Sex and age differences in health expenditure in Northern Italy

BACKGROUND: Little is known about the health care spending distribution across the age and sex gradient in European systems. The aim of the present study is to examine gender and age differences in health care utilization in Lombardy, Italy. METHODS: We analysed administrative data for the year 2010 in Lombardy (the largest Italian region, with about 10 million inhabitant) including spending for inpatient and outpatient services and pharmaceuticals. Data were aggregated across age and sex. RESULTS: Lombardy in 2010 spent around 10.2 billion €, 51% of which for women. Age-standardized per-patient expenditure was however 5% lower for females than for males on average. Per-patient spending on elderly women (>65) was around 75% of the spending on men of the same age group. Further, health expenditure was higher for men for the treatment of chronic diseases. Importantly, the difference persisted after allowance of history chronic conditions. CONCLUSIONS: Our results are in sharp contrast with the US based literature showing that health expenditure in women is greater than in men. This may reflect inadequate attention to health care of women in Ital

Satisfaction and compliance in hormonal contraception: the result of a multicentre clinical study on women's experience with the ethinylestradiol/norelgestromin contraceptive patch in Italy

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>For many women finding the right contraceptive method can be challenging and consistent and correct use over a lifetime is difficult. Even remembering to take a birth control pill every day can be a challenge. The primary objective of this study was to evaluate women's experience with a weekly ethinylestradiol/norelgestromin contraceptive patch (EE/NGMN patch), given new technologies recently developed in hormonal contraception to increase women's options in avoiding daily dosing.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>In 24 Italian sites, 207 women received the EE/NGMN patch for up to 6 cycles. At study end, overall satisfaction and preference, as well as compliance, efficacy and safety, were evaluated.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>175 women (84.5%) completed the study. The overall satisfaction rate was 88%; convenience and once-a-week frequency of the patch were especially appreciated. At baseline, 82 women (39.4%) were using a contraceptive method, mainly oral contraceptives and barrier methods, but only 45.1% were very satisfied/satisfied; after 6 months with the patch, 86.3% of this subset was very satisfied/satisfied. Considering the method used in the 3 months before the study entry, 78.1% strongly preferred/preferred the patch, for convenience (53.9%), ease of use/simplicity (28.9%), fewer (9.2%) and less severe (2.6%) side effects. Compliance was very high: 1034/1110 cycles (93.2%) were completed with perfect compliance and the mean subject's compliance score was 90%. One on-therapy pregnancy occurred. The patch was safe and well tolerated: adverse events frequency was low, with predominantly single reports of each event. Most of them started and subsided during cycle 1.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>This study demonstrated that the EE/NGMN patch is associated with high satisfaction levels and excellent compliance. At study end, the majority of women indicated that they would continue using the patch.</p

Current treatment issues in female hyperprolactinaemia

High prolactin levels can occur as a physiological condition in females who are pregnant or lactating. As a pathological condition, hyperprolactinaemia is associated with gonadal dysfunction, infertility and an increased risk of long-term complications including osteoporosis. The most frequent cause of persistent hyperprolactinaemia is the presence of a micro- (<10 mm diameter) or macroprolactinoma ( 6510 mm). These pituitary tumours may produce an excessive amount of prolactin or disrupt the normal delivery of dopamine from the hypothalamus to the pituitary; prolactin secretion from the pituitary is inhibited by dopamine released from neurones in the hypothalamus. Medications including anti-psychotics can induce hyperprolactinaemia, while idiopathic hyperprolactinaemia accounts for 30\u201340% of cases. The prevalence of hyperprolactinaemia is difficult to establish as not all sufferers are symptomatic or concerned by their symptoms and may remain undiagnosed. Symptoms of hyperprolactinaemia include signs of hypogonadism, with oligomenorrhoea, amenorrhoea and galactorrhoea frequently observed. Pharmacological intervention should be considered the first line therapy and involves the use of dopamine agonists to reduce tumour size and prolactin levels. Bromocriptine has the longest history of use and is a well-established, inexpensive, safe and effective therapy option. However, bromocriptine requires multiple daily dosing and some patients are resistant or intolerant to this therapy. The two newer dopamine agonists, quinagolide and cabergoline, provide more effective and better tolerated treatments compared with bromocriptine and may offer effective therapies for bromocriptine-resistant or intolerant patients. Quinagolide can be used until pregnancy is confirmed and may result in improved compliance in females wishing to become pregnant. For patients with hyperprolactinaemia, pregnancy is safe and can frequently be beneficial, inducing a decrease in prolactin levels. There does not appear to be any increased risk of abortion, malformations or multiple births in pregnancies achieved with bromocriptine and this dopamine agonist can be used safely during pregnancy. Surgery should be considered only in certain circumstances, and for the majority of patients, dopamine agonists will be sufficient to alleviate symptoms and restore normal prolactin levels

Breast cancer risk with postmenopausa hormonal treatment

This review was designed to determine from the best evidence whether there is an association between postmenopausal hormonal treatment and breast cancer risk. Also, if there is an association, does it vary according to duration and cessation of use, type of regimen, type of hormonal product or route of administration; whether there is a differential effect on risk of lobular and ductal cancer; and whether hormone treatment is associated with breast cancers that have better prognostic factors? Data sources for the review included Medline, the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews (Cochrane Library, 2005) and reference lists in the identified citations. Eligible citations addressed invasive breast cancer risk among postmenopausal women and involved use of the estrogen products with or without progestin that are used as treatment for menopausal symptoms. Abstracted data were demographic groupings, categories of hormone use, categories of breast cancer, two-by-two tables of exposure and outcome and adjusted odds ratios, relative risks (RRs) or hazard rates. Average estimates of risk were weighted by the inverse variance method, or if heterogeneous, using a random effects model. The average risk of invasive breast cancer with estrogen use was 0.79 [95% confidence interval (95% CI) = 0.61\u20131.02] in four randomized trials involving 12 643 women. The average breast cancer risk with estrogen\u2013progestin use was 1.24 (95% CI = 1.03\u20131.50) in four randomized trials involving 19 756 women. The average risks reported in recent epidemiological studies were higher: 1.18 (95% CI = 1.01\u20131.38) with current use of estrogen alone and 1.70 (95% CI = 1.36\u20132.17) with current use of estrogen\u2013progestin. The association of breast cancer with current use was stronger than the association with ever use, which includes past use. For past use, the increased breast cancer risk diminished soon after discontinuing hormones and normalized within 5 years. Reasonably adequate data do not show that breast cancer risk varies significantly with different types of estrogen or progestin preparations, lower dosages or different routes of administration, although there is a small difference between sequential and continuous progestin regimens. Epidemiological studies indicate that estrogen\u2013progestin use increases risk of lobular more than ductal breast cancer, but the number of studies and cases of lobular cancer remains limited. Among important prognostic factors, the stage and grade in breast cancers associated with hormone do not differ significantly from those in non-users, but breast cancers in estrogen\u2013progestin users are significantly more likely to be estrogen receptor (ER) positive. In conclusion, valid evidence from randomized controlled trials (RCTs) indicates that breast cancer risk is increased with estrogen\u2013progestin use more than with estrogen alone. Epidemiological evidence involving more than 1.5 million women agrees broadly with the trial findings. Although new studies are unlikely to alter the key findings about overall breast cancer risk, research is needed, however, to determine the role of progestin, evaluate the risk of lobular cancer and delineate effects of hormone use on receptor presence, prognosis and mortality in breast cancer

Subcutaneous depot medroxyprogesterone acetate versus leuprolide acetate in the treatment of endometriosis-associated pain

BACKGROUND: A clinical study compared efficacy and safety of depot medroxyprogesterone acetate (DMPA) with leuprolide for endometriosis-associated pain. METHODS: This multicentre, 18 month, evaluator-blinded, comparator-controlled trial randomized 300 women with laparoscopically diagnosed endometriosis to 6 month treatment with subcutaneous injection of 104 mg/0.65 ml DMPA (DMPA-SC 104) every 3 months or leuprolide (3.75 mg monthly or 11.25 mg every 3 months), with 12 months post-treatment follow-up. Endpoints included patient response to treatment in five signs/symptoms (dysmenorrhoea, dyspareunia, pelvic pain, pelvic tenderness, induration) and changes in bone mineral density (BMD) and productivity at 6 and 18 months. RESULTS: DMPA-SC 104 and leuprolide produced equivalent (P < 0.02) reductions in at least four pain categories and significant (P < 0.001) improvements in composite score at months 6 and 18. At month 6, reductions in total hip and lumbar spine BMD were significantly less (P < 0.001) with DMPA-SC 104 versus leuprolide. BMD returned to pre-treatment levels 12 months post-treatment in the DMPA-SC 104 but not the leuprolide group. Total productivity also significantly (P0.05) improved in both groups at 6 and 18 months. CONCLUSIONS: DMPA-SC 104 reduces endometriosis-associated pain as effectively as leuprolide and improves productivity with significantly less BMD decline

Subcutaneous depot medroxyprogesterone acetate versus leuprolide acetate in the treatment of endometriosis-associated pain

BACKGROUND: A clinical study compared efficacy and safety of depot medroxyprogesterone acetate (DMPA) with leuprolide for endometriosis-associated pain. METHODS: This multicentre, 18 month, evaluator-blinded, comparator-controlled trial randomized 300 women with laparoscopically diagnosed endometriosis to 6 month treatment with subcutaneous injection of 104 mg/0.65 ml DMPA (DMPA-SC 104) every 3 months or leuprolide (3.75 mg monthly or 11.25 mg every 3 months), with 12 months post-treatment follow-up. Endpoints included patient response to treatment in five signs/symptoms (dysmenorrhoea, dyspareunia, pelvic pain, pelvic tenderness, induration) and changes in bone mineral density (BMD) and productivity at 6 and 18 months. RESULTS: DMPA-SC 104 and leuprolide produced equivalent (P < 0.02) reductions in at least four pain categories and significant (P < 0.001) improvements in composite score at months 6 and 18. At month 6, reductions in total hip and lumbar spine BMD were significantly less (P < 0.001) with DMPA-SC 104 versus leuprolide. BMD returned to pre-treatment levels 12 months post-treatment in the DMPA-SC 104 but not the leuprolide group. Total productivity also significantly (P0.05) improved in both groups at 6 and 18 months. CONCLUSIONS: DMPA-SC 104 reduces endometriosis-associated pain as effectively as leuprolide and improves productivity with significantly less BMD decline

Effectiveness of sonohysterography in infertile patient work-up : a comparison with transvaginal ultrasonography and hysteroscopy

Objective: The aim of this comparative study was to evaluate the accuracy of transvaginal ultrasonography (TVU), sonohysterography (SHG) with sterile saline solution compared to hysteroscopy in the diagnosis of intrauterine pathology in a population of infertile patients before an in vitro fertilization (IVF) program. Patients/Methods: 98 infertile patients with a mean age of 33.9 years (range 27-41) underwent TVU assessment and SHG with sterile saline solution immediately followed by hysteroscopy. Results: The clinical findings obtained by TVU, SHG and hysteroscopy were compared. Sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value (PPV) and negative predictive value (NPV) of TVU and SHG compared to hysteroscopy were calculated. The TVU sensitivity and specificity compared with hysteroscopy were 91 and 83% respectively. Using TVU, a 9.2% false positive rate (9 cases) and a 5.1% false negative rate (5 cases) were detected compared to hysteroscopy. The TVU PPV and NPV were 85.4 and 90% respectively. SHG yielded better results: sensitivity and specificity when compared to hysteroscopy were 98 and 94% respectively. The SHG PPV and NPV were 95 and 98% respectively. Accuracy of SHG was significantly better than TVU considering all intrauterine pathologies and polyps. Conclusion: In experienced hands, SHG is an easy, safe, and well-tolerated alternative to diagnostic hysteroscopy in the initial evaluation of uterine cavity infertile patients. Copyrigh

Comparison of GnRH agonists and antagonists in assisted reproduction cycles of patients at high risk of ovarian hyperstimulaton syndrome

BACKGROUND: During IVF or ICSI cycles, ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome (OHSS) is a major problem. The aim of this prospective, multicentre, comparative study (using historical controls) was to assess the efficacy of a GnRH antagonist protocol in preventing OHSS in selected patients who had experienced OHSS or had been at risk of OHSS in their previous IVF/ICSI attempt. METHODS AND RESULTS: Patients underwent a new cycle where the same gonadotrophin protocol was used [same dose of recombinant FSH (rFSH)] but a different protocol was used for pituitary desensitization: cetrorelix 0.25 mg multiple-dose antagonist instead of GnRH agonist long protocol. Cetrorelix 0.25 mg was administered daily, starting when the leading follicle reached a diameter of 14 mm. In other words, rFSH was administered in the new cycle according to the dosage and the step-up or step-down modalities used during the previous cycle, independently of ultrasound findings and serum estradiol (E2) levels. Eighty-seven patients entered the study. Out of the 87 cycles involving GnRH agonists, 49 (56.3%) were cancelled and out of the 87 involving GnRH antagonists 28 (32.2%) were cancelled [McNemar's test; 95% confidence interval (CI) \u201335.8% to \u201311.2%; P 10 mm (Wilcoxon's test; Z=6.1; P < 0.001) and of E2 levels on the day of HCG administration (2538 versus 4322.4 pg/ml; P < 0.001) in the GnRH antagonist cycles versus GnRH agonist cycles. Twenty-nine patients had an embryo transfer in the first cycle (76.3% of oocyte retrievals) and 57 in the cycle using GnRH antagonist (96.6%). This 20.3% difference was also significant (Z-test; 95% CI 6.8\u201336.0%; P=0.003). After the antagonist cycles, 18 pregnancies (20.7 per initiated cycle; 31.6% per embryo transfer) were obtained. CONCLUSIONS: Although this study presents some limitations owing to the use of historical controls, our data show a favourable effect of GnRH antagonists in reducing the incidence of OHSS and the number of assisted fertilization cycles cancelled because of the risk of OHSS in high responder patients. As a consequence, GnRH antagonist plus gonadotrophin administration could also increase the percentage of oocyte retrievals and embryo transfers in this high risk group of patients