scholarly journals An Emulation of Randomized Trials of Administrating Benzodiazepines in PTSD Patients for Outcomes of Suicide-Related Events

2020 ◽  
Vol 9 (11) ◽  
pp. 3492
Author(s):  
Michael Gilbert ◽  
Andrew Dinh La ◽  
Noah Romulo Delapaz ◽  
William Kenneth Hor ◽  
Peihao Fan ◽  
...  

Benzodiazepines is a class of medications frequently prescribed to patients with post-traumatic stress disorder. Patients with PTSD have a notable increased risk of suicide compared to the general population. These medications have been theorized to increase suicidality and pose a risk when used in this patient population. Previous research has found little utility of using benzodiazepines in the PTSD population. However, benzodiazepines are still commonly prescribed by some clinicians for their symptomatic benefit. This study aims to identify the comparative efficacy of commonly prescribed benzodiazepines including midazolam, lorazepam, alprazolam, clonazepam, diazepam and temazepam in relation to suicide-related behaviors (SRBs). A total of 38,807 patients who had an ICD9 or ICD10 diagnosis of PTSD from January 2004 to October 2019 were identified through an electronic medical record database. Inclusion criteria include patients that initiated one of the above benzodiazepines after PTSD diagnosis. Exclusion criteria include previous history of benzodiazepine usage or history of SRBs within the last year prior to enrollment. For patients enrolled in this study, other concomitant drugs were not limited. The primary outcome was onset of SRBs with each respective benzodiazepine. SRBs were identified as ideation, attempt, or death from suicide. We emulated clinical trials of head-to-head comparison between two drugs by pooled logistic regression methods with the Firth option adjusting for baseline characteristics and post-baseline confounders. A total of 5753 patients were eligible for this study, with an average follow up of 5.82 months. The overall incidence for SRB was 1.51% (87/5753). Head-to-head comparisons identified that patients who received alprazolam had fewer SRBs compared to clonazepam (p = 0.0351) and lorazepam (p = 0.0373), and patients taking midazolam experienced fewer relative incidences of SRBs when compared to lorazepam (p = 0.0021) and clonazepam (p = 0.0297). After adjusting for the false discovery rate (FDR), midazolam still had fewer SRBs compared to lorazepam (FDR-adjusted p value = 0.0315). Certain benzodiazepines may provide a reduced risk of development of SRBs, suggesting careful consideration when prescribing benzodiazepines to the PTSD population.

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (3) ◽  
pp. 178
Author(s):  
Noah R. Delapaz ◽  
William K. Hor ◽  
Michael Gilbert ◽  
Andrew D. La ◽  
Feiran Liang ◽  
...  

Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a prevalent mental disorder marked by psychological and behavioral changes. Currently, there is no consensus of preferred antipsychotics to be used for the treatment of PTSD. We aim to discover whether certain antipsychotics have decreased suicide risk in the PTSD population, as these patients may be at higher risk. A total of 38,807 patients were identified with a diagnosis of PTSD through the ICD9 or ICD10 codes from January 2004 to October 2019. An emulation of randomized clinical trials was conducted to compare the outcomes of suicide-related events (SREs) among PTSD patients who ever used one of eight individual antipsychotics after the diagnosis of PTSD. Exclusion criteria included patients with a history of SREs and a previous history of antipsychotic use within one year before enrollment. Eligible individuals were assigned to a treatment group according to the antipsychotic initiated and followed until stopping current treatment, switching to another same class of drugs, death, or loss to follow up. The primary outcome was to identify the frequency of SREs associated with each antipsychotic. SREs were defined as ideation, attempts, and death by suicide. Pooled logistic regression methods with the Firth option were conducted to compare two drugs for their outcomes using SAS version 9.4 (SAS Institute, Cary, NC, USA). The results were adjusted for baseline characteristics and post-baseline, time-varying confounders. A total of 5294 patients were eligible for enrollment with an average follow up of 7.86 months. A total of 157 SREs were recorded throughout this study. Lurasidone showed a statistically significant decrease in SREs when compared head to head to almost all the other antipsychotics: aripiprazole, haloperidol, olanzapine, quetiapine, risperidone, and ziprasidone (p < 0.0001 and false discovery rate-adjusted p value < 0.0004). In addition, olanzapine was associated with higher SREs than quetiapine and risperidone, and ziprasidone was associated with higher SREs than risperidone. The results of this study suggest that certain antipsychotics may put individuals within the PTSD population at an increased risk of SREs, and that careful consideration may need to be taken when prescribed.


2021 ◽  
pp. oemed-2021-107713
Author(s):  
Beverly P Bergman ◽  
Daniel F Mackay ◽  
Jill P Pell

ObjectivesThe risk of suicide among UK military veterans remains unclear. Few recent studies have been undertaken, and most studies found no clear evidence of increased risk. We used data from the Trends in Scottish Veterans Health cohort to investigate suicides up to 2017 in order to examine whether there have been any changes in the long-term pattern of veteran suicides since our earlier study to 2012, and to compare trends in the risk of suicide among veterans with matched non-veterans.MethodRetrospective cohort study of 78 000 veterans and 253 000 non-veterans born between 1945 and 1995, matched for age, sex and area of residence, using survival analysis to examine the risk of suicide in veterans in comparison with non-veterans overall and by subgroup, and to investigate associations with specific mental health conditions.ResultsUp to 37 years of follow-up, 388 (0.5%) veterans and 1531 (0.6%) non-veterans died from suicide. The risk of suicide among veterans did not differ from non-veterans overall. Increased risk among early service leavers was explained by differences in deprivation, and the previously reported increased risk in female veterans is now confined to older women. Suicide was most common in the fifth decade of life, and around 20 years postservice. A history of mood disorder or post-traumatic stress disorder was non-significantly more common in veterans.ConclusionsVeterans are not at increased risk of suicide overall. The highest risk for both men and women is in middle age, many years after leaving service.


2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
pp. e001948
Author(s):  
Marion Denos ◽  
Xiao-Mei Mai ◽  
Bjørn Olav Åsvold ◽  
Elin Pettersen Sørgjerd ◽  
Yue Chen ◽  
...  

IntroductionWe sought to investigate the relationship between serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25(OH)D) level and the risk of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) in adults who participated in the Trøndelag Health Study (HUNT), and the possible effect modification by family history and genetic predisposition.Research design and methodsThis prospective study included 3574 diabetes-free adults at baseline who participated in the HUNT2 (1995–1997) and HUNT3 (2006–2008) surveys. Serum 25(OH)D levels were determined at baseline and classified as <50 and ≥50 nmol/L. Family history of diabetes was defined as self-reported diabetes among parents and siblings. A Polygenic Risk Score (PRS) for T2DM based on 166 single-nucleotide polymorphisms was generated. Incident T2DM was defined by self-report and/or non-fasting glucose levels greater than 11 mmol/L and serum glutamic acid decarboxylase antibody level of <0.08 antibody index at the follow-up. Multivariable logistic regression models were applied to calculate adjusted ORs with 95% CIs. Effect modification by family history or PRS was assessed by likelihood ratio test (LRT).ResultsOver 11 years of follow-up, 92 (2.6%) participants developed T2DM. A higher risk of incident T2DM was observed in participants with serum 25(OH)D level of<50 nmol/L compared with those of ≥50 nmol/L (OR 1.72, 95% CI 1.03 to 2.86). Level of 25(OH)D<50 nmol/L was associated with an increased risk of T2DM in adults without family history of diabetes (OR 3.87, 95% CI 1.62 to 9.24) but not in those with a family history (OR 0.72, 95% CI 0.32 to 1.62, p value for LRT=0.003). There was no effect modification by PRS (p value for LRT>0.23).ConclusionSerum 25(OH)D<50 nmol/L was associated with an increased risk of T2DM in Norwegian adults. The inverse association was modified by family history of diabetes but not by genetic predisposition to T2DM.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tiantian Pang ◽  
Lindsay Murn ◽  
Dana Williams ◽  
Maayan Lawental ◽  
Anya Abhayakumar ◽  
...  

Background: Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a psychiatric disorder commonly caused by a traumatic event(s) and prevalent among service members and veterans. Accelerated Resolution Therapy (ART) is an emerging "mind-body" psychotherapy for PTSD that is generally briefer and less expensive than current first-line treatments, such as cognitive processing therapy (CPT) and prolonged exposure (PE) therapy. Objective: This study aimed to examine the results of ART for treatment of military-related PTSD, with stratification by prior history of PTSD treatment, including refractory PTSD following receipt of guideline-driven first-line psychotherapy. Methods: The study compares the PTSD treatment results of ART between (military service members and/or) veterans with a prior history of PTSD treatment (medication only, n=40; first-line psychotherapy, n=33; other psychotherapy, n=42) and a treatment-naive group (n=33). Participants were assessed at baseline, post-treatment, and 3- or 6-month follow-up using PCL-M scores (PTSD checklist). Results: Mean age was 43.8 years, 95% male, 84% white race. The treatment completion rate was 72% with a mean of 3.5 treatment sessions. Within-group standardized effect sizes for pre-to-post changes in PTSD scores (PCL-M) were large at 1.11, 1.88, 1.03, and 1.48 for the medication only, first-line psychotherapy, other psychotherapy, and treatment-naive groups, respectively (p=0.02 for between-group comparison). Similar results were observed for measures of depression and anxiety, and baseline to follow-up results was generally similar. Conclusions: In a brief treatment period, ART appears to result in substantial reductions in symptoms of PTSD among veterans, including those previously treated (unsuccessfully) with first-line psychotherapies endorsed by the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) and Veterans Affairs (VA). These results suggest that ART be considered as a treatment modality for veterans with refractory PTSD.


2021 ◽  
pp. 152483992110654
Author(s):  
Kenneth B. Wells ◽  
Kia Skrine Jeffers ◽  
Joseph Mango

There is an emerging literature on research interviews to inform arts projects, but little on opera. This case study illustrates how research data informed an opera on Veteran recovery. Deidentified interviews were selected from 280 adults with a history of depression at 10-year follow-up to a randomized trial. Interviews were used to inform characters, storyline, and libretto. Ethical strategies included: changing details and merging stories and characters to create two Veterans and one spouse as leads, a storyline, and choral passages, with a focus on recovery from post-traumatic stress and homelessness. To engage a broad audience and address stigma, accessible composition techniques (melody, harmony) were used. We found that qualitative/mixed data can inform libretto and composition for an opera on Veteran recovery, through integrating art and health science.


2016 ◽  
Vol 23 (04) ◽  
pp. 364-369
Author(s):  
Hafiz Mughees Ather ◽  
Muhammad Sarfraz ◽  
Touseef Anwaar

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is a common cancer. It has got significant morbidity andmortality. It is a common malignancy. Obesity is defined as BMI equal or above 25.1 kg/m2.Obesity is associated with an increased risk of developing CRC and poor prognosis in patientswith colorectal cancer. We conducted a study on 414 patients to look for correlation of obesitywith T, N, M and DUKES stage and frequency of obesity in CRC patients. Period: It involvedall CRC cases presented between 2004 to 2009. Methods: It was a single center retrospectivechart review. Total patient were 414. Data was collected on Performa and analyzed on SPSSversion 19. Results: Out of 414 patients males were 243 (58.7%) and females were 171 (41.3%).Mean age was 56 years. It was 57.7 years for males and 54.6 years for females. 221 patientswere obese. 123 patients presented in advanced DUKES stage. Mean BMI was 26 and meanCEA level was 76.60. 134 patients presented in advanced T stage (T3 and T4). 20% patientswith positive polyp history were obese while 80% patients with positive polyp history were nonobese. Majority of patients with family history of CRC, previous history of IBD, smoking andprevious colonoscopy were non obese. Abdominal pain, abdominal distension, constipation,bleeding per rectum and fever were more common in obese patients but this difference was notstatistically significant. About 56% of patients with abdominal pain and abdominal distensionwere obese and about 59% of patients with constipation and bleeding per-rectum were obese.About 65% of diabetic and hypertensive patients were obese (P value 0.01, 0.01) while 70%patients with coronary artery disease were obese. Conclusion: CRC affects more males andadvanced age group. Obese CRC patients are more than non-obese patients but obesity is notassociated with advanced stage of disease. Co-morbidities like diabetes mellitus, hypertensionare more common in obese CRC patients.


BMC Cancer ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Andreia Albuquerque ◽  
Michelle A. L. Godfrey ◽  
Carmelina Cappello ◽  
Francesca Pesola ◽  
Julie Bowring ◽  
...  

Abstract Background There is currently a lack of information on full anogenital evaluation of women with a previous history of anogenital neoplasia. Methods Retrospective analysis of the Homerton Anogenital Neoplasia Service records from January 2012 to March 2017, to identify all new referrals of women with previous anogenital neoplasia, who had had at least one complete examination of all anogenital sites. Multizonal anogenital disease (MZD) was defined as the presence of high-grade squamous intraepithelial lesions (HSIL)/carcinoma concurrently at two or more of the following sites/zones: perianus, anal canal, vulva, vagina or cervix. Results 253 women were included, mean age was 47 (SD=15) years and median duration of follow-up was 12 (IQR=21) months. Fifty-six women (22%) were diagnosed with MZD at first assessment and/or during follow-up. Current smokers (RR=1.84, 95% CI 1.21–2.79, p=0.004) and women on immunodulators/immunosuppressive drugs (RR=2.57, 95% CI 1.72-3.86, p<0.001) had an increased risk for MZD. The risk was lower for women without a previous history of anogenital high-grade lesions/cancer compared to those with this history (RR=0.06, 95% CI 0.01-0.45, p=0.006). Conclusions Multizonal assessment was important to diagnose occult areas of disease and should be especially considered in current smokers, pharmacologically immunocompromised and those with a previous history of anogenital HSIL/cancer.


2021 ◽  
Vol 20 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Seyyed Saeed Moazzeni ◽  
Reyhane Hizomi Arani ◽  
Niloofar Deravi ◽  
Mitra Hasheminia ◽  
Davood Khalili ◽  
...  

Abstract Background To examine the impact of weight change on incident cardiovascular disease and coronary heart disease (CVD/CHD) among an Iranian population with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). Methods The study population included 763 participants with T2DM aged ≥ 30 years without a history of CVD and cancer at baseline. Two weight measurements done at baseline and about 3 years later. Based on their weight change, they categorized into: > 5% loss, 3–5% loss, stable (± < 3%), 3–5% gain, > 5% gain. Participants were then followed for incident CVD/CHD annually up to 20 March 2018. Multivariable Cox proportional hazard models, adjusted for age, sex, body mass index, educational level, current smoking, glucose-lowering drug use, family history of CVD, hypertension, hypercholesterolemia, chronic kidney disease, and fasting plasma glucose (FPG) were applied to estimate the hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) of weight change categories for incident CVD/CHD, considering stable weight as reference. Results After the weight change measurement, during a median follow-up of 14.4 years, 258 CVD and 214 CHD occurred. Over 5% weight gain was associated with reduced risks of CVD and CHD development by the HRs of 0.70 [95% CI 0.48–1.01; P-value: 0.058] and 0.61 [0.40–0.93], respectively, in multivariable analysis. After further adjustment for FPG change, the HRs of weight gain > 5% were attenuated to 0.75 [0.51–1.10; P-value: 0.138] and 0.66 [043–1.01; P-value: 0.053] for incident CVD and CHD, respectively. The effect of weight loss > 5% was in opposite direction among those older versus younger than 60 years; with suggestive increased risk (not statistically significant) of incident CHD/CVD for the older group. Moreover, weight gain > 5% significantly reduced the risk of CHD only among those older than 60 years (P-value for interaction < 0.2). Furthermore, weight gain > 5% had an association with lower risk of CVD and CHD among sulfonylurea users (0.56 [0.32–0.98] for CVD and 0.54 [0.29–0.99] for CHD). Conclusions Our results with a long-term follow-up showed that weight gain > 5% was associated with better CVD/CHD outcomes among Iranian participants with T2DM, especially older ones. Moreover, we did not find an unfavorable impact on incident CVD/CHD for sulfonylurea-induced weight gain.


2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Thomas M Olino ◽  
Daniel Klein ◽  
John Seeley

Background: Most studies examining predictors of onset of depression focus on variable centered regression methods that focus on effects of multiple predictors. In contrast, person-centered approaches develop profiles of factors and these profiles can be examined as predictors of onset. Here, we developed profiles of adolescent psychosocial and clinical functioning among adolescents without a history of major depression. Methods: Data come from a subsample of participants from the Oregon Adolescent Depression Project who completed self-report measures of functioning in adolescence and completed diagnostic and self-report measures at follow-up assessments up to approximately 15 years after baseline. Results: We identified four profiles of psychosocial and clinical functioning: Thriving; Average Functioning; Externalizing Vulnerability and Family Stress; and Internalizing Vulnerability at the baseline assessment of participants without a history of depression at the initial assessment in mid- adolescence. Classes differed in the likelihood of onset and course of depressive disorders, experience of later anxiety and substance use disorders, and psychosocial functioning in adulthood. Moreover, the predictive utility of these classes was maintained when controlling for multiple other established risk factors for depressive disorders. Conclusions: This work highlights the utility of examining multiple factors simultaneously to understand risk for depression.


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