3 research outputs found
Riluzole use in presence of contraindications in adults affected by amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and its off-label use in other motor neuron diseases: Findings from an Italian multicentre study (the {CAESAR} project)
Background: This analysis describes the use of riluzole in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) individuals with contraindications and off-label use for subjects with other motor neuron diseases (o-MND) in the Italian regions of Latium, Tuscany and Umbria.Methods: A cohort of adults with ALS prescribed with riluzole during the years 2016–2019 was enrolled from administrative healthcare databases, excluding subjects with o-MND in the preceding 5 years. Being affected by ALS for more than 5 years, presence of tracheostomy, renal or hepatic failure were considered as contraindications to the use of riluzole. A cohort of adults with o-MND was enrolled in 2016–2019 for whom off-label use of riluzole was retrieved up to 4 years, analysing over the time differences related to sex.Results: Among 206 ALS individuals prescribed with riluzole in Latium, 336 in Tuscany and 60 in Umbria, less than 1% were diagnosed with ALS for more than 5 years. Less than 2% were tracheotomised or affected by hepatic failure. Renal failure was documented for 1.9%, 2.7%, and 5.0% of ALS individuals in Latium, Tuscany and Umbria. The o-MND cohort comprised 264 subjects in Latium, 222 in Tuscany, and 66 in Umbria. Non-negligible off-label riluzole use was observed: 8.5%, 33.0%, and 4.2% in females, and 19.9%, 26.5% and 2.4% in males in Latium, Tuscany and Umbria.Discussion: Riluzole use in ALS individuals in the presence of contraindications is rare, with slightly higher numbers in presence of renal failure. Off-label use in o-MND was found to be non-negligible, with variations between sexes
Assessment and prevention of acute health effects of weather conditions in Europe, the PHEWE project: background, objectives, design
Background: The project “Assessment and prevention of acute health
effects of weather conditions in Europe” (PHEWE) had the aim of
assessing the association between weather conditions and acute health
effects, during both warm and cold seasons in 16 European cities with
widely differing climatic conditions and to provide information for
public health policies.
Methods: The PHEWE project was a three-year pan-European collaboration
between epidemiologists, meteorologists and experts in public health.
Meteorological, air pollution and mortality data from 16 cities and
hospital admission data from 12 cities were available from 1990 to 2000.
The short-term effect on mortality/morbidity was evaluated through
city-specific and pooled time series analysis. The interaction between
weather and air pollutants was evaluated and health impact assessments
were performed to quantify the effect on the different populations. A
heat/health watch warning system to predict oppressive weather
conditions and alert the population was developed in a subgroup of
cities and information on existing prevention policies and of adaptive
strategies was gathered.
Results: Main results were presented in a symposium at the conference of
the International Society of Environmental Epidemiology in Paris on
September 6th 2006 and will be published as scientific articles. The
present article introduces the project and includes a description of the
database and the framework of the applied methodology.
Conclusion: The PHEWE project offers the opportunity to investigate the
relationship between temperature and mortality in 16 European cities,
representing a wide range of climatic, socio-demographic and cultural
characteristics; the use of a standardized methodology allows for direct
comparison between cities