Effects of preventive home visits on health-related quality-of-life and mortality in home-dwelling older adults

Objective: We explored the effectiveness of preventive home visits on the health-related quality-of-life (HRQoL) and mortality among independently community-dwelling older adults. Design: A randomised controlled trial. Subjects: Independently home-dwelling older adults 75 years and older, consisting of 211 in the intervention and 211 in the control group. Setting: Hyvinkaa town municipality, Finland. Main outcome measures: We used the change in HRQoL measured by the 15D scale as our primary outcome. Mortality at two years was retrieved from central registers. Results: At the one-year time point, the HRQoL according to the 15D scores deteriorated in the control group, whereas we found no change in the intervention group. The difference between the 15D score changes between the groups was -0.015 (95% CI -0.029 to -0.0016; p = 0.028, adjusted for age, sex, and baseline value). At the two-year time point as the visits ended, that difference diminished. There was no difference in mortality between the groups during the 24-month follow-up. Conclusion: Preventive home visits implemented by a multidisciplinary team with CGA appear to help slow down the decline in HRQoL among older adults, although the effect diminishes when the visits end.Peer reviewe

The Effects of Preventive Home Visits on Older People's Use of Health Care and Social Services and Related Costs

Background: We use data from a randomized controlled trial on preventive home visits exploring effectiveness on health-related quality of life. In this article, we examine the intervention's cost-effectiveness and effects on quality-adjusted life years in older home-dwelling adults. Methods: There were 422 independently home-dwelling participants in the randomized, controlled trial, all aged more than 75 years, with equal numbers in the control and intervention groups. The intervention took place in a municipality in Finland and consisted of multiprofessional preventive home visits. We gathered the data on health care and social services use from central registers and medical records during 1 year before the intervention and 2 years after the intervention. We analyzed the total health care and social services use and costs per person-years and the difference in change in health-related quality of life as measured using the 15D measure. We calculated quality-adjusted life years and incremental cost-effectiveness ratios. Results: There was no significant difference in baseline use of services or in the total use and costs of health care and social services during the 2-year follow-up between the two groups. In the intervention group, health-related quality of life declined significantly more slowly compared with the control group (-0.015), but there was no significant difference in quality-adjusted life years gained between the groups. The cost-effectiveness plane showed 60% of incremental cost-effectiveness ratios lying in the dominant quadrant, representing additional effects with lower costs. Conclusions: This multiprofessional preventive home visit intervention appears to have positive effects on health-related quality of life without accruing additional costs.Peer reviewe

AAV2-VEGF-B gene therapy failed to induce angiogenesis in ischemic porcine myocardium due to inflammatory responses

Therapeutic angiogenesis induced by gene therapy is a promising approach to treat patients suffering from severe coronary artery disease. In small experimental animals, adeno-associated viruses (AAVs) have shown good transduction efficacy and long-term transgene expression in heart muscle and other tissues. However, it has been difficult to achieve cardiac-specific angiogenic effects with AAV vectors. We tested the hypothesis whether AAV2 gene transfer (1 x 10(13) vg) of vascular endothelial growth factor B (VEGF-B186) together with immunosuppressive corticosteroid treatment can induce long-term cardiac-specific therapeutic effects in the porcine ischemic heart. Gene transfers were delivered percutaneously using direct intramyocardial injections, improving targeting and avoiding direct contact with blood, thus reducing the likelihood of immediate immune reactions. After 1- and 6-month time points, the capillary area was analyzed, myocardial perfusion reserve (MPR) was measured with radiowater positron emission tomography ([O-15]H2O-PET), and fluorodeoxyglucose ([F-18]FDG) uptake was used to evaluate myocardial viability. Clinical chemistry and immune responses were analyzed using standard methods. After 1- and 6-month follow-up, AAV2-VEGF-B186 gene transfer failed to induce angiogenesis and improve myocardial perfusion and viability. Here, we show that inflammatory responses attenuated the therapeutic effect of AAV2 gene transfer by significantly reducing successful transduction and long-term gene expression despite the efforts to reduce the likelihood of immune reactions and the use of targeted local gene transfer methods.</p

Keuhkoahtaumataudin sairaalahoito perusterveydenhuollossa ja erikoissairaanhoidossa

Abstract Hospital treatment of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease in primary and secondary health care and changes in treatment from 1972 to 2004 were examined by means of the treatment register and the register of deaths. During the study period, the patients with a principal diagnosis of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) underwent 356,066 treatment periods. In 1980–1984, 44.3% of the patients hospitalized the first time for COPD died within five years after their treatment period, and in 1990–1994, 50.9% died after their treatment period. According to Cox’s age-adjusted regression model, mortality increased among both men (Hazard Ratio 1.093, 95% CI 1.055–1.133) and women (HR 1.138, 95% CI 1.061–1.221). The number of long-term, over-90-day periods of inpatient treatment of COPD patients in university and central hospitals decreased 97.6% and the number of days of treatment decreased 98.4% between 1972–1976 and 1997–2001. Correspondingly, these treatment periods increased 7.6% in primary care hospitals and the number of days of treatment decreased 47.6%. In 1995–2001 the number of inpatient periods due to acute exacerbations of COPD increased 10.9%, but the number of days of treatment decreased 8.5%. The growth in age-adjusted treatment periods was 0.8% among men and 18.5% among women. The number of treatment periods increased 36.8% in general practice wards and 17.8% in wards for respiratory diseases, while they decreased 22.3% in internal medicine wards. General practitioners sent 5.1% of patients admitted to a primary care hospital with acute exacerbation of COPD to a secondary care hospital. The age- and gender-adjusted risk of death of patients managed by a general practitioner was 0.83 (95% CI 0.75–0.91) compared with those managed by a pulmonary specialist. Patients treated in primary care had a 1.74 times greater risk of being readmitted within a week after being released from inpatient treatment for acute exacerbations of COPD compared with patients treated in secondary care. The strategic policies of the 1980s, changes in the service structure, the national guidelines for the prevention and treatment of COPD issued in 1998, the valid treatment recommendation, and new treatments and medication have made treatment of COPD patients more effective. The emphasis has shifted to outpatient care and primary health care, where sufficient resources and education must be insured in order to guarantee good quality.Tiivistelmä Tutkimuksessa selvitettiin hoitoilmoitus- ja kuolinsyyrekisterin avulla keuhkoahtaumataudin sairaalahoitoa ja sen muutoksia perusterveydenhuollossa ja erikoissairaanhoidossa vuosina 1972–2004. Tutkimusaikana oli 356 066 hoitojaksoa niillä potilailla, joiden päädiagnoosi oli keuhkoahtaumatauti (KAT). Vuosina 1980–1984 olleen ensimmäisen KAT:sta aiheutuneen sairaalahoitojakson jälkeen potilaista kuoli viiden vuoden kuluessa 44,3 % ja vastaavasti vuosien 1990–1994 hoitojakson jälkeen 50,9 %. Coxin regressiomallilla iän ollessa vakioituna kuolleisuus lisääntyi sekä miehillä (Hazard Ratio 1,093, 95 % CI 1,055–1,133) että naisilla (HR 1,138, 95 % CI 1,061–1,221). Pitkäaikaiset, yli 90 hoitopäivää jatkuneet, sairaalahoitojaksot vähenivät KAT-potilailla yliopisto- ja keskussairaaloissa 97,6 % ja hoitopäivät 98,4 % ajanjaksojen 1972–1976 ja 1997–2001 välillä. Vastaavasti terveyskeskussairaaloissa nämä hoitojaksot lisääntyivät 7,6 % ja hoitopäivät vähenivät 47,6 %. Vuosina 1995–2001 olleiden KAT:n akuuttien pahenemisvaiheiden sairaalajaksojen määrä kasvoi 10,9 %, mutta hoitopäivien määrä väheni 8,5 %. Ikävakioitujen hoitojaksojen kasvu miehillä oli 0,8 % ja naisilla 18,5 %. Hoitojaksot lisääntyivät yleislääketieteen erikoisalan osastoilla 36,8 % ja keuhkosairauksien osastoilla 17,8 %, kun taas sisätautien osastoilla ne vähenivät 22,3 %. Yleislääkäri lähetti erikoissairaanhoitoon 5,1 % terveyskeskuksen vuodeosastolle otetuista akuuteista KAT:n pahenemisvaiheen potilaista. Yleislääkärin hoitovastuulla olleiden potilaiden ikä- ja sukupuolivakioitu kuoleman riskisuhde oli 0,83 (95 % CI 0,75–0,91) verrattuna keuhkolääkärin vastuulla olleisiin potilaisiin. Perusterveydenhuollossa hoidetuilla potilailla oli 1,74 kertainen riski joutua uudelleen sairaalahoitoon viikon kuluessa KAT:n akuutin pahenemisvaiheen sairaalahoidon jälkeen verrattuna erikoissairaanhoidossa hoidettuihin potilaisiin. 1980-luvun strategiset linjaukset, palvelurakennemuutokset ja kansalliset ohjeet keuhkoahtaumataudin ennaltaehkäisystä ja hoidosta vuodelta 1998 ja Käypä hoito -suositus sekä uudet hoitomuodot ja lääkkeet ovat tehostaneet keuhkoahtaumapotilaan hoitoa. Painopiste on siirtynyt avohoitoon ja perusterveydenhuoltoon, jossa on huolehdittava riittävästä resursoinnista ja koulutuksesta hyvän laadun varmistamiseksi

Anticholinergic burden and dry mouth among Finnish, community-dwelling older adults

Abstract Objective: The aim was to study whether the anticholinergic burden of drugs is related to xerostomia and salivary secretion among community‐dwelling elderly people. Background: Anticholinergic drugs have been shown to be a risk factor for dry mouth, but little is known about the effects of cumulative exposure to anticholinergic drugs measured by anticholinergic burden on salivary secretion or xerostomia. Methods: The study population consisted of 152 community‐dwelling, dentate, non‐smoking, older people from the Oral Health GeMS study. The data were collected by interviews and clinical examinations. Anticholinergic burden was determined using the Anticholinergic Drug Scale (ADS). A Poisson regression model with robust error variance was used to estimate relative risks (RR) with 95% confidence intervals (CI 95%). Results: Participants with a high‐anticholinergic burden (ADS ≥ 3) were more likely to have xerostomia (RR: 3.17; CI: 1.44–6.96), low‐unstimulated salivary flow (&lt;0.1 mL/min; RR: 2.31, CI: 1.22–4.43) and low‐stimulated salivary flow (&lt;1.0 mL/min; RR: 1.50, CI: 0.80–2.81) compared to reference group (ADS 0). In participants with a moderate anticholinergic burden (ADS 1–2), all the risk estimates for xerostomia, unstimulated and stimulated salivary secretion varied between 0.55 and 3.13. Additional adjustment for the total number of drugs, antihypertensives and sedative load caused only slight attenuation of the risk estimates. Conclusion: A high‐anticholinergic burden was associated with low‐unstimulated salivary secretion and xerostomia