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Biomedical subjects

Lucie Blais

Publications and source records attributed to Lucie Blais.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2007

Impact of adherence to statins on coronary artery disease in primary prevention.

AIMS: To evaluate the impact of adherence to statins on nonfatal coronary artery disease (CAD). Statins reduce cardiovascular morbidity and mortality after 1-2 years of continuous treatment. Studies have shown that <40% of patients take > or =80% of prescribed doses 1 year after starting therapy and that approximately half discontinue medication within 6 months of starting therapy. METHODS: A cohort of 20 543 patients was reconstructed using the Régie de l'assurance maladie du Québec databases. Patients aged 50-64 years, without cardiovascular disease, and newly treated with statins between 1998 and 2000 were eligible. A nested case-control design was used to study nonfatal CAD. Every case was matched with 20 randomly selected controls. The adherence level was defined as the percentage of the prescribed medication doses used over a specified period and classified as > or =90% or <90%. Rate ratios (RR) of nonfatal CAD were determined through conditional logistic regression adjusted for age, sex, socioeconomic status, diabetes and hypertension. RESULTS: The mean patient age was 58 years, 45% had hypertension and 19% had diabetes. Men represented 37% of the cohort. Among patients followed for >1 year, adherence of > or =90% was associated with fewer nonfatal CAD events (RR 0.81; 0.67, 0.97) compared with adherence <90%. In the multivariate model, male gender (RR 1.37; 1.16, 1.63), welfare recipients (RR 1.24; 1.04, 1.48), newly diagnosed hypertension (RR 3.54; 2.62, 4.77) and newly diagnosed diabetes mellitus (RR 1.97; 1.20, 3.24) were risk factors for CAD. CONCLUSION: The incidence of nonfatal CAD events decreases when >90% of the prescribed medications is used over at least 1 year.

Cardiovascular Diseases↗
PubMed2007

First trimester exposure to paroxetine and risk of cardiac malformations in infants: the importance of dosage.

BACKGROUND: Conflicting findings with regard to the teratogenic risks of first trimester use of paroxetine have prompted the FDA, Health Canada, and the manufacturer of the drug to issue warnings against its use during pregnancy. Given that untreated depression during pregnancy can lead to deleterious effect on the mother and her unborn fetus, data on the relationship between the dose and the range of malformations is warranted. This study attempts to quantify the association between first trimester exposure to paroxetine and congenital cardiac malformations, adjusting for possible confounders, and to quantify the dose-response relationship between paroxetine use and cardiac defects. METHODS: The Medication and Pregnancy registry was used. This population-based registry was built by linking three administrative databases (RAMQ, Med-Echo, and ISQ), and includes all pregnancies in Quebec between 01/01/1997 and 06/30/2003. Date of entry in the registry is the date of the first day of the last menstrual period. To be eligible for this study, women had to: 1) be 15-45 years of age at entry; 2) be covered by the RAMQ drug plan >or=12 months before and during pregnancy; 3) be using only one type of antidepressant during the first trimester; and 4) have a live birth. Two nested case-control studies were carried out comparing the prevalence of paroxetine use in the first trimester of pregnancy to the prevalence of other antidepressant exposures during the same time period. Cases were defined as: 1) any major malformations; or 2) any cardiac malformations diagnosed in the first year of life; controls were defined as no major or minor malformations. Multivariate logistic regression techniques were used to analyze data. RESULTS: Among the 1,403 women meeting inclusion criteria, 101 infants with major congenital malformations were identified; 24 had cardiac malformations. Adjusting for possible confounders, the use of paroxetine (odds ratio [OR] = 1.38, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.49-3.92), and the use of other SSRIs (OR = 0.89, 95% CI = 0.28-2.84) during the first trimester of pregnancy did not increase the risk of congenital cardiac malformations compared with the use of non-SSRI antidepressants. When considering the dose, however, a dose-response relationship was observed, thus women exposed to >25 mg/day of paroxetine during the first trimester of pregnancy were at increased risk of having an infant with major congenital malformations (adjusted [adj] OR = 2.23, 95% CI = 1.19, 4.17), or major cardiac malformations (adj OR = 3.07, 95% CI = 1.00, 9.42). CONCLUSIONS: Gestational exposure to paroxetine is associated with major congenital malformations and major cardiac malformations for only first trimester exposure above 25 mg/day.

Abnormalities, Drug-Induced↗
PubMed2007

Isotretinoin, pregnancies, abortions and birth defects: a population-based perspective.

AIMS: To estimate the population-based incidence rates of pregnancy, spontaneous and elective abortions, and birth defects associated with isotretinoin use, and to determine predictors of pregnancy while on isotretinoin. METHODS: Using the RAMQ (medical and pharmaceutical data), MED-ECHO (hospitalizations) and ISQ (births and deaths) databases for the period 1984-2002, a cohort of 8609 women between 13 and 45 years of age and with a first prescription for isotretinoin (date of entry in the cohort) was identified. Women were eligible if they were insured by RAMQ for their medications at least 12 months before entry in the cohort and until 1 month after the end of their isotretinoin treatment. Pregnancies, spontaneous and elective abortions, and birth defects were identified using procedure codes and medical diagnoses. RESULTS: Of the 8609 women included, 90 became pregnant, an annual incident pregnancy rate during isotretinoin treatment of 32.7 per 1000 person-years of treatment (95% confidence interval 26.6, 40.1). Of the 90 women who became pregnant while on the drug, 76 terminated the pregnancy (84%), three had a spontaneous abortion (3%), two had trauma during delivery resulting in neonatal deaths (2%) and nine had a live birth (10%). Among the live births, only one had a congenital anomaly of the face and neck (11%). Adjusting for potential confounders, predictors of becoming pregnant while on isotretinoin were lower socio-economic level, one or more visits to the doctor or to the emergency department, or one or more hospitalization while on isotretinoin; concomitant isotretinoin and oral contraceptive use had a preventive effect. CONCLUSIONS: This first non-interventional population-based study generated incidence rates of pregnancy while on isotretinoin four times greater than what has been reported in the literature thus far; elective abortion rates were also much higher in our study. This shows the importance of using population-based data for public health purposes.

Abnormalities, Drug-Induced↗
PubMed2006

Use of short-acting beta2-agonists during pregnancy and the risk of pregnancy-induced hypertension.

BACKGROUND: The effect of inhaled short-acting beta(2)-agonists (SABAs) on pregnancy outcome, especially hypertensive complications, is not well documented. After the finding of a possible protective association of inhaled SABAs with pregnancy-induced hypertension (PIH) in a previous study, we decided to further investigate their effect on this condition. OBJECTIVE: We sought to determine the effect of inhaled SABA use during pregnancy on the risk of PIH (gestational hypertension, preeclampsia, or eclampsia) in asthmatic women. METHODS: Three of Quebec's administrative databases were linked to constitute a cohort of asthmatic women who had at least 1 delivery between 1990 and 2000. A nested case-control study was performed using up to 10 control subjects matched to each case patient for the year of conception and gestational age. Statistical analyses considered 22 confounders. RESULTS: The cohort was composed of 3505 asthmatic women who had a total of 4593 pregnancies. Three hundred two patients with PIH and 3013 control subjects were identified. Compared with nonuse, inhaled SABA use during pregnancy was significantly associated with a reduced risk of PIH (adjusted rate ratios: >0-3 doses/week, 0.62 (95% CI, 0.44-0.87); > 3-10 doses/week, 0.51 (95% CI, 0.34-0.79); and >10 doses/week, 0.48 (95% CI, 0.30-0.75)). CONCLUSIONS: To our knowledge, this is the first study reporting that inhaled SABA use during pregnancy is associated with a reduced risk of PIH. Potential explanations include pharmacologic and physiological effects or residual confounding. CLINICAL IMPLICATIONS: These results increase the evidence about the safety of inhaled SABAs in this population, although they should not undervalue the importance of maintaining good control of asthma symptoms.

Administration, Inhalation↗
PubMed2006

Use of inhaled corticosteroids during the first trimester of pregnancy and the risk of congenital malformations among women with asthma.

AIM: To investigate whether the maternal use of different doses of inhaled corticosteroids (ICSs) during the first trimester of pregnancy for the treatment of asthma increases the risk of congenital malformations in the offspring. METHODS: From the linkage of three administrative Canadian databases, a cohort of 4561 pregnancies from women with asthma who delivered between 1990 and 2000 was reconstructed. A two-stage sampling cohort design was used to acquire additional data from the woman's medical chart. Cases of congenital malformation were identified from the medical services database or the hospital database. Using refill patterns of medications, the average daily dose of ICSs used during the first trimester was calculated and categorised as follows: 0, 1-500, 500-1000 and >1000 microg/day in beclomethasone-chlorofluorocarbon equivalent. A Generalized Estimation Equation model was used to estimate the adjusted odds ratio of congenital malformation as a function of ICS daily dose. All analyses were performed for all malformations and major malformations separately. RESULTS: Within the cohort 418 babies were identified with a congenital malformation (9.2%), 278 of which had a major malformation. About 40% of women used ICSs during the first trimester, but only 5.3% of women used >500 microg/day. The adjusted odds ratio (95% CI) for all malformations associated with the use of ICSs during the first trimester was: 0.77 (0.53 to 1.13) for 1-500, 0.41 (0.19 to 0.92) for 501-1000 and 1.00 (0.42 to 2.36) for >1000 microg/day. The corresponding figures for major malformations were 0.90 (0.64 to 1.24), 0.56 (0.22 to 1.43) and 1.67 (0.56 to 5.03). CONCLUSION: This study adds evidence to the safety of ICSs for the treatment of asthma during pregnancy, with regard to the likelihood of congenital malformation.

Abnormalities, Drug-Induced↗
PubMed2006

Continuity of care in the ambulatory treatment of adolescents with asthma.

PURPOSE: To estimate the level of continuity of care, an important component in the management of asthma, using a general index based on medical visits and a disease-specific index based on prescribed medications, and to compare how the indexes predict the use of health care services among adolescents with asthma. METHODS: A cohort of 5586 adolescents with asthma was selected from the administrative database of the province of Québec, Canada between 1997 and 1999. Patients were followed for at least 1 year to a maximum of 3.5 years. The main exposure variables were an index of continuity of care based on the number of physicians prescribing a medication for asthma (RxICC) and an index of continuity of care based on the number of unreferred physicians (COC). RESULTS: The average RxICC was .42 +/- .29 and the average COC was .26 +/- .22. The adjusted rate ratios for RxICC as a predictor of hospitalizations and emergency department (ED) visits for asthma were, respectively, .83 (95% confidence interval [CI] .80-.87) and .81 (95% CI .80-.83). No significant association was found between COC, hospitalizations, and ED visits for asthma. CONCLUSION: Continuity of care is low among adolescents with asthma in Québec. The RxICC was, on average, higher than the COC, because patients were more likely to visit the same physician to treat their asthma than they would for other types of care. Only the RxICC was associated with the risk of hospitalization and ED visits for asthma.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2006

Risk of congenital anomalies in pregnant users of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs: A nested case-control study.

BACKGROUND: Many women take non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) during pregnancy but the risks for the infant remain controversial. We carried out a study to quantify the association between those women prescribed NSAIDs in early pregnancy and congenital anomalies. METHODS: A population-based pregnancy registry was built by linking data from three administrative databases in Quebec between 1997-2003. The inclusion criteria were mothers of live singleton infants, between 15-45 years of age, covered by the RAMQ drug plan > or =12 months before and during pregnancy, and prescribed an NSAID or other medications during pregnancy. We selected as cases infants with any congenital anomaly (ICD-9; 740-759) diagnosed in the first year of life. Up to 10 controls, defined as infants with no congenital anomalies detected were selected for each case. Adjusted odds ratios (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) were estimated. RESULTS: Within the registry, 36,387 pregnant women met the inclusion criteria. We identified 93 births with congenital anomalies in 1056 women (8.8%) who filled prescriptions for NSAIDs in the first trimester of pregnancy, compared to 2478 in 35,331 (7%) women who did not. The adjusted OR for any congenital anomalies for women who filled a prescription for NSAIDs in the first trimester was 2.21 (95% CI = 1.72-2.85). The adjusted OR for the anomalies related to cardiac septal closure was 3.34 (95% CI = 1.87-5.98). There were no significant associations with anomalies of other major organ systems. CONCLUSIONS: Our study suggests that women prescribed NSAIDs during early pregnancy may be at a greater risk of having children with congenital anomalies, specifically cardiac septal defects.

Abnormalities, Drug-Induced↗
PubMed2006

Estimation of time-dependent rate ratios in case-control studies: comparison of two approaches for exposure assessment.

PURPOSE: In pharmacoepidemiology, it is well recognized that the rate of adverse events may vary as a function of the cumulative duration of the drug exposure and/or the time since the end of the exposure. In case-control studies, two different approaches have been used to estimate temporal effects of drug exposure: the time-windows (T-Ws) approach and the duration-specific (D-S) approach. We decided to conduct a simulation study to compare the two approaches when the rate ratios (RRs) vary as a function of the cumulative duration of exposure and/or the time since the end of exposure. METHODS: We generated three cohorts of 500,000 individuals in which the rate of the event was varying as a function of the cumulative duration of exposure and the time since the end of exposure. For each cohort, a nested case-control analysis was performed using both the D-S and the T-Ws approaches. In the T-Ws approach, a RR is estimated within specific periods of time prior to the outcome, while a RR is estimated within periods of cumulative duration of exposure and time since the end of exposure in the D-S approach. RESULTS: We found that the RRs obtained from the D-S approach exactly corresponded to the RRs obtained from the cohort analyses, while the RRs obtained from the T-Ws approach generally not. RRs obtained from the T-Ws approach were difficult to interpret in terms of the effect of the duration and timing of the exposure. CONCLUSION: The D-S approach should be used to investigate the duration-related effects of exposure in case-control studies.

Case-Control Studies↗
PubMed2006

Validity of asthma diagnoses recorded in the Medical Services database of Quebec.

The goal of this study was to evaluate the validity of asthma diagnoses recorded in the Medical Services (physician billing) database of the Canadian province of Quebec. The predictive positive value (PPV) and predictive negative value (PNV) of two operational definitions of asthma based on diagnoses recorded in the database were evaluated. Patients 16-80 years old treated by a respiratory or a family physician in 2002 were selected from the database. The diagnosis derived from the Medical Services database was compared to the diagnosis written in the patient's medical chart. The PPV and PNV of the first operational definition based on one asthma diagnosis or more recorded in the database over a 1-year period were found to be 0.75 and 0.96 for respiratory physicians and 0.67 and 0.99 for family physicians, for patients 16-44 years old. The PPV increased to 0.78 for family physicians and to 0.77 for respiratory physicians when the second operational definition based on two diagnoses of asthma or more was used. Results tended to be lower for 45-80 years old patients. We conclude that diagnoses recorded in the Medical Services database of Quebec are valid to identify patients with asthma.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2006

Persistence, adherence, and effectiveness of combination therapy among adult patients with asthma.

BACKGROUND: Limited evidence exists on adherence and effectiveness of combination therapy (inhaled corticosteroids and long-acting beta(2)-agonists in the same inhaler) in asthma. OBJECTIVE: To compare persistence, adherence, and effectiveness between patients with asthma 16 to 44 years old starting combination or concurrent therapies (inhaled corticosteroids and long-acting beta(2)-agonists in 2 different inhalers). METHODS: This retrospective 1-to-1 matched cohort included newly treated asthmatics with either a combination or concurrent therapy selected from the Régie de l'assurance maladie du Québec database between 1999 and 2002. Persistence was determined by Kaplan-Meier and Cox regression analyses. Adherence was estimated by the number of prescriptions filled during the first year and compared between the 2 drug regimens using a linear regression model. Treatment effectiveness to reduce the rate of moderate to severe asthma exacerbations was estimated with Poisson regression models. RESULTS: Persistence fell to 10% and 5% after 12 months for combination and concurrent users, respectively. Combination users were found to be 17% less likely to stop their treatment (adjusted hazard ratio, 0.83; 95% CI, 0.78, 0.88) and filled on average 0.9 more prescription per year than concurrent users (P = .0001). Combination users were also found to be 17% less likely to have a moderate to severe asthma exacerbation (adjusted rate ratio, 0.83; 95% CI, 0.75, 0.91). CONCLUSION: The observed differences in treatment persistence and adherence were found to be associated with a reduction in the rate of moderate to severe asthma exacerbations among combination users. CLINICAL IMPLICATIONS: Combination therapy might be preferred to concurrent therapy for patients with asthma with low adherence to controller therapies.

Administration, Inhalation↗
PubMed2006

Socioeconomic status and medication prescription patterns in pediatric asthma in Canada.

PURPOSE: To investigate whether the socioeconomic status of children and adolescents with asthma is associated with optimal use of asthma medications in a health care system that provides free access to prescribed medications. METHODS: A cohort of 29,018 children (5-12 y) and adolescents (13-17 y) with asthma was reconstructed from the administrative health database of the Régie de l'assurance maladie du Québec in Canada. Adherence to the Canadian Asthma Guidelines was compared between low-income patients (patients living in families receiving social assistance) and higher-income patients (patients living in middle-class families with working parents). Both groups of patients had free, universal access to medical care and prescribed medications. Patients were considered adherent if they had: (1) 10 doses or fewer of a short-acting beta2-agonist (SABA) per week or (2) greater than 10 doses of a SABA per week plus greater than 1,000 microg of beclomethasone chlorofluorocarbon (CFC) per day. A second definition of adherence was used in which the 10 doses of SABA were replaced by 3 doses. RESULTS: Our cohort comprised 7,454 adolescents and 21,564 children. Within each definition, low-income adolescents had similar rates of adherence as higher-income adolescents (p = .08-.4). Low-income children, however, had lower rates of adherence than higher-income children when the first definition of adherence was used (76% vs. 80%; p < .001). CONCLUSION: Our study showed that socioeconomic status had a small influence on the likelihood of receiving treatment in adherence with the Canadian Asthma Guidelines among children, whereas no association was detected among adolescents.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2006

Action plans in asthma.

BACKGROUND: Action plans are recommended for most patients with persistent asthma to reduce the morbidity associated with this chronic disease. Unfortunately, despite these recommendations, this tool remains underused. METHODS: The authors conducted a descriptive study at the asthma clinic of a tertiary care centre to determine the number of asthmatic patients presenting to a respiratory physician (new reference or follow-up visit) who possessed an individualized, written action plan, and to evaluate the patients' level of confidence and perceived efficacy toward their plans. In addition, for all patients in the study, the level of confidence in and the perceived efficacy of three different action plans (two traditional tools versus a simplified tool) were compared. RESULTS: A total of 92 asthmatic patients were included in the study. Overall, 46% of the patients possessed an action plan. The patients' average level of confidence and perceived efficacy toward their action plans were high (4.1 out of five and 3.3 out of four, respectively). When the three different action plans were compared, the level of confidence in and perceived efficacy of the traditional tools were similar, both being superior to the simplified tool. CONCLUSION: The number of asthmatic patients who presented to the asthma clinic and who possessed an action plan was higher than the reported Canadian mean of 10%; however, most of the patients were treated by specialized respiratory physicians, which may explain this improvement. Considering that most patients with persistent asthma should have an individualized, written action plan, the present study confirms that this tool is still not used for all asthmatic patients.

Adult↗
PubMed2005

Persistence and determinants of statin therapy among middle-aged patients free of cardiovascular disease.

AIM: Statins have been shown to significantly reduce morbidity and mortality both in patients with coronary artery disease and in those with dyslipidemia when they are taken regularly. Middle-aged patients have the highest level of forecasting benefit, and little is known about the persistence rate of these therapies in a real-life setting.Objective. To evaluate the persistence rate of middle-aged patients initiating statin therapy as well as its relation to patients' demographic and clinical characteristics. METHODS: A cohort of 25,733 patients was reconstructed from prescription data recorded in the Régie de l'assurance maladie du Québec administrative database. All patients aged 50-64 years old who received at least one statin prescription between January 1, 1998 and December 31, 2000 for a new intention of treatment for dyslipidemia were included in the cohort and followed up until June 30, 2001. The date of the first prescription of statin was defined as the index date. The cumulative persistence rate was estimated using a Kaplan-Meier analysis. Cox regression models were used to estimate the rate ratio of ceasing statins after adjustment. RESULTS: Mean age of patients initiating statin agents was 58 years; 39%were male, 24% received social assistance, 19% had diabetes, 30% had hypertension and 11% had a respiratory disease at cohort entry. Persistence with statin therapy fell to 67% in the first 6 months after treatment and continued to decline over the next 3 years to 39%. At 3 years, persistence varied significantly with statin agents. After controlling for individual patients' demographic and clinical characteristics, we found that patients who were prescribed fluvastatin, lovastatin and atorvastatin had a higher rate of cessation than those on simvastatin and pravastatin. The adjusted rate ratio of ceasing statin agents in patients with other risk factors of cardiovascular disease, such as diabetes (HR: 0.78; 0.75-0.82) or hypertension (HR: 0.72; 0.69-0.74), demonstrated a lower cessation rate. We observed lower persistence in patients who used the greatest number of pharmacies and prescribing physicians. CONCLUSION: This analysis indicates that barriers to persistence occur early in the therapeutic course. Overall persistence with statins is low, particularly among patients with few other cardiovascular risk factors.

Atorvastatin↗
PubMed2005

Cessation of injecting drug use among street-based youth.

Young injecting drug users (IDUs) are at high risk for a number of negative health outcomes such as hepatitis B, hepatitis C, and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection. However, very little is known about injecting drug-use patterns among this population, particularly with respect to cessation of injection. We sought to identify the factors associated with cessation of injection in a population of young street-based IDUs. A prospective cohort study design was used to assess long-term (> or = 1 year) cessation of drug injection. Data was collected between January 1995 and September 2000 in Montreal, Québec, Canada. Subjects were originally recruited from various street-based outreach programs in Montreal and, for this study, had to have reported injecting drugs within the prior 6 months at baseline or during follow-up and had to have completed at least two semiannual follow-up questionnaires. Cessation incidence rates stratified by duration of injection and adjusted hazard ratios (AdjHRs) were calculated. A Cox proportional hazards regression model was used to identify risk factors independently associated with cessation of drug injection. Of 502 young IDUs, 305 subjects met the inclusion criteria. Cessation of injection for approximately 1 year or more occurred in 119 (39%) of the young IDUs. The incidence of cessation was 32.6/100 person-years but consistently declined as duration of time spent injecting increased. Independent predictors of cessation of injection were currently injecting on a less than monthly or less than weekly basis (HR = 6.4; 95% confidence interval (CI): 3.0-13.6 and HR = 2.4; 95% CI = 1.1-5.3, respectively); currently injecting two or fewer different types of drug (HR = 2.1; 95% CI = 1.1-4.0); currently employed (HR = 1.7; 95% CI = 1.1-2.7); and having at least one parent born outside of Canada (HR = 1.4; 95% CI = 1.1-1.7). Independent predictors of not ceasing injection were currently attending a needle-exchange program (HR = 0.5; 95% CI = 0.3-0.8); and current homelessness (HR = 0.6; 95% CI = 0.4-1.0). The early sharp decline in cessation of drug injection followed by a consistent decrease in this rate suggest difficulties in breaking the habit later on in the drug injecting career. Intensity of drug use and factors which may help to stabilize the social environment of the young IDU may also influence the ability to stop injecting.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2005

Persistence with treatment in newly treated middle-aged patients with essential hypertension.

BACKGROUND: Antihypertensive agents have been found to decrease morbidity and/or mortality associated with cardiovascular disease (CVD). Surveys have shown that hypertension has been diagnosed in many patients but remains uncontrolled. One factor may be the lack of persistence to treatment. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate persistence with antihypertensives and its determinants among newly treated patients. METHODS: A cohort of 21,011 patients with essential hypertension was reconstructed from prescription records in the Régie de l'assurance maladie du Québec administrative database. We included subjects between 50 and 64 years of age newly treated for hypertension with diuretics, beta-blockers, angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors, calcium-channel blockers, or angiotensin II receptor blockers prescribed individually or in combination. Cohort entry was from January 1, 1998, to December 31, 2000. Subjects were considered newly treated if they had not taken any antihypertensive agents in the year prior to the index date, which was defined as the date of the first prescription. Patients were followed until June 30, 2001; death; end of coverage; or occurrence of CVD. Main outcome measure was the persistence rate. The cumulative persistence rate was determined by Kaplan-Meier analysis. The rate ratio of discontinuing antihypertensive therapy was estimated using the Cox regression model. RESULTS: The mean age of patients was 58 years. Persistence with antihypertensive therapy fell to 75% in the first 6 months after treatment and continued to decline over the next 3 years to 55%. During a one-year period of follow-up, with diuretics used as the reference class and controlling for several variables, patients prescribed other antihypertensive classes or combined therapy (HR 0.71; 95% CI 0.67 to 0.75) were found to have a better rate of persistence. Having diabetes (HR 0.86; 95% CI 0.79 to 0.94) and dyslipidemia (HR 0.71; 95% CI 0.66 to 0.76) increased the rate of persistence. Similar values were observed during the 3-year period of follow-up. CONCLUSIONS: Barriers to persistence occur early in the course of therapy, and adherence continues to decline over a period of 3 years. Patients were least persistent to diuretic therapy.

Age Factors↗
PubMed2005

Effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of antibiotic treatments for community acquired pneumonia (CAP) and acute exacerbations of chronic bronchitis (AECB).

BACKGROUND: The antibacterial activity, tolerability profile and duration of treatment associated with antibiotics are important therapy attributes when considering treating patients for lower respiratory tract infections (LRTIs), such as community acquired pneumonia (CAP) and acute exacerbations of chronic bronchitis (AECB). OBJECTIVES: To investigate the effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of oral antibiotics used in the treatment of LRTIs. METHODS: A cohort of inhaled corticosteroids users who were diagnosed with a LRTI and dispensed a prescription for one of the antibiotics under study on the same day as the diagnosis was selected from the administrative health databases of the Régie de l'assurance maladie du Québec (RAMQ). The risks of treatment failure were estimated using a logistic regression analysis. Treatment failure was defined as another prescription for any antibiotic, an emergency room visit or hospitalization for LRTIs, or death, in the 20 days following the dispensation of the first antibiotic prescribed. A cost-minimization analysis was performed in which only the drug costs related to the first antibiotic filled were considered. RESULTS: A total of 3,610 episodes of LRTIs were studied. There were no significant differences between antibiotics in terms of their respective adjusted odds ratios for rates of failure. However, the lower cost associated with azithromycin was significantly different from the costs associated with any other antibiotic (p<0.0001). CONCLUSION: Clinical effectiveness appears to be similar amongst second line antibiotics that are commonly used in the treatment of LRTIs in the community. Using a cost-minimization analysis, azithromycin appears to be the most cost-effective antibiotic treatment in this setting.

Adult↗
PubMed2005

Use of inhaled corticosteroids during pregnancy and risk of pregnancy induced hypertension: nested case-control study.

OBJECTIVE: To determine whether the use of inhaled corticosteroids during pregnancy increases the risk of pregnancy induced hypertension and pre-eclampsia among asthmatic women. DESIGN: Nested case-control study. SETTING: Three administrative health databases from Quebec: RAMQ, MED-ECHO, and Fichier des evenements demographiques. PARTICIPANTS: 3505 women with asthma, totalling 4593 pregnancies, between 1990 and 2000. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Pregnancy induced hypertension and pre-eclampsia. RESULTS: 302 cases of pregnancy induced hypertension and 165 cases of pre-eclampsia were identified. Use of inhaled corticosteroids from conception until date of outcome was not associated with an increased risk of pregnancy induced hypertension (adjusted odds ratio 1.02, 95% confidence interval 0.77 to 1.34) or pre-eclampsia (1.06, 0.74 to 1.53). No significant dose-response relation was observed between inhaled corticosteroids and pregnancy induced hypertension or pre-eclampsia. Oral corticosteroids were significantly associated with the risk of pregnancy induced hypertension (adjusted odds ratio 1.57, 1.02 to 2.41), and a trend was seen for pre-eclampsia (1.72, 0.98 to 3.02). CONCLUSION: No significant increase of the risk of pregnancy induced hypertension or pre-eclampsia was detected among users of inhaled corticosteroids during pregnancy, while markers of uncontrolled and severe asthma were found to significantly increase the risks of pregnancy induced hypertension and pre-eclampsia.

Administration, Inhalation↗