The majority of respondents were white (95%) and female (65%). Controlling for age, sex, and type of residential area, pet ownership was associated with an 11.1% (p = 0.038) increase in the probability of LD. This effect was limited to cat owners (OR: 2.143, p = 0.007; dog owners, OR: 1.398, p = 0.221). Living in rural areas was associated with a 36% (p = 0.001) increase in the probability of LD compared to living in an urban area. Participants who reported knowing someone with Lyme Disease were more likely to wear insect repellant and perform tick checks. This study suggests opportunities for improved LD prevention, including advising cat owners of their increased risk. Although patterns in adoption of LD prevention methods remain poorly understood, concern about LD risk does motivate their use.
Project description:RationaleCured meats are high in nitrites. Nitrites generate reactive nitrogen species that may cause nitrative and nitrosative damage to the lung resulting in emphysema.ObjectiveTo test the hypothesis that frequent consumption of cured meats is associated with lower lung function and increased odds of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).MethodsCross-sectional study of 7,352 participants in the Third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, 45 years of age or more, who had adequate measures of cured meat, fish, fruit, and vegetable intake, and spirometry.ResultsAfter adjustment for age, smoking, and multiple other potential confounders, frequency of cured meat consumption was inversely associated with FEV(1) and FEV(1)/FVC but not FVC. The adjusted differences in FEV(1) between individuals who did not consume cured meats and those who consumed cured meats 1 to 2, 3 to 4, 5 to 13, and 14 or more times per month were -37.6, -11.5, -42.0, and -110 ml, respectively (p for trend < 0.001). Corresponding differences for FEV(1)/FVC were -0.91, -0.54, -1.13, and -2.13% (p for trend = 0.001). These associations were not modified by smoking status. The multivariate odds ratio for COPD (FEV(1)/FVC <or= 0.7 and FEV(1) < 80% predicted) was 1.78 (95% confidence interval, 1.29-2.47) comparing the highest with the lowest category of cured meat consumption. The corresponding odds ratios for mild, moderate, and severe COPD were 1.11, 1.46, and 2.41, respectively.ConclusionsFrequent cured meat consumption was associated independently with an obstructive pattern of lung function and increased odds of COPD. Additional studies are required to determine if cured meat consumption is a causal risk factor for COPD.
Project description:BackgroundGlobal Initiative for Chronic Obstructive Lung Disease (GOLD) guidelines recommend triple therapy (TT) for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) patients based on severity. TT utilization by severity is infrequently studied in real-world settings and may deviate significantly from current clinical recommendations. This study describes prescribing pathways to TT among patients with COPD in the United States.MethodsThis study analyzed Geisinger Health System electronic medical records from 1 January 2004 to 30 November 2016. Two retrospective cohorts of COPD patients were included: (1) incident COPD, and (2) incident TT users. COPD treatment patterns, including time to TT, were summarized. Time to TT was estimated using Kaplan-Meier methods. Predictors of the relative hazard for TT among incident COPD patients were estimated using Cox proportional hazards regressions.ResultsIncident COPD and TT cohorts included 57,141 and 8173 patients, respectively. TT was used by 9.6% of incident COPD patients. In the year before TT, 34.3% of incident TT patients received treatment combinations recommended before TT according to GOLD recommendations, which mainly included: long-acting muscarinic antagonists (LAMAs), long-acting beta agonists (LABAs) + LAMAs, and inhaled corticosteroids + LABAs. Among incident TT patients, median time from COPD diagnosis to TT exceeded 2 years. The hazard for TT over time was associated with lower forced expiratory volume in 1 s values, more frequent exacerbations, current/previous smoking, and comorbid lung conditions such as pulmonary vascular disease, acute respiratory failure, and lung cancer. About 15-20% of the incident TT patients stepped down to a one- or two-drug regimen. Median time to TT discontinuation or step-down were 2 and 9 months, respectively.ConclusionThe study has revealed discrepancies in the treatment of COPD patients between GOLD guidelines and actual clinical practices in the United States. Pathways to TT differed from recommended therapy regimes. Further studies are needed to understand barriers to the use of guideline-recommended TTs by healthcare providers.The reviews of this paper are available via the supplemental material section.
Project description:There are associations between tobacco retailer density and smoking behaviors, but little is known about whether places with more tobacco retailers have more smoking-related health problems. Using cross-sectional data from 2014, we investigated the relationships between tobacco retailer density and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) related outcomes in a sample of 1510 counties across the United States. Higher retailer density was associated with a 19% (IRR, 1.19; 95% CI, 1.12-1.27) higher COPD-related hospital discharge rate and 30% (IRR, 1.30; 95% CI 1.21-1.39) higher total COPD-related hospital costs per population. The tobacco retailer environment may be an important target for reducing smoking-related health burdens and costs.
Project description:Geographic variation in kidney transplantation rates in the United States has been described previously but remains unexplained by age, race, sex, or socioeconomic status differences. Geographic variations in the concentration of poverty appear to impact end-stage renal disease care and potentially access to transplantation.We studied the impact of how spatial topography of poverty across geographical regions in the contiguous United States is associated with kidney transplantation in the 48 contiguous U.S. states.We found considerable geographic variation in transplantation rates across the country that persisted across quartiles of county-level median household income and percentage minority population. Higher transplant rates were seen with increasing median household income and decreasing minority populations but were not influenced by education level. Transplantation rates in counties with poverty rates above the national average had low transplant rates, but these rates were influenced by the poverty level in the surrounding counties. Similarly, wealthy counties had higher transplant rates but were lowered in counties of relative wealth that were surrounded by less wealthy counties.Our results underline the geographical heterogeneity of kidney transplantation in the United States and identify regions of the country most likely to benefit from interventions that may reduce disparities in transplantation.
Project description:Pulmonary hypertension (PH) is an uncommon but progressive condition, and much of what we know about it comes from specialized disease registries. With expanding research into the diagnosis and treatment of PH, it is important to provide updated surveillance on the impact of this disease on hospitalizations and mortality. This study, which builds on previous PH surveillance of mortality and hospitalization, analyzed mortality data from the National Vital Statistics System and data from the National Hospital Discharge Survey between 2001 and 2010. PH deaths were identified using International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Revision codes I27.0, I27.2, I27.8, or I27.9 as any contributing cause of death on the death certificate. Hospital discharges associated with PH were identified using International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision, Clinical Modification codes 416.0, 416.8, or 416.9 as one of up to seven listed medical diagnoses. The decline in death rates associated with PH among men from 1980 to 2005 has reversed and now shows a significant increasing trend. Similarly, the death rates for women with PH have continued to increase significantly during the past decade. PH-associated mortality rates for those aged 85 years and older have accelerated compared with rates for younger age groups. There have been significant declines in PH-associated mortality rates for those with pulmonary embolism and emphysema. Rates of hospitalization for PH have increased significantly for both men and women during the past decade; for those aged 85 years and older, hospitalization rates have nearly doubled. Continued surveillance helps us understand and address the evolving trends in hospitalization and mortality associated with PH and PH-associated conditions, especially regarding sex, age, and race/ethnicity disparities.
Project description:An obesity paradox in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), whereby overweight/obese individuals have improved survival, has been well-described. These studies have generally included smokers. It is unknown whether the paradox exists in individuals with COPD arising from factors other than smoking. Nonsmoking COPD is understudied yet represents some 25%-45% of the disease worldwide. To determine whether the obesity paradox differs between ever- and never-smokers with COPD, 1,723 adult participants with this condition were examined from 2 iterations of the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (1988-1994, 2007-2010), with mortality outcomes followed through December 2011. Using Cox proportional hazards models, adjusted for sociodemographic factors, lung function, and survey cycle, ever/never-smoking was found to modify the association between body mass index and hazard of death. Compared with normal-weight participants, overweight/obese participants had lower hazard of death among ever-smokers (for overweight, adjusted hazard ratio (aHR) = 0.56, 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.43, 0.74; for obesity, aHR = 0.66, 95% CI: 0.48, 0.92), but never-smokers did not (overweight, aHR = 1.41, 95% CI: 0.66, 3.03; obesity, aHR = 1.29, 95% CI: 0.48, 3.48). An obesity paradox appeared to be absent among never-smokers with COPD. This, to our knowledge, novel finding might be explained by pathophysiological differences between smoking-related and nonsmoking COPD or by smoking-associated methodological biases.