The economic burden of progressive chronic kidney disease among patients with type 2 diabetes.

AIMS: To estimate the rate of progression of chronic kidney disease (CKD) among patients with type 2 diabetes (T2D) and calculate medical costs associated with progression. METHODS: We conducted a retrospective cohort study of 25,576 members at Kaiser Permanente who had T2D and at least one serum creatinine measurement in 2005. Using estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR), we assigned patients to baseline stages of kidney function (stage 0-2, >60ml/min/1.73m(2), n=21,008; stage 3, 30-59, n=3,885; stage 4, 15-29, n=683). We examined all subsequent eGFRs through 2010 to assess progression of kidney disease. Medical costs at baseline and incremental costs during follow-up were assessed. RESULTS: Mean age of patients was 60.6years, 51% were men, and mean diabetes duration was 5.3years. At baseline, 17.9% of patients with T2D also had stage 3 or 4 CKD. Incremental adjusted costs that occurred over follow-up (from baseline) was on average $4569, $12,617, and $33,162 per patient per year higher among patients who progressed from baseline stage 0-2, stage 3, and stage 4 CKD, respectively, compared to those who did not progress. Across all stages of CKD, those who progressed to a higher stage of CKD from baseline had follow-up costs that ranged from 2 to 4 times higher than those who did not progress. CONCLUSIONS: Progression of CKD in T2D drives substantial medical care costs. Interventions designed to minimize decline in progressive kidney function, particularly among patients with stage 3 or 4 CKD, may reduce the economic burden of CKD in T2D.

Health care resource utilization and costs associated with restless legs syndrome among managed care enrollees treated with dopamine agonists.

PURPOSE: This study assessed the direct economic burden of restless legs syndrome (RLS) among patients treated with dopamine agonists (DAs) using a large United States managed care database. DESIGN: Retrospective database analysis. METHODOLOGY: Patients were required to have > or =1 prescriptions for a DA (i.e., pergolide, pramipexole, ropinirole) between 1/1/2005 and 12/31/2007 (date of first DA, or "index"); continuous enrollment for > or =6 months before and > or =12 months after index; > or =1 diagnosis of RLS, before and after index; and no diagnosis of Parkinson's disease. Study measures included annual all-cause and RLS-related costs by care setting (hospitalizations, emergency room, office, pharmacy, other, total) and treatment-pattern events (discontinuations, switches, adjunctive treatments, titrations). PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: A total of 7,796 patients met the inclusion criteria. About 70% of patients received ropinirole, and 30% received pramipexole at index. Approximately 91% had >1 RLS-related office visits, and patients filled an average of 6.5 RLS-related prescriptions (DAs, gabapentin, carbidopa/levodopa) during the 1-year follow-up period. Mean (SD) all-cause health care costs were $11,485 ($21,362) per patient, mostly due to multiple medical conditions occurring with RLS. RLS-related costs were 6.7% of total all-cause costs (mean [SD] $774 [$1,504]), consisting of office visits (16%), pharmacy (63%), and other costs (20%). Approximately 58% had a treatment-pattern event suggesting a dopamine-related side effect. Opioids were the most commonly used adjunctive therapy (13% of patients). CONCLUSION: We found relatively low costs associated with RLS treatment. These findings should encourage expanding the coverage of treatment to reduce the suffering and costs associated with RLS.

Evaluation of clinical outcomes with alvimopan in clinical practice: a national matched-cohort study in patients undergoing bowel resection.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate in-hospital clinical outcomes after open and laparoscopic bowel resection (BR) with or without alvimopan treatment. BACKGROUND: Delayed return of gastrointestinal function after BR may be associated with greater postoperative morbidity and increased hospital length of stay (LOS). In clinical trials, alvimopan--a peripherally acting µ-opioid receptor antagonist--accelerated gastrointestinal recovery after open BR. METHODS: A retrospective matched-cohort study (NCT01150760) was conducted using a national inpatient database. Each alvimopan patient was exact matched (surgical procedure, surgeon specialty) and propensity score matched (baseline characteristics) to a nonalvimopan BR patient. Outcomes included gastrointestinal and other morbidity (cardiovascular, pulmonary, infection, cerebrovascular, thromboembolic); mortality; readmission rate; and intensive care unit (ICU) stay (intent-to-treat [ITT] population). Postoperative LOS and estimated cost were also compared (modified ITT population). RESULTS: Each cohort included 3525 ITT patients with similar baseline characteristics. Gastrointestinal (29.8% vs 35.7%) and other morbidity (cardiovascular [19.4% vs 24.0%], pulmonary [7.3% vs 10.5%], infectious [9.6% vs 11.8%], thromboembolic [1.2% vs 2.1%]), mortality (0.4% vs 1.0%), and mean ICU stay (0.3 vs 0.6 days) were lower in the alvimopan group (P ≤ 0.003 for each). Postoperative LOS and estimated direct cost were lower for all alvimopan patients and after laparoscopic and open BR (LOS: -1.1, -0.8, and -1.8 days respectively; cost: -$2345, -$1382, and -$3218, respectively; P ≤ 0.0008 for each). CONCLUSIONS: On average, alvimopan-treated patients had a lower incidence of mortality and most incidents of morbidities. Length of stay, ICU use, and estimated cost were also lower with comparable readmissions. These results in patients outside the clinical trial setting include laparoscopic colectomy and demonstrate a potential association between acceleration of gastrointestinal recovery and improved early postoperative outcomes.

Development and validation of a subjective post sleep diary (SPSD) to assess sleep status in subjects with restless legs syndrome.

OBJECTIVE: To describe the development and psychometric properties of a daily subjective (patient-reported) sleep diary, the Subjective Post Sleep Diary (SPSD), that assesses sleep in relation to Restless Legs Syndrome (RLS). METHODS: In 2008, the SPSD was developed de novo guided by input from 56 individuals in the US with RLS obtained via focus groups and one-on-one cognitive debriefing sessions. The psychometric properties of the SPSD were evaluated among an additional 470 RLS subjects in the US using three different administration routes; the internet only (N=130), an Interactive Voice Response System (IVRS; N=146) only and a hybrid version (internet and/or IVRS; N=194). RESULTS: A 12-item sleep diary assessing the key sleep parameters associated with RLS was developed and shown to have face validity following several rounds of focus groups and cognitive debriefing sessions. The SPSD items had high correlations with other sleep instruments and low correlations with constructs unrelated to sleep, and high known-groups predictive ability. CONCLUSIONS: The Subjective Post Sleep Diary (SPSD) is a short, valid and responsive instrument for measuring RLS-related sleep via the internet, IVRS or a combination of the two modes for US English speakers.

Validation of the post sleep questionnaire for assessing subjects with restless legs syndrome: results from two double-blind, multicenter, placebo-controlled clinical trials.

BACKGROUND: Because of the subjective nature of Restless Legs Syndrome (RLS) symptoms and the impact of these symptoms on sleep, patient-reported outcomes (PROs) play a prominent role as study endpoints in clinical trials investigating RLS treatments. The objective of this study was to validate a new measure, the Post Sleep Questionnaire (PSQ), to assess sleep dysfunction in subjects with moderate-to-severe RLS symptoms. METHODS: Pooled data were analyzed from two 12-week, randomized, placebo-controlled trials of gabapentin enacarbil (N = 540). At baseline and Week 12, subjects completed the PSQ and other validated health surveys: IRLS Rating Scale, Clinical Global Impression of Improvement (CGI-I), Profile of Mood States (POMS), Medical Outcomes Study Scale-Sleep (MOS-Sleep), and RLS-Quality of Life (RLSQoL). Pooled data were used post hoc to examine the convergent, divergent, known-group validity and the responsiveness of the PSQ. RESULTS: Convergent validity was demonstrated by significant correlations between baseline PSQ items and total scores of IRLS, POMS, RLSQoL, and the MOS-Sleep Scale (p ≤ 0.007 each). Divergent validity was demonstrated through the lack of significant correlations between PSQ items and demographic characteristics. Correlations (p < 0.0001) between RLS severity groups and PSQ items demonstrated known-group validity. Mean changes in investigator- and subject-rated CGI-I scores for each PSQ item (p < 0.0001) demonstrated the PSQ's responsiveness to patient change as reported by their care provider. CONCLUSIONS: Although these analyses were potentially limited by the use of clinical trial data and not prospective data from a study conducted solely for validation purposes, the PSQ demonstrated robust psychometric properties and is a valid instrument for assessing sleep and sleep improvements in subjects with moderate-to-severe RLS symptoms. TRIAL REGISTRATION: This study analyzed data from two registered trials, NCT00298623 and NCT00365352.

Restless legs syndrome (RLS) augmentation associated with dopamine agonist and levodopa usage in a community sample.

OBJECTIVE: Assess the rate of augmentation as it occurs during standard long-term dopaminergic treatment of RLS, potential risk factors or predictors of augmentation, the relationship between treatment duration and augmentation, and the clinical impact of augmentation on subjects' health outcomes. METHODS: Two hundred sixty-six patients with dopamine-treated RLS completed a one-time online survey. All subjects were recruited by their PCP/neurologist and were 18 or older. Augmentation was assessed using NIH guidelines and an augmentation classification system was developed through this research. RESULTS: Overall, 20% of the patients were classified as having definitive or highly suggestive clinical indications of augmentation. Five factors were considered likely to reflect increased risk of developing augmentation, including more frequent RLS symptoms pre-treatment, greater discomfort with RLS symptoms before treatment, and longer treatment duration. RLS augmentation occurred at a rate of about 8% each year for at least the first 8 years of dopamine treatment. Subjects reporting definite or highly suggestive clinical indicators of augmentation had an average IRLS score of 23.6, indicating generally inadequate treatment with generally poor clinical outcomes. Only 25% of the patients reported no indications of augmentation and they were the only group to show on average a low (<15) IRLS score and good clinical outcomes. CONCLUSIONS: As currently used, long term dopaminergic treatment for an average ± SD of 2.7 ± 2.4 years produced significant augmentation problems in at least 20% of the patients and only 25% of the patients were totally free of this problem. It is important for physicians to carefully screen patients for changes in RLS symptoms for as long as they are on dopamine agents, with particular attention paid to those patients who present with the most severe RLS symptoms prior to treatment initiation. Given the marked increase in suffering with augmentation, a method for early detection and intervention would be an important contribution to the effective management and treatment of RLS.

Prevalence and disease burden of primary restless legs syndrome: results of a general population survey in the United States.

To assess prevalence, disease burden, and costs of primary Restless Legs Syndrome (RLS) in the US. In 2007, 61,792 (20%) of 313,000 subjects from a representative US panel completed an online "global opinions" survey identifying respondents reporting all four diagnostic features of RLS. 4,484 met all criteria. 1,400 were randomly selected to complete a questionnaire to exclude those with diagnoses indicating possible secondary RLS. Those that did not have diagnoses associated with secondary RLS were asked to complete the Cambridge-Hopkins RLS questionnaire to exclude RLS mimics. Prevalence was estimated for the following groups: (1) RLS symptomatic, (2) primary RLS, and (3) primary RLS sufferers (symptoms ≥2/wk with moderate-to-severe distress). The primary RLS completed a larger online survey including the IRLS, EuroQol, Work Productivity and Activity Impairment questionnaire, and questions about healthcare resource use. The validated diagnostic tools and exclusion of medical conditions likely to cause RLS provide a very conservative estimate of US census-weighted prevalence of 2.4% for primary RLS and 1.5% for primary RLS sufferers. About 33% of respondents had a physician diagnosis of RLS. Primary RLS sufferers had a mean productivity loss of 1 day/wk. All RLS-related costs increased with RLS symptom severity, with increasingly significant decrements in health status, sleep disturbance, and work productivity. Even this very conservative approach finds RLS in this cohort to be common, under-diagnosed, and carried a significant personal and social burden.

Effect of ropinirole on sleep outcomes in patients with restless legs syndrome: meta-analysis of pooled individual patient data from randomized controlled trials.

STUDY OBJECTIVE: To compare the effects of ropinirole with those of placebo on sleep, as evaluated by specific domains of the Medical Outcomes Study (MOS) sleep scale, as well as the Clinical Global Impression-Improvement (CGI-I) scale, in patients with restless legs syndrome (RLS). DESIGN: Meta-analysis of six randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, parallel-group trials conducted in the United States and Europe. PATIENTS: A total of 1679 patients aged 18-79 years with primary moderate-to-severe RLS who received ropinirole (835 patients) or placebo (844 patients). MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: A systematic review of MEDLINE (January 1980-January 2007) and clinical trial registers was performed to identify placebo-controlled trials of ropinirole that used the 12-item MOS sleep scale to assess sleep in patients with RLS. Individual patient data from both published and nonpublished trials were pooled for meta-analysis. In the eligible studies, immediate-release ropinirole 0.25-6 mg or placebo had been given for at least 12 weeks. In addition, sleep scale summary scores for the domains of sleep quantity, adequacy, disturbance, and daytime somnolence had to have been assessed at baseline and at 12 weeks. Our meta-analysis found that at baseline study patients slept an average of 5.8 hours/night. At the end of 12 weeks, ropinirole-treated patients slept a mean of 2.5 hours/week more and had a 21% greater improvement from baseline in sleep adequacy scores compared with patients receiving placebo. Ropinirole-treated patients also had 14% less sleep disturbance and 8% less daytime somnolence than patients receiving placebo. Clinicians rated 63% of ropinirole-treated patients and 47% of patients receiving placebo as responders based on the CGI-I scale. Mixed effects analysis of covariance was used to estimate treatment effect adjusting for study center as a random effect, as well as the following fixed effects known to affect sleep: baseline sleep characteristics, age, sex, and chronic medical conditions. All differences were statistically significant (p<0.05), even after adjusting for multiple comparisons. CONCLUSION: Pooled data from six similarly designed clinical trials provide evidence that ropinirole improves sleep quantity and adequacy, and lessens sleep disturbance and daytime somnolence in patients with primary RLS.

Psychometric evaluation and tests of validity of the Medical Outcomes Study 12-item Sleep Scale (MOS sleep).

OBJECTIVE: To validate the psychometric properties of the Medical Outcomes Study (MOS) Sleep Scale in subjects with restless legs syndrome (RLS). METHODS: Data from a clinical trial program involving two Phase III, double-blind, placebo-controlled trials of ropinirole in subjects with moderate-to-severe primary RLS were analyzed. Subjects were assessed on the MOS Sleep Scale at baseline, Weeks 8 and 12. RESULTS: The baseline validation population included 551 subjects on which full longitudinal data are available. Psychometric assessment of four MOS sleep domains revealed satisfactory item convergent validity (r > 0.40) for most items. All domain items in both trials surpassed the standard for item discriminant validity, with no significant floor or ceiling effects. The MOS sleep domain scores showed good internal consistency reliability. Concurrent validity (r = 0.40) was exceeded in correlations between the RLS overall quality-of-life score and sleep problems index II. The clinical validity of the MOS Sleep Scale was demonstrated against self-reported RLS symptoms and clinician-determined severity; changes in MOS Sleep Scale were responsive to improvements in RLS severity, as measured by the Clinical Global Impression-Improvement and Severity-of-Illness scales. CONCLUSION: The MOS Sleep Scale is a reliable, valid tool for assessing changes in the sleep of subjects with moderate-to-severe primary RLS. The somnolence domain failed to relate to clinical severity of RLS, indicating a possible sleep-wake relationship unique to RLS. Use of this scale to evaluate other conditions causing sleep disturbance is supported.

The Longitudinal Examination of Arthritis Pain (LEAP) study: relationships between weekly fluctuations in patient-rated joint pain and other health outcomes.

OBJECTIVE: To examine relationships between weekly fluctuations in self-rated joint pain and other health outcomes among adults with osteoarthritis (OA). METHODS: In this observational study, 287 adults (aged > or = 50 yrs) with hip or knee OA were recruited from 16 medical practices across the United States. Patients were telephoned weekly for 12 weeks to assess pain/stiffness, daily activities/function, productivity, emotional well-being, quality of life, and healthcare utilization. Associations between changes in joint pain levels and other health outcomes were evaluated using a generalized estimating equation model. RESULTS: The mean (SD) pain score at Week 1 was 4.2 (2.1) on the Western Ontario and McMaster Universities OA index (WOMAC) pain subscale (0 = no pain, 10 = extreme pain); during the study, 49% of patients reported a between-week fluctuation of > or = 2 points. A 2-point decrease in WOMAC pain subscale score was associated with a 22% decrease in number of days of limited activity/week (beta = -0.107; 95% confidence interval -0.163, -0.051); a 48% decrease in number of days of missed work/week (beta = -0.217; 95% CI -0.395, -0.039); a 14% decrease in number of nights with pain-related sleep interference/week (beta = -0.068; 95% CI -0.109, -0.027). Patients were 1.6 times more likely to contact a healthcare provider when their pain changed from "acceptable" to "unacceptable." CONCLUSION: Weekly fluctuations in pain levels and other health outcomes were identified among adults with OA. Decreases in patient-reported pain were associated with improvements in daily activities/functioning and decreases in work absenteeism, sleep interference, and healthcare resource use.

Integration of service systems for homeless persons with serious mental illness through the ACCESS program. Access to Community Care and Effective Services and Supports.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to evaluate the first of the two core questions around which the ACCESS (Access to Community Care and Effective Services and Supports) evaluation was designed: Does implementation of system-change strategies lead to better integration of service systems? METHODS: The study was part of the five-year federal ACCESS service demonstration program, which sought to enhance integration of service delivery systems for homeless persons with serious mental illness. Data were gathered from nine randomly selected experimental sites and nine comparison sites in 15 of the nation's largest cities on the degree to which each site implemented a set of systems integration strategies and the degree of systems integration that ensued among community agencies across five service sectors: mental health, substance abuse, primary care, housing, and social welfare and entitlement services. Integration was measured across all interorganizational relationships in the local service networks (overall systems integration) and across relationships involving only the primary ACCESS grantee organization (project-centered integration). RESULTS: Contrary to expectations, the nine experimental sites did not demonstrate significantly greater overall systems integration than the nine comparison sites. However, the experimental sites demonstrated better project-centered integration than the comparison sites. Moreover, more extensive implementation of strategies for system change was associated with higher levels of overall systems integration as well as project-centered integration at both the experimental sites and the comparison sites. CONCLUSIONS: The ACCESS demonstration was successful in terms of project-centered integration but not overall system integration.

Service systems integration and outcomes for mentally ill homeless persons in the ACCESS program. Access to Community Care and Effective Services and Supports.

OBJECTIVE: The authors evaluated the second of the two core questions around which the ACCESS (Access to Community Care and Effective Services and Supports) evaluation was designed: Does better integration of service systems improve the treatment outcomes of homeless persons with severe mental illness? METHODS: The ACCESS program provided technical support and about $250,000 a year for four years to nine sites to implement strategies to promote systems integration. These sites, along with nine comparison sites, also received funds to support outreach and assertive community treatment programs to assist 100 clients a year at each site. Outcome data were obtained at baseline and three and 12 months later from 7,055 clients across four annual cohorts at all sites. RESULTS: Clients at all sites demonstrated improvement in outcome measures. However, the clients at the experimental sites showed no greater improvement on measures of mental health or housing outcomes across the four cohorts than those at the comparison sites. More extensive implementation of systems integration strategies was unrelated to these outcomes. However, clients of sites that became more integrated, regardless of the degree of implementation or whether the sites were experimental sites or comparison sites, had progressively better housing outcomes. CONCLUSIONS: Interventions designed to increase the level of systems integration in the ACCESS demonstration did not result in better client outcomes.