scholarly journals Association between faecal occult bleeding and medicines prescribed for chronic disease: a data linkage study

2020 ◽  
pp. jclinpath-2020-206986
Author(s):  
Gillian Libby ◽  
Karen N Barnett ◽  
Callum G Fraser ◽  
Robert J C Steele
Keyword(s):  
Chronic Disease ◽  
Chronic Conditions ◽  
Early Stage ◽  
Occult Blood ◽  
Faecal Occult Blood Test ◽  
Linkage Study ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Faecal Occult ◽  
Normal Test ◽  
The Relationship

AimsThe presence of detectable faecal haemoglobin (f-Hb) has been shown to be associated with all-cause mortality and with death from a number of chronic diseases not known to cause gastrointestinal blood loss. This effect is independent of taking medicines that increase the risk of bleeding. To further investigate the association of f-Hb with chronic disease, the relationship between f-Hb and prescription of medicines for a variety of conditions was studied.MethodsAll subjects (134 192) who participated in guaiac faecal occult blood test (gFOBT) screening in Tayside, Scotland, between March 2000 and March 2016, were studied in a cross-sectional manner by linking their gFOBT result (abnormal or normal) with prescribing data at the time of the test.ResultsThe screening participants with an abnormal gFOBT result were more likely to have been being prescribed medicines for heart disease, hypertension, diabetes and depression than those with a normal test result. This association persisted after adjustment for sex, age and deprivation (OR 1.35 (95%CI 1.23 to 1.48), 1.39 (1.27 to 1.52), 1.35 (1.15 to 1.58), 1.36 (1.16 to 1.59), all p<0.0001, for the four medicine categories, respectively).ConclusionsThe results of this study confer further substantial weight to the concept that detectable f-Hb is associated with a range of common chronic conditions that have a systemic inflammatory component; we speculate that f-Hb might have potential in identifying individuals who are high risk of developing chronic conditions or are at an early stage of disease.

scholarly journals Effect of number of medications and use of potentially inappropriate medications on frailty among early-stage older outpatients

2021 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Yuya Uragami ◽  
Kazuhiro Takikawa ◽  
Hajime Kareki ◽  
Koji Kimura ◽  
Kazuyuki Yamamoto ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Early Stage ◽  
Linear Trend ◽  
Cross Sectional Study ◽  
Potentially Inappropriate Medications ◽  
Sectional Study ◽  
Antithrombotic Drugs ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Inappropriate Medications ◽  
Frailty Score

Abstract Background Frailty is an urgent concern among an aging population worldwide. However, the relationship between frailty and number and types of medications has not been studied in detail among early-stage older patients, and it is unclear what prescriptions may have a role in preventing frailty. This study aimed to clarify the effects of number of medications and use of potentially inappropriate medications (PIMs) on frailty among early-stage older outpatients in Japan. Methods A cross-sectional study was undertaken. Frailty scores and medications of outpatients aged 65–74 years who regularly visited community pharmacies were investigated. Frailty scores were classified as 0 (non-frailty), 1–2 (pre-frailty), and ≥ 3 (frailty). The association between frailty and number of medications was analyzed by age and compared between PIM use and non-use groups. The proportion of patients who used PIMs was also analyzed by frailty score. Results Of 923 older outpatients, 49 (5.3%) and 318 (34.5%) patients had frailty and pre-frailty scores, respectively. The numbers of medications among patients with pre-frailty and frailty were significantly higher than among those with non-frailty (p <  0.001 for both). A similar increase was shown for PIM use groups aged 69–71 and 72–74 years, but not for the PIM use group aged 65–68 years and all groups without PIM use. An increasing linear trend was observed for the relationship between the proportion of patients who used any PIM, as well as some subcategories of PIMs (such as NSAIDs, benzodiazepines, loop diuretics and antithrombotic drugs) and frailty score. Conclusions Unnecessary medication use among early-stage older outpatients, especially patients aged ≥69 years who use PIMs and many medications, seems to be associated with frailty, but further research is needed to confirm these findings.

scholarly journals Exploring the Barriers Toward Colorectal Cancer Screening: A Literature Review

2021 ◽  
Vol 15 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Rolla Hamdan ◽  
Jessie Johnson ◽  
Maryam Fatemi ◽  
Kathleen Benjamin ◽  
Afrah Moosa
Keyword(s):  
Colorectal Cancer ◽  
Cancer Screening ◽  
Blood Test ◽  
Occult Blood ◽  
Faecal Occult Blood Test ◽  
Occult Blood Test ◽  
Faecal Occult Blood ◽  
Primary Health ◽  
Faecal Occult ◽  
Bowel Cancer Screening

Background: Colorectal cancer is the third most common cancer and the second leading cause of death worldwide. Bowel cancer screening helps prevent colon cancer by early detection of polyps, leading to efficient treatment and reduced mortality. Within Qatar, primary health facilities promote bowel screening by using the faecal occult blood test. However, the popularity and use of this test is still low. Aim: The aim of this literature review is to explore barriers related to colorectal cancer bowel screening using the faecal occult blood test in primary health care settings to facilitate colorectal cancer screening in Qatar. Method: Cronin’s five step framework for literature reviews was utilized for this paper. This review included nine articles that were peer-reviewed and published between 2009 and 2019. The nine articles were appraised by using the Mixed Methods Appraisal Tool. This tool has separate criteria to assess the quality of the qualitative, quantitative, and mixed-method studies. Result: Three main barriers to bowel cancer screening included knowledge deficit, personal beliefs and organizational barriers. Conclusion: The main barriers are related to the patients’ lack of knowledge and personal beliefs. Overcoming these barriers is essential to raising awareness about this issue among all nurses, physicians, and patients. It is necessary to involve stakeholders in order to mitigate barriers. Developing educational activities for healthcare professionals will provide information that they can share with patients to encourage screening and decrease the fear of the test. Developing a pamphlet to increase patient awareness will also encourage screening and work toward decreasing fear. Key words: faecal occult blood test, faecal immunochemical test, barriers

scholarly journals Adding familial risk assessment to faecal occult blood test can increase the effectiveness of population-based colorectal cancer screening

2011 ◽  
Vol 47 (10) ◽  
pp. 1571-1577 ◽  
Author(s):  
N. Dekker ◽  
L.G.M. van Rossum ◽  
M. Van Vugt-van Pinxteren ◽  
S.H.C. van Stiphout ◽  
R.P.M.G. Hermens ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Colorectal Cancer ◽  
Risk Assessment ◽  
Cancer Screening ◽  
Blood Test ◽  
Familial Risk ◽  
Occult Blood ◽  
Faecal Occult Blood Test ◽  
Population Based ◽  
Occult Blood Test ◽  
Faecal Occult
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