Sex differences in clinical phenotype and transitions of care among individuals dying of COVID-19 in Italy.

BACKGROUND: Among the unknowns posed by the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) outbreak, the role of biological sex to explain disease susceptibility and progression is still a matter of debate, with limited sex-disaggregated data available. METHODS: A retrospective analysis was performed to assess if sex differences exist in the clinical manifestations and transitions of care among hospitalized individuals dying with laboratory-confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection in Italy (February 27-June 11, 2020). Clinical characteristics and the times from symptoms' onset to admission, nasopharyngeal swab, and death were compared between sexes. Adjusted multivariate analysis was performed to identify the clinical features associated with male sex. RESULTS: Of the 32,938 COVID-19-related deaths that occurred in Italy, 3517 hospitalized and deceased individuals with COVID-19 (mean 78 ± 12 years, 33% women) were analyzed. At admission, men had a higher prevalence of ischemic heart disease (adj-OR = 1.76, 95% CI 1.39-2.23), chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (adj-OR = 1.7, 95% CI 1.29-2.27), and chronic kidney disease (adj-OR = 1.48, 95% CI 1.13-1.96), while women were older and more likely to have dementia (adj-OR = 0.73, 95% CI 0.55-0.95) and autoimmune diseases (adj-OR = 0.40, 95% CI 0.25-0.63), yet both sexes had a high level of multimorbidity. The times from symptoms' onset to admission and nasopharyngeal swab were slightly longer in men despite a typical acute respiratory illness with more frequent fever at the onset. Men received more often experimental therapy (adj-OR = 2.89, 95% CI 1.45-5.74) and experienced more likely acute kidney injury (adj-OR = 1.47, 95% CI 1.13-1.90). CONCLUSIONS: Men and women dying with COVID-19 had different clinical manifestations and transitions of care. Identifying sex-specific features in individuals with COVID-19 and fatal outcome might inform preventive strategies.

Deprescribing in Nursing Home Residents on Polypharmacy: Incidence and Associated Factors.

OBJECTIVES: To assess 1-year incidence and factors related to deprescribing in nursing home (NH) residents in Europe. DESIGN: Longitudinal multicenter cohort study based on data from the Services and Health for Elderly in Long TERm care (SHELTER) study. SETTING: NHs in Europe and Israel. PARTICIPANTS: 1843 NH residents on polypharmacy. METHODS: Polypharmacy was defined as the concurrent use of 5 or more medications. Deprescribing was defined as a reduction in the number of medications used over the study period. Residents were followed for 12 months. RESULTS: Residents in the study sample were using a mean number of 8.6 (standard deviation 2.9) medications at the baseline assessment. Deprescribing was observed in 658 residents (35.7%). Cognitive impairment (mild/moderate impairment vs intact, odds ratio [OR] 1.41, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.11-1.79; severe impairment vs intact, OR 1.60, 95% CI 1.23-2.09), presence of the geriatrician within the facility staff (OR 1.41, 95% CI 1.15-1.72), and number of medications used at baseline (OR 1.10, 95% CI 1.06-1.14) were associated with higher probabilities of deprescribing. In contrast, female gender (OR 0.76, 95% CI 0.61-0.96), heart failure (OR 0.69, 95% CI 0.53-0.89), and cancer (OR 0.64, 95% CI 0.45-0.90) were associated with a lower probability of deprescribing. CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS: Deprescribing is common in NH residents on polypharmacy, and it is associated with individual and organizational factors. More evidence is needed on deprescribing, and clear strategies on how to withdraw medications should be defined in the future.

Association of polypharmacy and hyperpolypharmacy with frailty states: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

PURPOSE: To investigate: (1) the cross-sectional association between polypharmacy, hyperpolypharmacy and presence of prefrailty or frailty; (2) the risk of incident prefrailty or frailty in persons with polypharmacy, and vice versa. METHODS: A systematic review and meta-analysis was performed according to PRISMA guidelines. We searched PubMed, Web of Science, and Embase from 01/01/1998 to 5/2/2018. Pooled estimates were obtained through random effect models and Mantel-Haenszel weighting. Homogeneity was assessed with the I2 statistic and publication bias with Egger's and Begg's tests. RESULTS: Thirty-seven studies were included. The pooled proportion of polypharmacy in persons with prefrailty and frailty was 47% (95% CI 33-61) and 59% (95% CI 42-76), respectively. Increased odds ratio of polypharmacy were seen for prefrail (pooled OR = 1.52; 95% CI 1.32-1.79) and frail persons (pooled OR = 2.62, 95% CI 1.81-3.79). Hyperpolypharmacy was also increased in prefrail (OR = 1.95; 95% CI 1.41-2.70) and frail (OR = 6.57; 95% CI 9.57-10.48) persons compared to robust persons. Only seven longitudinal studies reported data on the risk of either incident prefrailty or frailty in persons with baseline polypharmacy. A significant higher odds of developing prefrailty was found in robust persons with polypharmacy (pooled OR = 1.30; 95% CI 1.12-1.51). We found no papers investigating polypharmacy incidence in persons with prefrailty/frailty. CONCLUSIONS: Polypharmacy is common in prefrail and frail persons, and these individuals are also more likely to be on extreme drug regimens, i.e. hyperpolypharmacy, than robust older persons. More research is needed to investigate the causal relationship between polypharmacy and frailty syndromes, thereby identifying ways to jointly reduce drug burden and prefrailty/frailty in these individuals. PROSPERO REGISTRATION NUMBER: CRD42018104756.

Frailty and atrial fibrillation: A systematic review.

Atrial fibrillation (AF) is a common cardiac arrhythmia and its prevalence increases with age. There is a significant correlation between frailty, morbidity and mortality in elderly patients with cardiovascular disease, but the relation between AF and frailty is still under debate. The aim of this study is to systematically review evidence on the association between AF and frailty. A systematic review of articles published between 02/01/2002 and 09/28/2017 according to PRISMA recommendations was carried out. PubMed, Web of Science, and Embase were searched for relevant articles. 11 studies were included; one longitudinal, 10 cross-sectional. Only 4 studies assessed the association of frailty with AF, while 7 studies were performed in a sample of participants with AF and did not provide any measure of association between these two conditions. The prevalence of frailty in AF patients ranged from 4.4%-75.4% while AF prevalence in the frail population ranged from 48.2%-75.4%. Selected studies enrolled an overall sample of 9420 participants. Among them, 2803 participants were diagnosed with AF and of these 1517 (54%) were frail and 1286 (46%) were pre-frail or robust. The four studies assessing the association of AF and frailty provided conflicting results. Evidence suggests that frailty is common in persons with AF. More research is needed to better assess the association of these conditions and to identify the optimal therapeutic approach to AF in persons with frailty.