Evaluation of the effect of hospitalization on mortality in patients with heart failure followed in primary care.

Background: Heart failure (HF) is a serious health-care problem. The aim of this study is to evaluate the effect of the first acute episode of decompensated HF that requires a hospitalization on the survival of newly diagnosed cases of HF with follow-up for 5 years in primary care (PC). Methods: This was a longitudinal observational study of a retrospective cohort of patients with information extracted from electronic medical records of PC. Incident cases of HF from 2006 to 2010 or until death were studied through a survival analysis with Kaplan-Meier and Cox proportional hazards multivariate regression, after applying the propensity score matching technique (PSM). Results: A total of 3061 new cases of HF were identified. The PSM analysis was performed with 529 couples, with a total of 1058 patients. 5-year survival was 65% in no hospitalized and 53% in hospitalized patients. Factors with an increased risk of mortality were having prescribed nitrates (heart rate [HR] = 1.56; 1.08-2.24). Factors with protective effect were having received the annual influenza vaccine (HR = 0.04; 0.01-0.15) and having been indicated X-rays by PC physician (HR = 0.76; 0.67-0.88). Conclusions: The findings indicate that hospitalizations are associated with a significant increase in mortality in patients recently diagnosed with HF. It is important to reinforce the need for the prevention of acute decompensated HF and for strategies to improve post-discharge outcomes.

Antecedentes: La insuficiencia cardiaca (IC) es un serio problema de asistencia médica. El objetivo de este estudio es evaluar el efecto del primer episodio de IC aguda descompensada que requiere una hospitalización en la supervivencia de los casos de IC recientemente diagnosticados con un seguimiento de 5 años en Atención Primaria (AP). Métodos: Estudio observacional longitudinal de una cohorte retrospectiva de pacientes con información extraída de la historia clínica electrónica de AP. Se estudiaron los casos incidentes de IC desde 2006 a 2010 o hasta su fallecimiento con un análisis de supervivencia de Kaplan-Meier y un modelo de regresión de Cox, después de aplicar la técnica del Propensity Score Matching (PSM). Resultados: Se identificaron 3.061 casos nuevos de IC. El análisis PSM se realizó con 529 pareja, con un total de 1.058 pacientes. La supervivencia a los cinco años fue del 65% en pacientes no hospitalizados y del 53% en pacientes hospitalizados. Los factores con mayor riesgo de mortalidad fueron tener prescritos nitratos (HR = 1,56; 1,08-2,24). Los factores con efecto protector fueron haber recibido la vacuna anual de la gripe (HR = 0,04; 0,01-0,15) y haber sido indicadas radiografías por el médico de AP (HR = 0,76; 0,67-0,88). Conclusiones: Los hallazgos indican que las hospitalizaciones se asocian con un aumento significativo de la mortalidad en pacientes diagnosticados recientemente con IC. Es importante reforzar la necesidad de prevenir la IC descompensada aguda y las estrategias para mejorar los resultados posteriores al alta.

Evaluation of the effect of hospitalization on mortality in patients with heart failure followed in primary care.

Background: Heart failure (HF) is a serious health-care problem. The aim of this study is to evaluate the effect of the first acute episode of decompensated HF that requires a hospitalization on the survival of newly diagnosed cases of HF with follow-up for 5 years in primary care (PC). Methods: This was a longitudinal observational study of a retrospective cohort of patients with information extracted from electronic medical records of PC. Incident cases of HF from 2006 to 2010 or until death were studied through a survival analysis with Kaplan-Meier and Cox proportional hazards multivariate regression, after applying the propensity score matching technique (PSM). Results: A total of 3061 new cases of HF were identified. The PSM analysis was performed with 529 couples, with a total of 1058 patients. 5-year survival was 65% in no hospitalized and 53% in hospitalized patients. Factors with an increased risk of mortality were having prescribed nitrates (heart rate [HR] = 1.56; 1.08-2.24). Factors with protective effect were having received the annual influenza vaccine (HR = 0.04; 0.01-0.15) and having been indicated X-rays by PC physician (HR = 0.76; 0.67-0.88). Conclusions: The findings indicate that hospitalizations are associated with a significant increase in mortality in patients recently diagnosed with HF. It is important to reinforce the need for the prevention of acute decompensated HF and for strategies to improve post-discharge outcomes.

Antecedentes: La insuficiencia cardiaca (IC) es un serio problema de asistencia médica. El objetivo de este estudio es evaluar el efecto del primer episodio de IC aguda descompensada que requiere una hospitalización en la supervivencia de los casos de IC recientemente diagnosticados con un seguimiento de 5 años en Atención Primaria (AP). Métodos: Estudio observacional longitudinal de una cohorte retrospectiva de pacientes con información extraída de la historia clínica electrónica de AP. Se estudiaron los casos incidentes de IC desde 2006 a 2010 o hasta su fallecimiento con un análisis de supervivencia de Kaplan-Meier y un modelo de regresión de Cox, después de aplicar la técnica del Propensity Score Matching (PSM). Resultados: Se identificaron 3.061 casos nuevos de IC. El análisis PSM se realizó con 529 pareja, con un total de 1.058 pacientes. La supervivencia a los cinco años fue del 65% en pacientes no hospitalizados y del 53% en pacientes hospitalizados. Los factores con mayor riesgo de mortalidad fueron tener prescritos nitratos (HR = 1,56; 1,08-2,24). Los factores con efecto protector fueron haber recibido la vacuna anual de la gripe (HR = 0,04; 0,01-0,15) y haber sido indicadas radiografías por el médico de AP (HR = 0,76; 0,67-0,88). Conclusiones: Los hallazgos indican que las hospitalizaciones se asocian con un aumento significativo de la mortalidad en pacientes diagnosticados recientemente con IC. Es importante reforzar la necesidad de prevenir la IC descompensada aguda y las estrategias para mejorar los resultados posteriores al alta.

Evaluation of the effect of hospitalization on mortality in patients with heart failure followed in primary care / Evaluación del efecto de las hospitalizaciones sobre mortalidad en pacientes con Insuficiencia cardíaca seguidos en atención primaria

Abstract Background: Heart failure (HF) is a serious health-care problem. The aim of this study is to evaluate the effect of the first acute episode of decompensated HF that requires a hospitalization on the survival of newly diagnosed cases of HF with follow-up for 5 years in primary care (PC). Methods: This was a longitudinal observational study of a retrospective cohort of patients with information extracted from electronic medical records of PC. Incident cases of HF from 2006 to 2010 or until death were studied through a survival analysis with Kaplan–Meier and Cox proportional hazards multivariate regression, after applying the propensity score matching technique (PSM). Results: A total of 3061 new cases of HF were identified. The PSM analysis was performed with 529 couples, with a total of 1058 patients. 5-year survival was 65% in no hospitalized and 53% in hospitalized patients. Factors with an increased risk of mortality were having prescribed nitrates (heart rate [HR] = 1.56; 1.08-2.24). Factors with protective effect were having received the annual influenza vaccine (HR = 0.04; 0.01-0.15) and having been indicated X-rays by PC physician (HR = 0.76; 0.67-0.88). Conclusions: The findings indicate that hospitalizations are associated with a significant increase in mortality in patients recently diagnosed with HF. It is important to reinforce the need for the prevention of acute decompensated HF and for strategies to improve post-discharge outcomes.

Resumen Antecedentes: La insuficiencia cardiaca (IC) es un serio problema de asistencia médica. El objetivo de este estudio es evaluar el efecto del primer episodio de IC aguda descompensada que requiere una hospitalización en la supervivencia de los casos de IC recientemente diagnosticados con un seguimiento de 5 años en Atención Primaria (AP). Métodos: Estudio observacional longitudinal de una cohorte retrospectiva de pacientes con información extraída de la historia clínica electrónica de AP. Se estudiaron los casos incidentes de IC desde 2006 a 2010 o hasta su fallecimiento con un análisis de supervivencia de Kaplan-Meier y un modelo de regresión de Cox, después de aplicar la técnica del Propensity Score Matching (PSM). Resultados: Se identificaron 3.061 casos nuevos de IC. El análisis PSM se realizó con 529 pareja, con un total de 1.058 pacientes. La supervivencia a los cinco años fue del 65% en pacientes no hospitalizados y del 53% en pacientes hospitalizados. Los factores con mayor riesgo de mortalidad fueron tener prescritos nitratos (HR = 1,56; 1,08-2,24). Los factores con efecto protector fueron haber recibido la vacuna anual de la gripe (HR = 0,04; 0,01-0,15) y haber sido indicadas radiografías por el médico de AP (HR = 0,76; 0,67-0,88). Conclusiones: Los hallazgos indican que las hospitalizaciones se asocian con un aumento significativo de la mortalidad en pacientes diagnosticados recientemente con IC. Es importante reforzar la necesidad de prevenir la IC descompensada aguda y las estrategias para mejorar los resultados posteriores al alta.

Efficacy and Safety of Nitazoxanide in Addition to Standard of Care for the Treatment of Severe Acute Respiratory Illness.

BACKGROUND: Effective therapeutics for respiratory viruses are needed. Early data suggest that nitazoxanide (NTZ) may be beneficial for treating acute respiratory viral illness. METHODS: From March 2014 through March 2017, a double-blind, placebo-controlled trial was conducted in 260 participants ≥1 year old hospitalized with influenza-like illness at 6 hospitals in Mexico. Participants were randomized 1:1 to NTZ (age ≥12 years, 600 mg twice daily; age 4-11 years and 1-3 years, 200 or 100 mg twice daily, respectively) or placebo for 5 days in addition to standard of care. The primary endpoint was time from first dose to hospital discharge. Influenza reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction and Respifinder 22 multiplex test were used for virus detection. RESULTS: Of 260 participants enrolled, 257 were randomized and took at least 1 dose of study treatment (intention-to-treat population): 130 in the NTZ group and 127 in the placebo group. The Kaplan-Meier estimate of the median duration of hospitalization was 6.5 (interquartile range [IQR], 4.0-9.0) days in the NTZ group vs 7.0 (IQR, 4.0-9.0) days in the placebo group (P = .56). Duration of hospitalization between the 2 treatments was similar in children (P = .29) and adults (P = .62), influenza A and B (P = .32), and other respiratory viruses. Seven (5.4%) and 6 (4.7%) participants in the NTZ and placebo groups, respectively, reported serious adverse events. CONCLUSIONS: Treatment with NTZ did not reduce the duration of hospital stay in severe influenza-like illness. Further analyses based on age and evaluations by virus did not reveal any subgroups that appeared to benefit from NTZ. CLINICAL TRIALS REGISTRATION: NCT02057757.

Influenza-like illness in healthcare personnel at a paediatric referral hospital: Clinical picture and impact of the disease.

INTRODUCTION: Healthcare personnel (HP) are frequently exposed to influenza and can be a source of transmission to patients and other workers, resulting in high-cost outbreaks for healthcare institutions. OBJECTIVES: To analyse the presentation of HP with influenza-like illness (ILI) and the differences between individuals with influenza confirmed by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and those with a negative test. The secondary objective was to evaluate the duration of symptomatology and work absenteeism as well as the vaccination rate of HP at a paediatric referral hospital. METHODS: A cross-sectional, descriptive study was conducted at a paediatric referral hospital. Clinical and epidemiological data on HP with ILI were collected between January and April 2016. Nasopharyngeal swab for influenza PCR was obtained from one in every three workers with ILI. Telephone follow-up was conducted to document duration of symptoms, complications and absenteeism. RESULTS: A total of 164 ILI episodes were evaluated in 162 HP. A swab was obtained in 59 cases, and influenza was detected in 30 cases. The clinical picture of HP with confirmed influenza was similar to that of HP with a negative PCR. Arthralgia was more common in those with influenza (90% vs 58%), with a tendency towards statistical significance. No HP required hospitalization, and 78.5% were absent from work at least 1 day. CONCLUSIONS: Influenza causes significant morbidity and absenteeism among HP. Influenza infection was confirmed in only half of HP with an ILI on whom a PCR was performed, suggesting that other respiratory viruses can cause a similar pattern.

Epidemiology and clinical characteristics of respiratory syncytial virus infections among children and adults in Mexico.

BACKGROUND: Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is a leading etiological agent of acute respiratory tract infections and hospitalizations in children. However, little information is available regarding RSV infections in Latin American countries, particularly among adult patients. OBJECTIVE: To describe the epidemiology of RSV infection and to analyze the factors associated with severe infections in children and adults in Mexico. METHODS: Patients ≥1 month old, who presented with an influenza-like illness (ILI) to six hospitals in Mexico, were eligible for participation in the study. Multiplex reverse-transcriptase polymerase chain reaction identified viral pathogens in nasal swabs from 5629 episodes of ILI. Patients in whom RSV was detected were included in this report. RESULTS: Respiratory syncytial virus was detected in 399 children and 171 adults. RSV A was detected in 413 cases and RSV B in 163, including six patients who had coinfection with both subtypes; 414 (72.6%) patients required hospital admission, including 96 (16.8%) patients that required admission to the intensive care unit. Coinfection with one or more respiratory pathogens other than RSV was detected in 159 cases. Young age (in children) and older age (in adults) as well as the presence of some underlying conditions were associated with more severe disease. CONCLUSIONS: This study confirms that RSV is an important respiratory pathogen in children in Mexico. In addition, a substantial number of cases in adults were also detected highlighting the relevance of this virus in all ages. It is important to identify subjects at high risk of complications who may benefit from current or future preventive interventions.