Association of adverse childhood experiences with menopausal symptoms: Results from the Data Registry on Experiences of Aging, Menopause and Sexuality (DREAMS).

OBJECTIVE: To examine the association of adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) with overall menopausal symptom burden in midlife women. STUDY DESIGN: This was a cross-sectional study of women between the ages of 40 and 65 years who were seen for specialty consultation in the Menopause and Women's Sexual Health Clinic, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN between May 1, 2015 and December 31, 2016. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Participants completed the ACE questionnaire to assess childhood abuse and neglect, the Menopause Rating Scale (MRS) to assess menopausal symptom burden, the Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9) to assess depression, the Generalized Anxiety Disorder questionnaire (GAD-7) to assess anxiety, and provided information on current abuse (physical, sexual and verbal/emotional). RESULTS: Women meeting inclusion criteria (N = 1670) had a median age of 53.7 years (interquartile range: 49.1, 58.0). Of these women, 977 (58.5 %) reported any ACE and 288 (17.2 %) reported ≥4 ACEs. As menopausal symptoms increased in severity from the first to fourth quartile, the odds ratio of ACE 1-3 (vs. 0) increased from 1 to 2.50 (trend p < 0.01), and the odds ratio of ACE ≥ 4 (vs. 0) increased from 1 to 9.61 (trend p < 0.01), a pattern that was consistent across all menopausal symptom domains. The association between severe menopausal symptoms and higher childhood adversity (ACE score 1-3 or ≥4 vs. ACE = 0) remained significant after adjusting for age, partner status, education, employment, depression, anxiety, and hormone therapy use (OR 1.84 and 4.51, p < 0.01). CONCLUSION: In this large cross-sectional study, there was a significant association between childhood adversity and self-reported menopausal symptoms that persisted even after adjustment for multiple confounders. These associations highlight the importance of screening women with bothersome menopausal symptoms for childhood adversity, and of offering appropriate management and counseling for the adverse experiences, when indicated.

Incidence, time trends, laterality, indications, and pathological findings of unilateral oophorectomy before menopause.

OBJECTIVE: Unilateral oophorectomy (UO) is a common surgical practice, yet it remains understudied. We investigated trends in incidence rates, indications, and pathological differences in the right and left ovaries in women younger than 50 years. METHODS: The Rochester Epidemiology Project medical records linkage system was used to identify all women in Olmsted County, MN, who underwent UO between 1950 and 2007 (n = 1,838). We studied the incidence rates, indications, and pathologies of UO by laterality, and investigated trends across time. RESULTS: Pooling all oophorectomies across a 58-year period, we found that the incidence of UO was higher than the incidence of bilateral oophorectomy through the age of 39 years; however, bilateral oophorectomy surpassed UO thereafter. The incidence of UO increased from 1950 to 1974 but decreased thereafter and was surpassed by the rate of bilateral oophorectomy after 1979. Before 1985, left ovaries were removed more frequently than right ovaries with or without a medical indication for UO. Ovaries removed with a medical indication showed pathological differences between the right ovary and the left ovary, with endometriosis being more common in the left ovary. Ovaries removed without a medical indication did not differ in pathology by side. CONCLUSIONS: There have been major changes in incidence rates of UO across six decades. Medically indicated UO has been more common on the left side due, in part, to the higher prevalence of endometriosis. However, UO without a medical indication has also been more common on the left side because of surgical preferences and traditions. The long-term consequences of right or left UO on timing of menopause, morbidity, and mortality need further study.

10-year trends in the diagnosis and treatment of hepatitis C and concomitant mental health disorders: 1995 to 2005.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate trends in the rate and timing of treatment for hepatitis C in those with and without mental health comorbidities. METHOD: Data from the population-based Olmsted County Hepatitis C Registry in Minnesota were linked to patients' medical records to identify the dates and duration of any hepatitis C-specific therapy as well as all diagnoses of mental health comorbid conditions prior to initiation of therapy. The most common mental health conditions, major depressive disorder, alcohol dependence, and intravenous drug use, were assessed separately. The registry includes all Olmsted County residents with a physician diagnosis of hepatitis C or non-A/non-B hepatitis (ICD-9 criteria) from January 1, 1990, through December 31, 2005. RESULTS: The age-adjusted prevalence of diagnosed hepatitis C increased markedly between 1995 and 2000 (15.5/10,000 persons to 27.0/10,000 persons) but changed little between 2000 and 2005 (27.0 to 27.9/10,000 persons). The number of people with comorbid hepatitis C and depressive disorder (including minor depression) increased significantly between 1995 and 2005 from 18% to over 35% of all people with diagnosed hepatitis C. Treatment rates more than doubled between 1995 and 2005, while the time from diagnosis to treatment decreased during that same period. By 2005, major depressive disorders were associated with a high rate of reasonably prompt treatment. There were no gender differences in treatment rates or time to treatment when other comorbidities and age were included in the analyses. CONCLUSIONS: From 1995 to 2005, rates of treatment for hepatitis C among people with and without comorbid mental health problems increased. Rates of increase were higher among those with depression and hepatitis C than among those with hepatitis C and drug abuse or other mental health diagnoses. Even with this progress in treating those with multiple diagnoses, over 75% of people with hepatitis C remain untreated.

Management of patients with hepatitis C in a community population: diagnosis, discussions, and decisions to treat.

BACKGROUND: Chronic hepatitis C, a treatable condition caused by the hepatitis C virus (HCV), can be found in almost all primary care and community practices. The rate of hepatitis C treatment is low, however. This study explores the frequency of hepatitis C treatment, documented discussions of treatment consideration, and the reasons treatment may not be offered in a community population. METHODS: This study is a retrospective medical record review of care provided to all patients in Olmsted County, Minn, who had a confirmed diagnosis of hepatitis C. Using all records from all health care providers in Olmsted County, the rates of documented discussions regarding hepatitis C treatment and the treatment rates by specialty of diagnosing physician were assessed. In addition, comorbidities listed as reasons not to treat and or comorbid conditions in patients without a documented treatment discussion were assessed. RESULTS: Of the 366 patients with hepatitis C, 62% were men. Hepatitis C was more commonly diagnosed by generalist physicians (41% of cases). Treatment discussions were documented for 77% of patients with hepatitis C diagnosed by either a generalist or a gastrointestinal specialist (gastroenterologist or hepatologist) compared with 46% of patients with hepatitis C diagnosed by other physicians. Generalists' patients were more likely to have documented contraindications to treatment and were only one half as likely to receive hepatitis C treatment compared with patients with hepatitis C diagnosed by gastrointestinal specialists (16% vs 33%). Documented attempts to treat or reassess after resolution of potentially reversible contraindications to hepatitis C therapy were infrequent. CONCLUSIONS: In this community population, hepatitis C treatment was discussed with the majority of patients with a diagnosis of hepatitis C; however, the actual treatment rate was low. Many opportunities exist for treating more patients for HCV infection, particularly those found during emergency care and chemical dependency treatment. In addition, generalists' recognition and treatment of potentially reversible contraindications to hepatitis C therapy could greatly increase the number of treatment candidates.