Physician Perception of Blood Pressure Control and Treatment Behavior in High-Risk Hypertensive Patients: A Cross-Sectional Study

Objective: We examined physician perception of blood pressure control and treatment behavior in patients with previous cardiovascular disease and uncontrolled hypertension as defined by European Guidelines. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted in which 321 primary care physicians throughout Spain consecutively studied 1,614 patients aged ≥18 years who had been diagnosed and treated for hypertension (blood pressure ≥140/90 mmHg), and had suffered a documented cardiovascular event. The mean value of three blood pressure measurements taken using standardized procedures was used for statistical analysis. Results: Mean blood pressure was 143.4/84.9 mmHg, and only 11.6% of these cardiovascular patients were controlled according to 2007 European Guidelines for Hypertension Management target of <130/80 mmHg. In 702 (49.2%) of the 1426 uncontrolled patients, antihypertensive medication was not changed, and in 480 (68.4%) of these cases this was due to the physicianś judgment that blood pressure was adequately controlled. In 320 (66.7%) of the latter patients, blood pressure was 130-139/80-89 mmHg. Blood pressure level was the main factor associated (inversely) with no change in treatment due to physician perception of adequate control, irrespective of sociodemographic and clinical factors. Conclusions: Physicians do not change antihypertensive treatment in many uncontrolled cardiovascular patients because they considered it unnecessary, especially when the BP values are only slightly above the guideline target. It is possible that the guidelines may be correct, but there is also the possibility that the care by the physicians is appropriate since BP <130/80 mmHg is hard to achieve, and recent reviews suggest there is insufficient evidence to support such a low BP targetFunding for this study was obtained from RECORDATI ESPAÑA, S.L through an unrestricted grant. Krista Lundelin has a ‘‘Rio Hortega’’ research training contract (Expediente CM10/00327) from the Ministry of Science and Innovation (Instituto de Salud Carlos III), Spain Governmen

Development of algorithms for identifying fatal cardiovascular disease in Medicare claims

Background Cause of death is often not available in administrative claims data. Objective To develop claims-based algorithms to identify deaths due to fatal cardiovascular disease (CVD; i.e., fatal coronary heart disease [CHD] or stroke), CHD, and stroke. Methods Reasons for Geographic and Racial Differences in Stroke (REGARDS) study data were linked with Medicare claims to develop the algorithms. Events adjudicated by REGARDS study investigators were used as the gold standard. Stepwise selection was used to choose predictors from Medicare data for inclusion in the algorithms. C-index, sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value (PPV) and negative predictive value (NPV) were used to assess algorithm performance. Net reclassification index (NRI) was used to compare the algorithms to an approach of classifying all deaths within 28 days following hospitalization for myocardial infarction and stroke to be fatal CVD. Results Data from 2,685 REGARDS participants with linkage to Medicare, who died between 2003 and 2013, were analyzed. The C-index for discriminating fatal CVD from other causes of death was 0.87. Using a cut-point that provided the closest observed-to-predicted number of fatal CVD events, the sensitivity was 0.64, specificity 0.90, PPV 0.65 and NPV 0.90. The algorithms resulted in a positive NRIs compared with using deaths within 28 days following hospitalization for myocardial infarction and stroke. Claims-based algorithms for discriminating fatal CHD and fatal stroke performed similarly to fatal CVD. Conclusion The claims-based algorithms developed to discriminate fatal CVD events from other causes of death performed better than the method of using hospital discharge diagnosis codes

Sex differences in high-intensity statin use following myocardial infarction in the United States

Background Historically, women have been less likely than men to receive guideline-recommended statin therapy for the secondary prevention of myocardial infarction (MI). Objectives The authors examined contemporary sex differences in prescription fills for high-intensity statin therapy following an MI, overall and across population subgroups, and assessed whether sex differences were attenuated following recent efforts to reduce sex disparities in the use of cardiovascular disease preventive therapies. Methods The authors studied 16,898 (26% women) U.S. adults &lt;65 years of age with commercial health insurance in the MarketScan database, and 71,358 (49% women) U.S. adults ≥66 years of age with government health insurance through Medicare who filled statin prescriptions within 30 days after hospital discharge for MI in 2014 to 2015. The authors calculated adjusted women-to-men risk ratios and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for filling a high-intensity statin prescription (i.e., atorvastatin 40 to 80 mg, and rosuvastatin 20 to 40 mg) following hospital discharge for MI. Results In 2014 to 2015, 56% of men and 47% of women filled a high-intensity statin following hospital discharge for MI. Adjusted risk ratios for filling a high-intensity statin comparing women with men were 0.91 (95% CI: 0.90 to 0.92) in the total population, 0.91 (95% CI: 0.89 to 0.92) among those with no prior statin use, and 0.87 (95% CI: 0.85 to 0.90) and 0.98 (95% CI: 0.97 to 1.00) for those taking low/moderate-intensity and high-intensity statins prior to their MI, respectively. Women were less likely than men to fill high-intensity statins within all subgroups analyzed, and the disparity was largest in the youngest and oldest adults and for those without prevalent comorbid conditions. Conclusions Despite recent efforts to reduce sex differences in guideline-recommended therapy, women continue to be less likely than men to fill a prescription for high-intensity statins following hospitalization for MI

Development of algorithms for identifying fatal cardiovascular disease in Medicare claims

Background Cause of death is often not available in administrative claims data. Objective To develop claims-based algorithms to identify deaths due to fatal cardiovascular disease (CVD; i.e., fatal coronary heart disease [CHD] or stroke), CHD, and stroke. Methods Reasons for Geographic and Racial Differences in Stroke (REGARDS) study data were linked with Medicare claims to develop the algorithms. Events adjudicated by REGARDS study investigators were used as the gold standard. Stepwise selection was used to choose predictors from Medicare data for inclusion in the algorithms. C-index, sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value (PPV) and negative predictive value (NPV) were used to assess algorithm performance. Net reclassification index (NRI) was used to compare the algorithms to an approach of classifying all deaths within 28 days following hospitalization for myocardial infarction and stroke to be fatal CVD. Results Data from 2,685 REGARDS participants with linkage to Medicare, who died between 2003 and 2013, were analyzed. The C-index for discriminating fatal CVD from other causes of death was 0.87. Using a cut-point that provided the closest observed-to-predicted number of fatal CVD events, the sensitivity was 0.64, specificity 0.90, PPV 0.65 and NPV 0.90. The algorithms resulted in a positive NRIs compared with using deaths within 28 days following hospitalization for myocardial infarction and stroke. Claims-based algorithms for discriminating fatal CHD and fatal stroke performed similarly to fatal CVD. Conclusion The claims-based algorithms developed to discriminate fatal CVD events from other causes of death performed better than the method of using hospital discharge diagnosis codes

Sex differences in high-intensity statin use following myocardial infarction in the United States

Background Historically, women have been less likely than men to receive guideline-recommended statin therapy for the secondary prevention of myocardial infarction (MI). Objectives The authors examined contemporary sex differences in prescription fills for high-intensity statin therapy following an MI, overall and across population subgroups, and assessed whether sex differences were attenuated following recent efforts to reduce sex disparities in the use of cardiovascular disease preventive therapies. Methods The authors studied 16,898 (26% women) U.S. adults <65 years of age with commercial health insurance in the MarketScan database, and 71,358 (49% women) U.S. adults ≥66 years of age with government health insurance through Medicare who filled statin prescriptions within 30 days after hospital discharge for MI in 2014 to 2015. The authors calculated adjusted women-to-men risk ratios and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for filling a high-intensity statin prescription (i.e., atorvastatin 40 to 80 mg, and rosuvastatin 20 to 40 mg) following hospital discharge for MI. Results In 2014 to 2015, 56% of men and 47% of women filled a high-intensity statin following hospital discharge for MI. Adjusted risk ratios for filling a high-intensity statin comparing women with men were 0.91 (95% CI: 0.90 to 0.92) in the total population, 0.91 (95% CI: 0.89 to 0.92) among those with no prior statin use, and 0.87 (95% CI: 0.85 to 0.90) and 0.98 (95% CI: 0.97 to 1.00) for those taking low/moderate-intensity and high-intensity statins prior to their MI, respectively. Women were less likely than men to fill high-intensity statins within all subgroups analyzed, and the disparity was largest in the youngest and oldest adults and for those without prevalent comorbid conditions. Conclusions Despite recent efforts to reduce sex differences in guideline-recommended therapy, women continue to be less likely than men to fill a prescription for high-intensity statins following hospitalization for MI

Evidence for widespread changes in the structure, composition, and fire regimes of western North American forests

Implementation of wildfire- and climate-adaptation strategies in seasonally dry forests of western North America is impeded by numerous constraints and uncertainties. After more than a century of resource and land use change, some question the need for proactive management, particularly given novel social, ecological, and climatic conditions. To address this question, we first provide a framework for assessing changes in landscape conditions and fire regimes. Using this framework, we then evaluate evidence of change in contemporary conditions relative to those maintained by active fire regimes, i.e., those uninterrupted by a century or more of human-induced fire exclusion. The cumulative results of more than a century of research document a persistent and substantial fire deficit and widespread alterations to ecological structures and functions. These changes are not necessarily apparent at all spatial scales or in all dimensions of fire regimes and forest and nonforest conditions. Nonetheless, loss of the once abundant influence of low- and moderate-severity fires suggests that even the least fire-prone ecosystems may be affected by alteration of the surrounding landscape and, consequently, ecosystem functions. Vegetation spatial patterns in fire-excluded forested landscapes no longer reflect the heterogeneity maintained by interacting fires of active fire regimes. Live and dead vegetation (surface and canopy fuels) is generally more abundant and continuous than before European colonization. As a result, current conditions are more vulnerable to the direct and indirect effects of seasonal and episodic increases in drought and fire, especially under a rapidly warming climate. Long-term fire exclusion and contemporaneous social-ecological influences continue to extensively modify seasonally dry forested landscapes. Management that realigns or adapts fire-excluded conditions to seasonal and episodic increases in drought and fire can moderate ecosystem transitions as forests and human communities adapt to changing climatic and disturbance regimes. As adaptation strategies are developed, evaluated, and implemented, objective scientific evaluation of ongoing research and monitoring can aid differentiation of warranted and unwarranted uncertainties