Low Use of Guideline-recommended Cardiorenal Protective Antihyperglycemic Agents in Primary Care: A Cross-sectional Study of Adults With Type 2 Diabetes.

OBJECTIVES: Glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists (GLP-1 RA) and sodium-glucose cotransporter-2 inhibitors (SGLT2i) have shown cardiorenal benefits independent of their glucose-lowering effects among persons living with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). In this study, we describe the proportion of persons with T2DM eligible to receive and currently receiving these agents based on their risk criteria for cardiorenal events. METHODS: This study was a cross-sectional analysis of primary care electronic medical records, in southern Alberta, of persons with T2DM who had at least 1 encounter with their primary care provider between December 31, 2018, to December 31, 2020. A descriptive and multivariate logistic regression analysis was conducted to examine clinical and demographic determinants of being prescribed one of the new treatments. RESULTS: Our study sample included 11,939 persons living with T2DM, among whom 66.3% had a cardiorenal indication for SGLT2i or GLP-1 RA use. In the secondary and primary prevention subsamples, 19.4% and 16.6% of persons were prescribed SGLT2i or GLP-1 RA, respectively, compared with 20.0% of those with no specific cardiorenal indication. Several person-level characteristics, such as age (odds ratio [OR], 0.96; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.96 to 0.97), male sex (OR, 1.37; 95% CI, 1.21 to 1.55) and glycated hemoglobin (OR, 1.29; 95% CI, 1.24 to 1.34), were associated with being prescribed SGLT2i or GLP-1 RA. CONCLUSIONS: Low rates of SGLT2i or GLP-1 RA use and minimal differences between high-risk and no cardiorenal indication subsamples suggest the presence of barriers to prescribing these medications in a primary care setting. Action to highlight the indications for, and improve access to agents with, cardiorenal benefits will be required to achieve better outcomes for people with T2DM in primary care.

Risk of malaria associated with travel to malaria-endemic areas to visit friends and relatives: a population-based case-control study.

BACKGROUND: Reports relying on population-based data and using epidemiologic methodologies such as case-control study designs for malaria in travellers and multivariable regression analysis of risk factors are rare. The aim of this study was to investigate the epidemiologic characteristics of travellers who tested positive for malaria after visiting friends and relatives in malaria-endemic areas to determine the risk of malaria associated with such travel. METHODS: Using routinely collected data from a population-based laboratory database, we conducted a case-control study of symptomatic people returning from travel to malaria-endemic areas who presented for malaria testing in Calgary from 2013 to 2017. We used a multivariable logistic regression to analyze the association between the presence of malaria and other risk factors. RESULTS: There were 251 confirmed malaria cases during the study period, of which 219 were matched to 1129 returning travellers without malaria. Based on the multivariable regression, the odds of a traveller who visited friends and relatives in malariaendemic areas being diagnosed with malaria was 2.82 (95% confidence interval [CI] 1.42-5.92) times greater than that of other travellers to these regions. Adults (odds ratio [OR] 3.62, 95% CI 1.66-8.84), males (OR 2.70, 95% CI 1.56-4.80), travellers to Africa (OR 11.52, 95% CI 6.33-22.05) and those who did not seek pretravel advice (OR 0.38, 95% CI 0.20-0.70) were more likely to be diagnosed with malaria. Although those travelling to visit friends and relatives tended to stay longer in endemic areas than other travellers, visit duration was not associated with an increased likelihood of malaria in the model. The annual incidence of malaria was highest (13.34 per 100 000) in metropolitan wards associated with lower socioeconomic status and immigrant communities. INTERPRETATION: Travellers who visited friends and relatives in malaria-endemic areas were less likely than other travellers to these regions to seek pretravel advice, take prophylaxis and have a visit duration less than 2 weeks; travelling to Africa and being male increased the odds of being diagnosed with malaria, independent of other factors. These data suggest that targeted strategies to provide pretravel care to travellers who visit friends and relatives in malaria-endemic areas may aid in reducing the burden of malaria in this population.