scholarly journals Quantifying the impact of pre-existing conditions on the stage of oesophagogastric cancer at diagnosis: a primary care cohort study using electronic medical records

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Myra Quiroga ◽  
Elizabeth A Shephard ◽  
Luke T A Mounce ◽  
Madeline Carney ◽  
William T Hamilton ◽  
...  

Abstract Background Pre-existing conditions interfere with cancer diagnosis by offering diagnostic alternatives, competing for clinical attention or through patient surveillance. Objective To investigate associations between oesophagogastric cancer stage and pre-existing conditions. Methods Retrospective cohort study using Clinical Practice Research Datalink (CPRD) data, with English cancer registry linkage. Participants aged ≥40 years had consulted primary care in the year before their incident diagnosis of oesophagogastric cancer in 01/01/2010–31/12/2015. CPRD records pre-diagnosis were searched for codes denoting clinical features of oesophagogastric cancer and for pre-existing conditions, including those providing plausible diagnostic alternatives for those features. Logistic regression analysed associations between stage and multimorbidity (≥2 conditions; reference category: no multimorbidity) and having ‘diagnostic alternative(s)’, controlling for age, sex, deprivation and cancer site. Results Of 2444 participants provided, 695 (28%) were excluded for missing stage, leaving 1749 for analysis (1265/1749, 72.3% had advanced-stage disease). Multimorbidity was associated with stage [odds ratio 0.63, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.47–0.85, P = 0.002], with moderate evidence of an interaction term with sex (1.76, 1.08–2.86, P = 0.024). There was no association between alternative explanations and stage (odds ratio 1.18, 95% CI 0.87–1.60, P = 0.278). Conclusions In men, multimorbidity is associated with a reduced chance of advanced-stage oesophagogastric cancer, to levels seen collectively for women.

2020 ◽  
pp. BJGP.2020.0890
Author(s):  
Vadsala Baskaran ◽  
Fiona Pearce ◽  
Rowan H Harwood ◽  
Tricia McKeever ◽  
Wei Shen Lim

Background: Up to 70% of patients report ongoing symptoms four weeks after hospitalisation for pneumonia, and the impact on primary care is poorly understood. Aim: To investigate the frequency of primary care consultations after hospitalisation for pneumonia, and the reasons for consultation. Design: Population-based cohort study. Setting: UK primary care database of anonymised medical records (Clinical Practice Research Datalink, CPRD) linked to Hospital Episode Statistics (HES), England. Methods: Adults with the first ICD-10 code for pneumonia (J12-J18) recorded in HES between July 2002-June 2017 were included. Primary care consultation within 30 days of discharge was identified as the recording of any medical Read code (excluding administration-related codes) in CPRD. Competing-risks regression analyses were conducted to determine the predictors of consultation and antibiotic use at consultation; death and readmission were competing events. Reasons for consultation were examined. Results: Of 56,396 adults, 55.9% (n=31,542) consulted primary care within 30 days of discharge. The rate of consultation was highest within 7 days (4.7 per 100 person-days). The strongest predictor for consultation was a higher number of primary care consultations in the year prior to index admission (adjusted sHR 8.98, 95% CI 6.42-12.55). The commonest reason for consultation was for a respiratory disorder (40.7%, n=12,840), 12% for pneumonia specifically. At consultation, 31.1% (n=9,823) received further antibiotics. Penicillins (41.6%, n=5,753) and macrolides (21.9%, n=3,029) were the commonest antibiotics prescribed. Conclusion: Following hospitalisation for pneumonia, a significant proportion of patients consulted primary care within 30 days, highlighting the morbidity experienced by patients during recovery from pneumonia.


2020 ◽  
Vol 70 (698) ◽  
pp. e629-e635 ◽  
Author(s):  
Madeline Carney ◽  
Myra Quiroga ◽  
Luke Mounce ◽  
Elizabeth Shephard ◽  
Willie Hamilton ◽  
...  

BackgroundPre-existing concurrent medical conditions (multimorbidity) complicate cancer diagnosis when they provide plausible diagnostic alternatives for cancer symptoms.AimTo investigate associations in bladder cancer between: first, pre-existing condition count and advanced-stage diagnosis; and, second, comorbidities that share symptoms with bladder cancer and advanced-stage diagnosis.Design and settingThis observational UK cohort study was set in the Clinical Practice Research Datalink with Public Health England National Cancer Registration and Analysis Service linkage.MethodIncluded participants were aged ≥40 years with an incident diagnosis of bladder cancer between 1 January 2000 and 31 December 2015, and primary care records of attendance for haematuria, dysuria, or abdominal mass in the year before diagnosis. Stage at diagnosis (stage 1 or 2 versus stage 3 or 4) was the outcome variable. Putative explanatory variables using logistic regression were examined, including patient-level count of pre-existing conditions and ‘alternative-explanations’, indicating whether pre-existing condition(s) were plausible diagnostic alternatives for the index cancer symptom.ResultsIn total, 1468 patients (76.4% male) were studied, of which 399 (35.6%) males and 217 (62.5%) females had alternative explanations for their index cancer symptom, the most common being urinary tract infection with haematuria. Females were more likely than males to be diagnosed with advanced-stage cancer (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] 1.62; 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.20 to 2.18; P = 0.001). Alternative explanations were strongly associated with advanced-stage diagnosis in both sexes (aOR 1.69; 95% CI = 1.20 to 2.39; P = 0.003).ConclusionAlternative explanations were associated with advanced-stage diagnosis of bladder cancer. Females were more likely than males to be diagnosed with advanced-stage disease, but the effect was not driven entirely by alternative explanations.


2021 ◽  
Vol 71 (706) ◽  
pp. e347-e355
Author(s):  
Constantinos Koshiaris ◽  
Ann Van den Bruel ◽  
Brian D Nicholson ◽  
Sarah Lay-Flurrie ◽  
FD Richard Hobbs ◽  
...  

BackgroundPatients with myeloma experience substantial delays in their diagnosis, which can adversely affect their prognosis.AimTo generate a clinical prediction rule to identify primary care patients who are at highest risk of myeloma.Design and settingRetrospective open cohort study using electronic health records data from the UK’s Clinical Practice Research Datalink (CPRD) between 1 January 2000 and 1 January 2014.MethodPatients from the CPRD were included in the study if they were aged ≥40 years, had two full blood counts within a year, and had no previous diagnosis of myeloma. Cases of myeloma were identified in the following 2 years. Derivation and external validation datasets were created based on geographical region. Prediction equations were estimated using Cox proportional hazards models including patient characteristics, symptoms, and blood test results. Calibration, discrimination, and clinical utility were evaluated in the validation set.ResultsOf 1 281 926 eligible patients, 737 (0.06%) were diagnosed with myeloma within 2 years. Independent predictors of myeloma included: older age; male sex; back, chest and rib pain; nosebleeds; low haemoglobin, platelets, and white cell count; and raised mean corpuscular volume, calcium, and erythrocyte sedimentation rate. A model including symptoms and full blood count had an area under the curve of 0.84 (95% CI = 0.81 to 0.87) and sensitivity of 62% (95% CI = 55% to 68%) at the highest risk decile. The corresponding statistics for a second model, which also included calcium and inflammatory markers, were an area under the curve of 0.87 (95% CI = 0.84 to 0.90) and sensitivity of 72% (95% CI = 66% to 78%).ConclusionThe implementation of these prediction rules would highlight the possibility of myeloma in patients where GPs do not suspect myeloma. Future research should focus on the prospective evaluation of further external validity and the impact on clinical practice.


2015 ◽  
Vol 100 (3) ◽  
pp. 214-219 ◽  
Author(s):  
Cornelia H M van Jaarsveld ◽  
Martin C Gulliford

ObjectiveThis study aimed to use primary care electronic health records to evaluate the prevalence of overweight and obesity in 2–15-year-old children in England and compare trends over the last two decades.DesignCohort study of primary care electronic health records.Setting375 general practices in England that contribute to the UK Clinical Practice Research Datalink.PatientsIndividual participants were sampled if they were aged between 2 and 15 years during the period 1994–2013 and had one or more records of body mass index (BMI).Main outcome measurePrevalence of overweight (including obesity) was defined as a BMI equal to or greater than the 85th centile of the 1990 UK reference population.ResultsData were analysed for 370 544 children with 507 483 BMI records. From 1994 to 2003, the odds of overweight and obesity increased by 8.1% per year (95% CI 7.2% to 8.9%) compared with 0.4% (−0.2% to 1.1%) from 2004 to 2013. Trends were similar for boys and girls, but differed by age groups, with prevalence stabilising in 2004 to 2013 in the younger (2–10 year) but not older (11–15 year) age group, where rates continued to increase.ConclusionsPrimary care electronic health records in England may provide a valuable resource for monitoring obesity trends. More than a third of UK children are overweight or obese, but the prevalence of overweight and obesity may have stabilised between 2004 and 2013.


2020 ◽  
pp. bjgp20X713981
Author(s):  
Fergus W Hamilton ◽  
Rupert Payne ◽  
David T Arnold

Abstract Background: Lymphopenia (reduced lymphocyte count) during infections such as pneumonia is common and is associated with increased mortality. Little is known about the relationship between lymphocyte count prior to developing infections and mortality risk. Aim: To identify whether patients with lymphopenia who develop pneumonia have increased risk of death. Design and Setting: A cohort study in the Clinical Practice Research Datalink (CPRD), linked to national death records. This database is representative of the UK population, and is extracted from routine records. Methods: Patients aged >50 years with a pneumonia diagnosis were included. We measured the relationship between lymphocyte count and mortality, using a time-to-event (multivariable Cox regression) approach, adjusted for age, sex, social factors, and potential causes of lymphopenia. Our primary analysis used the most recent test prior to pneumonia. The primary outcome was 28 day, all-cause mortality. Results: 40,909 participants with pneumonia were included from 1998 until 2019, with 28,556 having had a lymphocyte test prior to pneumonia (median time between test and diagnosis 677 days). When lymphocyte count was categorised (0-1×109/L, 1-2×109/L, 2-3×109/L, >3×109/L, never tested), both 28-day and one-year mortality varied significantly: 14%, 9.2%, 6.5%, 6.1% and 25% respectively for 28-day mortality, and 41%, 29%, 22%, 20% and 52% for one-year mortality. In multivariable Cox regression, lower lymphocyte count was consistently associated with increased hazard of death. Conclusion: Lymphopenia is an independent predictor of mortality in primary care pneumonia. Even low-normal lymphopenia (1-2×109/L) is associated with an increase in short- and long-term mortality compared with higher counts.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Emma Rezel-Potts ◽  
Martin C. Gulliford ◽  

AbstractObjectivesSepsis is a growing concern for health systems, but the epidemiology of sepsis is poorly characterised. We evaluated sepsis recording across primary care electronic records, hospital episodes and mortality registrations.Methods and FindingsCohort study including 378 general practices in England from Clinical Practice Research Datalink (CPRD) GOLD database from 2002 to 2017 with 36,209,676 patient-years of follow-up with linked Hospital Episode Statistics (HES) and Office for National Statistics (ONS) mortality registrations. Incident sepsis episodes were identified for each source. Concurrent records from different sources were identified and age-standardised and age-specific incidence rates compared. Logistic regression analysis evaluated associations of gender, age-group, fifth of deprivation and period of diagnosis with concurrent sepsis recording.There were 20,206 first episodes of sepsis from primary care, 20,278 from HES and 13,972 from ONS. There were 4,117 (20%) first HES sepsis events and 2,438 (17%) mortality records concurrent with incident primary care sepsis records within 30 days. Concurrent HES and primary care records of sepsis within 30 days before or after first diagnosis were higher at younger or older ages and for patients with the most recent period of diagnosis with those diagnosed during 2007:2011 less likely to have a concurrent HES record given CPRD compared to those diagnosed during 2012 to 2017 (odd ratio 0.65, 95% confidence interval 0.60 to 0.70). At age 85 and older, primary care incidence was 5.22 per 1,000 patient years (95% CI 1.75 to 11.97) in men and 3.55 (0.87 to 9.58) in women which increased to 10.09 (4.86 to 18.51) for men and 7.22 (2.96 to 14.72) for women after inclusion of all three sources.ConclusionExplicit recording of sepsis is inconsistent across healthcare sectors with a high proportion of non-concurrent records. Incidence estimates are higher when linked data are analysed.


PLoS ONE ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 15 (12) ◽  
pp. e0244764
Author(s):  
Emma Rezel-Potts ◽  
Martin C. Gulliford ◽  

Background Sepsis is a growing concern for health systems, but the epidemiology of sepsis is poorly characterised. We evaluated sepsis recording across primary care electronic records, hospital episodes and mortality registrations. Methods and findings Cohort study including 378 general practices in England from Clinical Practice Research Datalink (CPRD) GOLD database from 2002–2017 with 36,209,676 patient-years of follow-up with linked Hospital Episode Statistics (HES) and Office for National Statistics (ONS) mortality registrations. Incident sepsis episodes were identified for each source. Concurrent records from different sources were identified and age-standardised and age-specific incidence rates compared. Logistic regression analysis evaluated associations of gender, age-group, fifth of deprivation and period of diagnosis with concurrent sepsis recording. There were 20,206 first episodes of sepsis from primary care, 20,278 from HES and 13,972 from ONS. There were 4,117 (20%) first HES sepsis events and 2,438 (17%) mortality records concurrent with incident primary care sepsis records within 30 days. Concurrent HES and primary care records of sepsis within 30 days before or after first diagnosis were higher at younger or older ages and for patients with the most recent period of diagnosis. Those diagnosed during 2007:2011 were less likely to have a concurrent HES record given CPRD compared to those diagnosed during 2012–2017 (odd ratio 0.65, 95% confidence interval 0.60–0.70). At age 85 and older, primary care incidence was 5.22 per 1,000 patient years (95% CI 1.75–11.97) in men and 3.55 (0.87–9.58) in women which increased to 10.09 (4.86–18.51) for men and 7.22 (2.96–14.72) for women after inclusion of all three sources. Conclusion Explicit recording of ‘sepsis’ is inconsistent across healthcare sectors with a high proportion of non-concurrent records. Incidence estimates are higher when linked data are analysed.


BMJ Open ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (7) ◽  
pp. e034024
Author(s):  
Lorna Katharine Fraser ◽  
Fliss E M Murtagh ◽  
Trevor Sheldon ◽  
Simon Gilbody ◽  
Catherine Hewitt

IntroductionThere are now nearly 50 000 children with a life-limiting or life-threatening condition in the UK. These include conditions where there is no reasonable hope of cure and from which they will die, as well as conditions for which curative treatment may be feasible but can fail, for example, cancer or heart failure. Having a child with a life-limiting condition involves being a coordinator and provider of healthcare in addition to the responsibilities and pressures of parenting a child who is expected to die young. This adversely affects the health and well-being of these mothers and affects their ability to care for their child, but the extent of the impact is poorly understood.This study aims to quantify the incidence and nature of mental and physical morbidity in mothers of children with a life-limiting condition, their healthcare use and to assess whether there is a relationship between the health of the mother and the child’s condition.Methods and analysisA comparative cohort study using data from the Clinical Practice Research Datalink and linked hospital data will include three groups of children and their mothers (those with a life-limiting condition, those with a chronic condition and those with no long-term health condition total=20 000 mother–child dyads). Incidence rates and incidence rate ratios will be used to quantify and compare the outcomes between groups with multivariable regression modelling used to assess the relationship between the child’s disease trajectory and mother’s health.Ethics and disseminationThis study protocol has approval from the Independent Scientific Advisory Committee for the UK Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency Database Research. The results of this study will be reported according to the STROBE and RECORD guidelines. There will also be a lay summary for parents which will be available to download from the Martin House Research Centre website (www.york.ac.uk/mhrc).


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