To describe the use of 3 prostaglandin/timolol fixed combinations (FCs) in UK primary care, to summarize characteristics of recipients, and to assess 12-month persistence.This retrospective cohort study included first-time recipients of latanoprost/timolol FC, bimatoprost/timolol FC, or travoprost/timolol FC treated between April 1, 2007, and November 30, 2008, identified in The Health Improvement Network database, a large database of anonymized longitudinal electronic medical records of patients treated in UK primary care. Eligible patients were = 18 years old at the index date (date of first prescription). Persistence, defined as a gap =60 days between consecutive prescriptions, was assessed through 12 months post-index for each cohort (Cox proportional hazards models).A total of 2,015 patients were included: latanoprost/timolol FC, n = 898 (44.6%); bimatoprost/timolol FC, n = 733 (36.4%); travoprost/timolol FC, n = 384 (19.1%). The mean age was approximately 72 years across cohorts (p = 0.792). Glaucoma was the diagnosis for >90% of patients in each cohort. Twelve-month persistence was similar across treatments: latanoprost/timolol FC: 38.2%; bimatoprost/timolol FC: 38.6%; travoprost/timolol FC: 38.3% (p = 0.985). Mean time to therapy change for nonpersistent patients was also similar: 143.3 ± 89.8, 151.0 ± 87.9, and 151.8 ± 87.7 days, respectively (p = 0.095). Among persistent patients, additional therapy was prescribed for 36.2%, 41.7%, and 41.5% of patients, respectively. Among nonpersistent patients, 64.0%, 70.4%, and 69.2%, respectively, restarted the index therapy.The largest proportion of first-time recipients of prostaglandin/beta-blocker FC products treated in UK primary care was prescribed latanoprost/timolol FC. Twelve-month persistence was similar (<40%) across the 3 FCs evaluated.
Diabet. Med. 29, e13–e20 (2012) Abstract Aims To describe patients with Type 2 diabetes mellitus treated with basal insulin, with or without oral antidiabetics in UK primary care, and evaluate insulin treatment patterns and factors explaining changes in therapy. Methods Retrospective analysis of patients with Type 2 diabetes within The Health Improvement Network UK primary care database. Patients receiving basal insulin between January and June 2006 were followed until July 2009. Results Analysis included 3185 patients, mean age 65.6 years [standard deviation (SD) 12.4], 50.9% men, median diabetes duration 9.6 years, median basal insulin use 1.3 years, 86.5% had received oral antidiabetics in the previous 12 months. Mean follow‐up was 2.9 years (SD 1.0), 59.8% patients maintained basal insulin throughout follow‐up with a mean HbA 1C of 69 mmol/mol (SD 19; 8.4%, SD 1.7) at baseline and 65 mmol/mol (SD 17; 8.1%, SD 1.6) during follow‐up. During follow‐up, 6.9% of patients discontinued, 19.3% intensified with and 14.1% switched to prandial or premixed insulin. Patients who intensified (prandial) had a mean HbA 1c of 77 mmol/mol (SD 18; 9.2%, SD 1.6) before change and a mean HbA 1c of 71 mmol/mol (SD 21; 8.6%, SD 2.0) at the end of the study. Those switching to premixed insulin had a mean HbA 1c of 80 mmol/mol (SD 18; 9.5%, SD 1.7) before change and a mean HbA 1c of 69 mmol/mol (SD 17; 8.5%, SD 1.5) at the end of the study. Increasing HbA 1c and longer diabetes duration explained intensification and switch. Conclusions The majority of patients had HbA 1c above the 53 mmol/mol (< 7%) target at baseline and post‐intensification/switch. The HbA 1c levels were reduced by intensification/switch suggesting that insulin changes did have some impact. Most patients did not change insulin treatment despite having higher than recommended HbA 1c levels. Reasons for not changing treatment in face of unsatisfactory clinical outcomes are unclear. Further research is warranted to explore barriers towards therapy change.
Objectives:Varenicline is a licensed smoking cessation medication in the EU, USA and many other countries worldwide. This study was designed to assess its effectiveness in a UK general practice setting.Methods:The main outcome measure was the rate of smoking cessation, defined as the seven-day point prevalence after six months from starting varenicline. Varenicline users were identified from records in The Health Improvement Network (THIN) database. A questionnaire on smoking cessation was sent to patients who commenced treatment close to the selection date (six months prior to the date of questionnaire dispatch).Results:The response rate was 26.4%: 193 responses were received. Ninety percent had previously attempted to stop smoking and 87.4% had used nicotine replacement therapy during the previous attempt to stop smoking. The overall smoking cessation rate was 49.5%. There was a strong association between the duration of varenicline treatment and smoking cessation. Patients who reported using varenicline for 9–12 weeks were 11 times more likely to stop smoking than those who completed less than two weeks of treatment. There was some evidence that patients with a longer history of smoking were less likely to stop. No association was observed between smoking cessation and: previous number of cigarettes smoked per day; number of previous attempts to stop smoking; or motivations for stopping.Conclusions:Varenicline appeared to be a useful pharmacological aid to smoking cessation in a general practice setting. The observed effectiveness was similar to the efficacy estimates from previously reported clinical trials. However, the response rate was lower than expected and responders tended to be older, more likely to suffer from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and to live in more affluent areas than non-responders. Responses were self-reported and not clinically validated therefore recall bias may be an issue.
Background Relative leg length is frequently used as a biomarker of childhood nutrition in epidemiological studies, but evidence is lacking. We examined the association between supplemental nutrition in pregnancy and childhood and relative proportions of components of height in adolescence.
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