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Background The risk of thromboembolic events and COVID-19 complications in anticoagulated patients once hospitalized has been widely analyzed. We aim to assess these outcomes in primary health care (PHC) patients chronically treated with oral anticoagulants (OAC) in comparison with non-treated. Methods Cohort study including adults with COVID-19 diagnosis in the PHC records in Catalonia, Spain; from March to June 2020. Patients were matched between exposed and non-exposed to OAC based on age and gender in a 1:2 design. Data source is the Information System for Research in Primary Care (SIDIAP). Results We included 311,542 individuals with COVID-19. After propensity score matching, we obtained a cohort of 20,360 people, 10,180 exposed and 10,180 non-exposed to OAC. Their mean age was 79.9 and 52.1% were women. Patients exposed to OAC had a higher frequency of comorbidities than non-exposed. Anticoagulated patients had a higher risk of hospital admission (IRR 1.16, 95% CI 1.03–1.29), and of stroke and pulmonary embolism than non-anticoagulated (IRR 1,80, 95% CI 1.06–3.06). The risk of pneumonia was not different between groups (IRR 1.04, 95% CI 0.84–1.30). We found a lower risk of death in patients exposed to OAC (IRR 0.60, 95% CI 0.55–0.65). Conclusions OAC users in our study had more comorbidities and were older than non-users, well known risks for hospitalization being confirmed with our results. We also found in our study that OAC exposure was not associated to an increased risk in the mortality rate, and it was associated with higher risks of hospital admission and thromboembolic events, although we cannot assess the effect of the interventions applied during hospital admission on the outcomes studied, as our database is a PHC database. Trial registration EUPAS register: EUPAS37205.

The use of psychotropic drugs in the paediatric population has not been the subject of many studies, due to the fact that this population is generally not included in clinical trials and these drugs are not authorized for use on minors. This study aims to provide an accurate description of psychotropic drug use in children and adolescents in the North of Europe and Catalonia. Data from 2008 to 2017 on psychotropic drug consumption in children and adolescents were retrieved from the databases of Catalonia, Denmark, Norway and Sweden. Psychotropic drugs were divided into antipsychotics, anxiolytics (also hypnotics and sedatives), antidepressants and psychostimulants. Data were stratified by group of age (0–4, 5–9, 10–14 and 15–19/15–17 for Denmark and Catalonia) and sex. Overall, the group of anxiolytics shows the highest consumption and the group of antipsychotics the lowest. In 2017, Sweden was the country with the highest consumption of psychotropic drugs (6.67‰) and has the highest increase in consumption (152.8%), and Denmark has the lowest consumption for all groups (3.13‰). Catalonia shows a decrease in psychotropic drugs (−15.9%). Girls consume more than twice as many antidepressants as boys while the opposite is true for psychostimulants. Risperidone and quetiapine are among the most consumed antipsychotics in the Nordic countries, whereas in Catalonia they are risperidone and aripiprazole. Among antidepressants, sertraline is the most consumed. No differences are found among the psychostimulants. Psychotropic consumption in younger populations is increasing, although there are differences between the countries as far as which drugs are used. Nordic countries show a higher prevalence of use than Catalonia. Psychotropic drug consumption increases with age, except for psychostimulants, which have the highest utilization rate among 10–14-year-olds.

Background: A safe and effective colorectal cancer chemoprevention agent remains to be discovered. There is little evidence regarding the protective effect of chondroitin sulphate and glucosamine on colorectal cancer. We aimed to assess the association between colorectal cancer risk and the use of chondroitin sulphate and glucosamine using a large cohort with dispensed data. Methods: We performed a population-based case–control study in Catalonia using primary care reimbursed medication records (SIDIAP database). The study included 25,811 cases with an incident diagnosis of colorectal cancer and 129,117 matched controls between 2010 and 2015. Results: The prevalence of ever use was 9.0% (n = 13,878) for chondroitin sulphate, 7.3% (n = 11,374) for glucosamine, and 35% for regular use of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAID; n = 45,774). A decreased risk of colorectal cancer was observed among chondroitin sulphate use [OR: 0.96; 95% confidence interval (CI), 0.91–1.01], glucosamine use (OR: 0.92; 95% CI, 0.87–0.97), and concurrent use of chondroitin sulphate and glucosamine (OR: 0.83; 95% CI, 0.70–0.98). Especially for glucosamine, there was a dose–response association regarding duration and cumulative dose. The analysis stratified by simultaneous use with other NSAIDs showed that these drugs used without other NSAIDs do not reduce risk (OR: 1.06; 95% CI, 0.74–1.51). However, they may have a synergistic protective effect when used with other NSAIDs (OR: 0.80; 95% CI, 0.72–0.88). Conclusions: This study does not provide strong support for an independent protective association of chondroitin sulphate or glucosamine on colorectal cancer risk in our population. However, these drugs may have a synergistic beneficial effect among NSAID users. Impact: Chondroitin sulphate or glucosamine may contribute to the protective effect of NSAID use in colorectal cancer.

Resumen Objetivo El objetivo de este estudio es analizar el uso, la efectividad, la seguridad y los costes de la prevencion de ictus en fibrilacion auricular (FA) no valvular en pacientes que inician tratamiento con dabigatran o antagonistas de la vitamina K (AVK). Emplazamiento Atencion Primaria (AP) del Instituto Catalan de la Salud (ICS), en Cataluna, durante el periodo 2011-2013. Participantes Todos los pacientes atendidos en los centros de AP del ICS con diagnostico de FA que inician dabigatran o AVK. Intervenciones No aplica (estudio observacional). Mediciones principales Numero de prescripciones y facturaciones de dabigatran y AVK, incidencia de ictus y eventos tromboembolicos, incidencia de hemorragias mayores, incidencia de muertes durante el seguimiento, numero de bajas laborales y medida de los costes asociados a estas variables. Resultados Se incluyo a 14.930 pacientes en el estudio; el 94,6% inicio AVK y el 5,4%, dabigatran. Estos ultimos eran pacientes mas jovenes y con menos comorbilidades asociadas. No hubo diferencias estadisticamente significativas entre AVK y dabigatran en el riesgo de ictus, hemorragias y mortalidad. Los costes asociados al manejo de la FA eran mayores para visitas de AP en el grupo de AVK y mayores para laboratorio, y farmacia en el grupo de dabigatran, aunque los costes totales no fueron estadisticamente diferentes. Conclusiones La mayoria de los pacientes iniciaron AVK. No hubo diferencias entre AVK y dabigatran en el riesgo de ictus, hemorragias y mortalidad.

Despite better diagnoses and treatments, heart failure (HF) is an important cause of death in Spain. The objective of this study is to describe the characteristics and treatment of a population with chronic HF classified according to the left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF). Population-based observational cohort study in Primary Health Care. Catalonia, Spain, during 2014-2018. Adults with HF classified by the LVEF. Analysis of electronic health data registered in SIDIAP (Information System for Research in Primary Care). Demographics, LVEF, comorbidities, and use of drugs for HF. 10,130 patients were included; 18.9% with LVEF40 (HFrEF), 15.9% with LVEF 40-49 (HFmEF) and 65.2% with LVEF≥50 (HFpEF), this last group with a higher proportion of women (57.5%) and higher mean age (80.2 years-old). People with HFmEF were similar to those with HFrEF in age, gender, comorbidities and treatment. The most frequent comorbidities were hypertension (78.3%), dyslipidaemia (54%) and atrial fibrillation (41.5%). The most frequent pharmacological treatments were β blockers with differences according to the LVEF [HFrEF 1515 (79.2%), HFmEF 1142 (70.8%) and HFpEF 3371 (51%)], followed by loop diuretics (65.7%). HF is a prevalent disease. Having information on LVEF could guide its pharmacological management. The HF population has persistent cardiovascular risk factors and habits. Treatment and population characteristics of patients with HFmEF are similar to those with HFrEF.

The use of bisphosphonates has been associated with a decrease in the risk of colorectal cancer (CRC) in observational studies, but with controversial results and difficult to interpret because of routine concomitant use of calcium and vitamin D. We aimed to assess the association between CRC risk and outpatient exposure to antiosteoporotic drugs using a large cohort with prescription data in Catalonia. A case-control study was performed using the Information System for Development of Primary Care Research (SIDIAP) which is a primary care medical record database that has linked data on reimbursed medication. The study included 25,836 cases with an incident diagnosis of CRC between 2010 and 2015 and 129,117 matched controls by age (+/- 5 years), sex and healthcare region. A multivariable model was built adjusting for known risk factors and comorbidities that were significantly associated to CRC in the dataset, and a propensity score for bisphosphonates. Tests for interaction for multiple drug use and stratified analysis for tumour location were prospectively planned. Overall 18,230 individuals (11.5%) were users of bisphosphonates. A significant but modest protective effect on CRC was observed for bisphosphonates (OR 0.95, 95% CI 0.91-0.99), that was no longer significant when adjusted for calcium and vitamin D (OR 0.98, 95% CI 0.93-1.03). Bisphosphonates, however, showed a dose-response effect with duration of use even when adjusted for calcium and vitamin D (OR for use > 40 months: 0.90, 95% CI 0.81-1.00, P value for trend: 0.018). The use of bisphosphonates was associated with a modest decrease in the risk of CRC, but this effect was essentially explained by concomitant use of calcium or vitamin D. The observed protective effect was stronger for long durations of use, which deserves further study.

Electronic health records; Acute coronary syndrome; Drug adherence; Secondary prevention Registros electrónicos de salud; Síndrome coronario agudo; Adherencia a la medicación; Prevención secundaria Registres electrònics de salut; Síndrome coronària aguda; Adherència a la medicació; Prevenció secundària Objective To describe baseline socio-demographic and clinical characteristics and drugs prescribed for secondary prevention after a first episode of ACS and to assess differences between men and women. Setting PHC in Catalonia. Data source: SIDIAP (Information System for Research in Primary Care). Participants Patients who suffered an ACS during 2009–2016 and followed-up in PHC centres of the Catalan Health Institute in Catalonia. Interventions Not applicable. Main measures Socio-demographic and clinical characteristics at baseline: sex, age, socioeconomic index, toxic habits, comorbidities, study drugs (prescribed for cardiovascular secondary prevention: antiplatelets, betablockers, statins, drugs acting on the renin–angiotensin system) and comedications. Results 8071 patients included, 71.3% of them were men and 80.2% had an acute myocardial infarction. Their mean age was 65.3 and women were older than men. The most frequent comorbidities were hypertension, dyslipidaemia and diabetes and they were more common in women. Antiplatelets (91.3%) and statins (85.7%) were the study drugs most prescribed. The uses of all comedications were significantly higher in women, except for nitrates. The combination of four study groups was initially prescribed in 47.7% of patients and combination of beta-blockers, statins and antiplatelets was prescribed in 18.4%. More men than women received all recommended pharmacological groups. Conclusion Women were older, had more comorbidities and received more comedications. Most patients were treated with a combination of four or three study drugs for secondary prevention. Men initiated more drug treatments for secondary prevention and dual antiplatelet therapy than women. Objetivos Describir las características sociodemográficas y clínicas basales, y los fármacos prescritos para la prevención cardiovascular secundaria tras un síndrome coronario agudo (SCA). Analizar si existen diferencias entre varones y mujeres. Emplazamiento Atención primaria (AP) en Cataluña. Fuente de datos: Sistema de Información para el Desarrollo de la Investigación en AP (SIDIAP). Participantes Pacientes que hayan sufrido un primer SCA durante 2009-2016, seguidos en AP del Instituto Catalán de la Salud en Cataluña. Intervenciones No aplica. Mediciones principales Características sociodemográficas y clínicas al inicio: sexo, edad, índice socioeconómico, hábitos tóxicos, comorbilidades, fármacos de estudio (prescritos para prevención secundaria: antiagregantes, betabloqueantes, estatinas, fármacos del sistema renina-angiotensina) y fármacos concomitantes. Resultados Se incluyeron 8.071 pacientes; 71,3% varones y 80,2% habían sufrido infarto. La edad media era de 65,3 años y las mujeres eran mayores que los varones. Las comorbilidades más frecuentes fueron hipertensión, dislipemia y diabetes; más comunes en mujeres. Antiagregantes (91,3%) y estatinas (85,7%) fueron los fármacos más prescritos. El uso de todas las comedicaciones era más frecuente en mujeres, excepto nitratos. La combinación de los 4 grupos farmacológicos de estudio se prescribió al 47,7% de los pacientes incluidos y la combinación de antiagregante, betabloqueante y estatina al 18,4%. Más varones que mujeres recibieron los fármacos recomendados. Conclusiones Las mujeres incluidas eran mayores, con más comorbilidad y mayor uso de comedicaciones. La mayoría de pacientes eran tratados con la combinación de 3 o 4 fármacos para prevención secundaria. Los varones iniciaban más fármacos para prevención secundaria y más terapia antiagregante doble que las mujeres.

Objective: To evaluate the association between prematurity (by the gestational week [gw]) and ADHD during childhood. Method: Observational, matched cohort study using data from children born in a tertiary-level hospital (Hospital Universitari Vall d'Hebron, Catalonia, Spain) during 1995-2007 and data from the Information System for the Development of Research in Primary Health Care (SIDIAP database, Catalonia, Spain). Results: Prevalence of ADHD increases as gestational age decreases, 12.7% for those born =28 gw, compared to 3.2% for those born after the 37 gw. The risk of developing ADHD in the non-premature children tends to increase as the gw decreases (35-36 gw, hazard ratio [HR] = 1.70, 95% confidence interval [CI] [1.19, 2.44]; 33-34 gw, HR = 3.38, 95% CI [2.08, 5.50]; 29-32 gw, HR = 2.37, 95% CI [1.54, 3.63]; and =28 gw, HR = 5.57, 95% CI [2.49, 12.46]) Conclusion: Being born preterm is associated with a risk of developing ADHD, also in late preterm children (35-36 gw). Attention when taking care of these infants regarding their mental health must be made.

Objectives: To characterize people who died by suicide after having previous contacts with public health system using the data available in a primary care setting. Method: A retrospective, population-based case-control study identified through autopsy reports subjects who died from suicide between 2010 and 2015 in Barcelona province. Those who had previous interaction with primary healthcare services were selected, and 20 controls per case with similar age, sex and residence area were randomly sampled from a primary healthcare medical database; the available medical data derived from routine primary care records were anonymised and retrieved for analysis in all subjects. Results: Of 2109 people deceased by suicide, 971 had previous primary healthcare interactions; 33.8% aged over 65 and 74% men. Of those with previous contact, 33% died during the week after and 58.5% within one month. A multivariable analysis identified several significant risk factors in the database, including previous suicide attempts, psychiatric diagnosis, number of primary healthcare visits, referrals to mental health, number of drugs prescribed, recent psychoactive drug prescriptions, and being on sick leave due to mental conditions in the previous year. Conclusions: Nearly half of suicide subjects contacted primary healthcare before dying but remained either undetected or not effectively managed for prevention. In cases who interacted, available data on risk factors included high frequentation and being on sick leave due to mental health disorders, in addition to other well-known factors. Routine electronic medical records represent an opportunity to provide clinical-decision support tools that could be implemented through automatized risk calculation.HIGHLIGHTSMost of suicide patients had a recent interaction with the healthcare systemWell known risk factors were available in the routine electronic medical recordsAdditional alerting tools could be implemented through automatized risk calculation.

IntroductionUncomplicated lower urinary tract infections (uLUTI) are a common problem in primary care. Current local guidelines recommend the use of a single 3 g dose of fosfomycin. However, most general practitioners (GP) prefer short-course therapies to single-dose therapy. No study has compared head-to-head short-course antimicrobial agents for uLUTIs. Therefore, the aim of this randomised clinical trial is to compare three different short-course antibiotic therapies with a single-dose of fosfomycin for these infections.Methods and analysisThis will be a pragmatic, multicentre, parallel group, open trial. Women aged 18 or older and with symptoms of uLUTI and a positive urine dipstick analysis will be randomised to one of the following four groups: a single dose of 3 g of fosfomycin, 2 days of 3 g of fosfomycin o.d., 3 days of pivmecillinam 400 mg three times per day (t.i.d) or 5 days of nitrofurantoin 100 mg t.i.d. A total sample of 1120 patients was calculated. The primary endpoint is clinical effectiveness at day 7, defined as cure of symptoms reported by the patients in a diary including four symptoms: dysuria, urgency, frequency and suprapubic pain, which will be scored on a 4-point severity scale (not present/mild/moderate/severe). Follow-up visits are scheduled at days 7 (phone call), 14 and 28 for assessing evolution. Urine samples will be collected in the three on-site visits and urine cultures performed. If positive, antibiograms for the three antibiotics studied will be performed. Bacterial eradication will be measured at days 14 and 28.Ethics and disseminationThe study was approved by the Ethical Board of IDIAP Jordi Gol (reference number: 21/173-AC) and Spanish Agency of Medicines and Medical Devices. The findings of this trial will be disseminated through research conferences and peer-review journals.Trial registration numberNCT04959331; EudraCT Number: 2021-001332-26.Time scheduleJanuary 2022 to April 2023.

Background Cerebrovascular disorders have occurred more frequently in some Central Nervous System (CNS) disorders, such as epilepsy. Some CNS drugs have been associated with increased stroke risk. Our aim was to estimate the risk of ischaemic stroke in patients exposed to antiepileptic drugs (AED). Methods Population-based matched case-control study using SIDIAP database, based in electronic health records from primary healthcare from Catalonia, Spain. Cases were those patients with a registered diagnosis of first stroke during 2009–2014. Up to 10 controls were selected for each case and matched by sex, age, and geographic area and without a prior diagnosis of stroke. We considered global drug exposure to AED, past and current exposure and exposure in monotherapy to each AED. Results 2,865 cases and 19,406 controls were exposed to AED during the study period. Global exposure to levetiracetam [(ORadj3.3, CI95 % 2.8-4.0)], phenytoin [ORadj1.5, CI95 % 1.2–41.9)], and valproic acid [(ORadj 1.3, CI95 % 1.1–1.6)], showed significantly association to ischaemic stroke that was also maintained with current exposure of levetiracetam [ORadj4.1, CI95 % 3.3–5.2)] and valproic acid [ORadj1.4, CI95 % 1.1–1.9)]. Current levetiracetam monotherapy showed a very high risk of ischaemic stroke [(ORadj 5.1, CI95 % 3.7–6.9)]. Conclusions Drugs used for other conditions than epilepsy (pregabalin, gabapentin) were the most used AED and both did not show a risk. Levetiracetam shows a risk for stroke even when assessed in current monotherapy. The lack of data regarding the link with diagnosis and severity in our study makes it necessary to conduct further studies to confirm or dismiss our results, focussing on levetiracetam.

IntroductionDespite the frequent use of therapies in acute bronchitis, the evidence of their benefit is lacking, since only a few clinical trials have been published, with low sample sizes, poor methodological quality and mainly in children. The objective of this study is to compare the effectiveness of three symptomatic therapies (dextromethorphan, ipratropium or honey) associated with usual care and the usual care in adults with acute bronchitis.Methods and analysisThis will be a multicentre, pragmatic, parallel group, open randomised trial. Patients aged 18 or over with uncomplicated acute bronchitis, with cough for less than 3 weeks as the main symptom, scoring ≥4 in either daytime or nocturnal cough on a 7-point Likert scale, will be randomised to one of the following four groups: usual care, dextromethorphan 30 mg three times a day, ipratropium bromide inhaler 20 µg two puffs three times a day or honey 30 mg (a spoonful) three times a day, all taken for up to 14 days. The exclusion criteria will be pneumonia, criteria for hospital admission, pregnancy or lactation, concomitant pulmonary disease, associated significant comorbidity, allergy, intolerance or contraindication to any of the study drugs or admitted to a long-term residence. Sample: 668 patients. The primary outcome will be the number of days with moderate-to-severe cough. All patients will be given a paper-based symptom diary to be self-administered. A second visit will be scheduled at day 2 or 3 for assessing evolution, with two more visits at days 15 and 29 for clinical assessment, evaluation of adverse effects, re-attendance and complications. Patients still with symptoms at day 29 will be called 6 weeks after the baseline visit.Ethics and disseminationThe study has been approved by the Ethical Board of IDIAP Jordi Gol (reference number: AC18/002). The findings of this trial will be disseminated through research conferences and peer-review journals.Trial registration numberNCT03738917; Pre-results.

Acute liver injury; Antidepressants; Case-control Lesió hepàtica aguda; Antidepressius; Control de casos Lesión hepática aguda; Antidepresivos; Control de casos Background Agomelatine is a melatonin receptor agonist and serotonin 5-HT2C receptor antagonist indicated for depression in adults. Hepatotoxic reactions like acute liver injury (ALI) are an identified risk in the European risk management plan for agomelatine. Hepatotoxic reactions have been reported for other antidepressants, but population studies quantifying these risks are scarce. Antidepressants are widely prescribed, and users often have risk factors for ALI (e.g. metabolic syndrome). Objective The goal was to estimate the risk of ALI associated with agomelatine and other antidepressants (fluoxetine, paroxetine, sertraline, escitalopram, mirtazapine, venlafaxine, duloxetine, and amitriptyline) when compared with citalopram in routine clinical practice. Method A nested case–control study was conducted using data sources in Denmark, Germany, Spain, and Sweden (study period 2009–2014). Three ALI endpoints were defined using International Classification of Diseases (ICD) codes: primary (specific codes) and secondary (all codes) endpoints used only hospital discharge codes; the tertiary endpoint included both inpatient and outpatient settings (all codes). Validation of endpoints was implemented. Adjusted odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for current use were estimated for each data source and combined. Results We evaluated 3,238,495 new antidepressant and 74,440 agomelatine users. For the primary endpoint, the OR for agomelatine versus citalopram was 0.48 (CI 0.13–1.71). Results were also

There is extensive debate regarding the protective effect of 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl-coenzyme A reductase inhibitors (statins) on colorectal cancer (CRC). We aimed to assess the association between CRC risk and exposure to statins using a large cohort with prescription data. We carried out a case-control study in Catalonia using the System for Development of Primary Care Research (SIDIAP) database that recorded patient diseases history and linked data on reimbursed medication. The study included 25 811 cases with an incident diagnosis of CRC between 2010 and 2015 and 129 117 frequency-matched controls. Subjects were classified as exposed to statins if they had ever been dispensed statins. Analysis considering mean daily defined dose, cumulative duration and type of statin were performed. Overall, 66 372 subjects (43%) were exposed to statins. There was no significant decrease of CRC risk associated to any statin exposure (OR = 0.98; 95% CI: 0.95–1.01). Only in the stratified analysis by location a reduction of risk for rectal cancer was observed associated to statin exposure (OR = 0.87; 95% CI: 0.81–0.92). This study does not support an overall protective effect of statins in CRC, but a protective association with rectal cancer merits further research.

Atenció primària de salut; Autories; Bibliometria; Distribució per sexe; Diferència de gèneres Atención primaria de salud; Autorías; Bibliometría; Distribución por sexo; Sesgo de géneros Primary health care; Authorship; Bibliometrics; Gender distribution; Gender bias Objetivos: Determinar el porcentaje de autorías femeninas en artículos originales publicados durante dos períodos en la revista “Atención Primaria” y evaluar si existen diferencias entre categorías de autoría (primera, última autora y coautora) entre ambos. Diseño: Estudio transversal Emplazamiento: Producción científica femenina publicada durante 2007-08 y 2017-18. Participantes: Centrado en los artículos originales. Mediciones principales: Se recogieron en un formulario “ad hoc” las variables: género en base al nombre del autor/a, número total de mujeres y hombres que figuraban como autores/as y orden de autoría. Se calcularon las frecuencias absolutas y relativas y se utilizó la prueba del ji-cuadrado para determinar la evolución de los porcentajes por tipo de autoría y género. Resultados: Se analizaron un total de 108 artículos en el período 2007-08 y 100 en el 2017-18. No se observaron diferencias estadísticamente significativas entre el promedio de autoras y autores dentro y entre los períodos. En 2007-08 se identificaron un total de 548 autorías y en 2017-18 540, el porcentaje de autoras fue del 48,7% y del 54,4% respectivamente. Únicamente se observó un aumento del porcentaje de primeras autoras interperíodo. Conclusiones: Prácticamente una de cada dos autorías de artículos originales publicados en la revista “Atención Primaria” era femenina. Asimismo, se observó un incremento significativo en el porcentaje de primeras autoras entre ambos períodos. No obstante, y a pesar del mayor número de trabajadoras sanitarias, las últimas autoras se mantienen sin cambios, lo que apunta a la persistencia de infrarrepresentatividad femenina. Objectives: To determine the percentage of female authors in original articles published during 2 periods, in the journal of AtenciÓn Primaria (Primary Care), and to examine the differences between the categories of authorship (first, last author, and co-author) between both periods. Design: Cross-sectional study. Setting: Feminine scientific production published during the periods 2007-2008 and 2017-2018. Participants: The study was focused on original articles. Main measurements: The following variables were collected in an ad hoc form: gender based on the name of the author, total number of women and men appearing as authors, and order of authorship. Absolute and relative authorship frequencies were calculated, and the 2 test was used to examine the evolution of the percentages by type of authorship and gender. Results: A total of 108 articles were analysed in 2007-2008, and 100 in 2017-2018. No statistically significant differences were observed between the mean numbers of women authors within and between periods. In 2007-2008 a total of 548 female authors were identified and 540 in 2017-2018, the percentage of female authors was 48.7% and 54.4%, respectively. Only an increase in the percentage of first authors was observed between periods. Conclusions: Practically one out of every 2 authors of original articles published in the journal AtenciÓn Primaria was female. There was also a significant increase in the percentage of female first authors between the 2 periods. Nevertheless, and despite the greater number of health workers, the number of latest female authors remain unchanged, which points to the persistence of female under-representation.

Introduction: Community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) is treated with penicillin in some northern European countries. Objectives: To evaluate whether high-dose penicillin V is as effective as high-dose amoxicillin for the treatment of non-severe CAR. Design: Multicentre, parallel, double-blind, controlled, randomized clinical trial. Setting: 31 primary care centers in Spain. Participants: Patients from 18 to 75 years of age with no significant associated comorbidity and with symptoms of lower respiratory tract infection and radiological confirmation of CAP were randomized to receive either penicillin V 1.6 million units, or amoxicillin 1000 mg three times per day for 10 days. Main measurements: The main outcome was clinical cure at 14 days, and the primary hypothesis was that penicillin V would be non-inferior to amoxicillin with regard to this outcome, with a margin of 15% for the difference in proportions. EudraCT register 2012-003511-63. Results: A total of 43 subjects (amoxicillin: 28; penicillin: 15) were randomized. Clinical cure was observed in 10 (90.9%) patients assigned to penicillin and in 25 (100%) patients assigned to amoxicillin with a difference of -9.1% (95% CI, -41.3% to 6.4%; p=.951) for non-inferiority. In the intention-to-treat analysis, amoxicillin was found to be 28.6% superior to penicillin (95% CI, 7.3-58.1%; p =.009 for superiority). The number of adverse events was similar in both groups. Conclusions: There was a trend favoring high-dose amoxicillin versus high-dose penicillin in adults with uncomplicated CAR The main limitation of this trial was the low statistical power due to the low number of patients included., The project received a research grant from the Carlos III Institute of Health, Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness (Spain), awarded in the 2011 call under the Health Strategy Action 2013-2016, within the National Research Program oriented to Societal Challenges, within the Technical, Scientific and Innovation Research National Plan 2008-2011, with reference PI11/02471, co-funded with European Union ERDF funds. It was also supported by the Spanish Clinical Research Network (SCReN), PT13/0002/0030. The funding bodies had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the effect of effervescent paracetamol on office and ambulatory blood pressure (BP) compared with noneffervescent paracetamol in hypertensive patients. DESIGN: This was a multicenter open crossover randomized clinical trial. SETTING: Primary care centers in Catalonia and the Basque Country. PARTICIPANTS: Inclusion criteria were office BP 150/95¿mmHg or less and daytime ambulatory BP 140/90¿mmHg or less, stable pharmacologic or nonpharmacologic antihypertensive treatment, and concomitant chronic osteoarticular pain. INTERVENTIONS: Baseline randomized assignment to 3-week periods of effervescent paracetamol (1¿g three times a day) first and noneffervescent paracetamol later, or inversely, during a 7-week study period. At the start and end of each treatment period, 24-h ambulatory BP monitoring was performed. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Differences in 24-h SBP between baseline and end of both treatment periods. The main analyses were performed according to the intention-to-treat principle. RESULTS: In intention-to-treat analysis, 46 patients were analyzed, 21 were treated with paracetamol effervescent and noneffervescent later, and 25 followed the opposite sequence. The difference in 24-h SBP between the two treatments was 3.99¿mmHg (95% confidence interval 1.35-6.63; P¿=¿0.004), higher in the effervescent paracetamol treatment period. Similarly, the per-protocol analysis showed a difference in 24-h SBP between the two groups of 5.04¿mmHg (95% confidence interval 1.80-8.28; P¿=¿0.004), higher in the effervescent paracetamol treatment period. Self-reported pain levels did not differ between groups and did not vary by treatment period. No serious adverse events were reported in either study arm. CONCLUSION: Effervescent paracetamol tablets are responsible for a significant daytime and overall increase in ambulatory 24-h SBP. TRIAL REGISTRATION: NCT: 02514538 EudraCT: 2010-023485-53.

Purpose Recent controversies on the safety profiles of opioids and paracetamol (acetaminophen) have led to changes in clinical guidance on osteoarthritis (OA) management. We studied the existing association between the use of different OA drug therapies and the risk for acute coronary events. Methods A cohort of patients with clinically diagnosed OA (according to ICD-10 codes) was identified in the SIDIAP database. Within the cohort, cases with incident acute coronary events (acute myocardial infarction or unstable angina) between 2008 and 2012 were identified using ICD-10 codes and data from hospital admission. Controls were matched 3:1 to acute coronary event–free patients matched by sex, age (±5 years), geographic area, and years since OA diagnosis (±2 years). Linked pharmacy dispensation data were used for assessing exposure to drug therapies. Multivariate conditional logistic regression models were fitted to estimate adjusted odds ratios of acute coronary events. Findings Totals of 5663 cases and 16,989 controls were studied. Previous morbidity and cardiovascular risk were higher in cases than in controls, with no significant differences in type or number of joints with OA. Multivariate adjusted analyses showed increased risks (odds ratio; 95% CI) related to the use of diclofenac (1.16; 1.06–1.27), naproxen (1.25; 1.04–1.48), and opioid analgesics (1.13; 1.03–1.24). No significant associations were observed with cyclooxygenase-2 selective NSAIDs, topical NSAIDs, glucosamine, chondroitin sulfate, paracetamol, or metamizole. Implications In patients with clinically diagnosed OA, the use of nonselective NSAIDs or opioid analgesics is associated with an increased risk for acute coronary events. These risks should be considered when selecting treatments of OA in patients at high cardiovascular risk.

Cilostazol; Peripheral artery disease; Primary healthcare Cilostazol ; Enfermedades Arteriales Periféricas; Atención primaria Cilostazol; Malalties arterials perifèriques; Atenció primària Background: Cilostazol has been associated with spontaneous reports of cardiovascular adverse events and serious bleeding. The objective of this study is to determine the relative risk of cardiovascular adverse events or haemorrhages in patients with peripheral artery disease treated with cilostazol in comparison to pentoxifylline users. Methods: Population-based cohort study including all individuals older than 40 who initiated cilostazol or pentoxifylline during 2009–2011 in SIDIAP database. The two treatment groups were matched through propensity score (PS). Results: Nine thousand one hundred twenty-nine patients met inclusion criteria and after PS matching, there were 2905 patients in each group. 76% of patients were men, with similar mean ages in both groups (68.8 for cilostazol and 69.4 for pentoxifylline). There were no differences in bleeding, cerebrovascular and cardiovascular events between both groups. Conclusions: Patients treated with cilostazol were different from those treated with pentoxifylline at baseline, so they were matched through PS. We did not find differences between treatment groups in the incidence of bleeding or cardiovascular and cerebrovascular events. Cilostazol should be used with precaution in elderly polymedicated patients.

Atrial fibrillation (AF) is the most common chronic arrhythmia, with increasing healthcare and economic burden and a prevalence which increases with progressive ageing. This study aims to describe overall annual costs per patient for management of non-valvular AF in a primary healthcare (PHC) setting and compare these costs between the groups of patients treated with vitamin K antagonists, antiplatelets or non-treated through a population-based study conducted with electronic health records. We analysed annual costs per person of 19,787 patients in 2012; PHC visits, hospital admissions, AF-related events requiring hospital admission, referrals to secondary specialists, sick leave, diagnostic tests and laboratory tests at PHC level, including INR determinations performed in PHC, and drug therapy. Higher costs of AF management were associated with increasing age, male sex, stroke and bleeding risks, comorbidities and occurrence of events associated to AF. The sensitivity analyses conducted showed that PHC visits and hospitalizations represented the most important part of overall costs for all patients.

The purpose of this study was to characterize the profile of patients with non-valvular atrial fibrillation who start an anticoagulant treatment after diagnosis with dabigatran and compare it with those who start with vitamin K antagonists (VKAs). We analysed primary health care-based electronic health records data from 15,075 people with new diagnosis of atrial fibrillation who initiated treatment with dabigatran or VKA spanning 2011–2013. Logistic regression analysis for determination of factors associated with initiation of dabigatran was performed. We identified 14,266 (94.6%) people who initiated VKA and 809 (5.4%) who initiated dabigatran. Mean age of people treated with dabigatran was lower than in VKA patients (73.7 vs 75.5 years, p

Objective. Patients with OA use different drugs in their search for relief. We aimed to study the prevalence of use and combinations of different medications for OA in a population-based cohort of OA patients in Catalonia, Spain, while characterizing users of each of the drugs available, with a particular focus on cardiovascular risk factors. Methods. Data were obtained from the Sistema d‘Informacio per al Desenvolupament de l‘Investigacio en Atencio Primaria (SIDIAP) database, which includes electronic medical records and pharmacy invoice data for >5 million people from Catalonia. Study participants were those with a clinical diagnosis of OA in 2006–10. Drugs studied included oral and topical NSAIDs, analgesics (paracetamol, metamizole), opioids (tramadol, fentanyl), cyclooxygenase 2 (COX-2) inhibitors and symptomatic slow-acting drugs in OA. Drug utilization was described using medication possession ratios (MPRs), equivalent to the proportion of days covered with the drug of interest. The annual incidence of new users in the first year after OA diagnosis from 2006 to 2010 was estimated for all studied drugs among newly diagnosed OA patients using Poisson regression. Results. We identified 238 536 study participants. The most common regimen of treatment consisted of at least three drugs (53.9% of patients). The drugs most frequently used regularly (MPR ?50%) were chondroitin (21.2%), glucosamine (15.8%) and oral NSAIDs (14.4%). The incidence of the use of opioids, COX-2 inhibitors and chondroitin increased over the 5 year period, whereas all others decreased. Conclusion. Drug combinations are common in the treatment of OA patients, who are thus exposed to potential drug interactions, with unknown impacts on their health. The increasing use of opioids and COX-2 inhibitors is noteworthy because of the potential impact on safety and costs.

The aim of this study was to assess effectiveness and safety of antithrombotics for stroke prevention in non-valvular atrial fibrillation in real-use conditions.We used a population-based retrospective cohort study. Information emerges from SIDIAP, a database containing anonymized information from electronic health records from 274 primary healthcare centres of the Catalan Health Institute, Catalonia (Spain), with a reference population of 5 835 000 people. Population includes all adults with a new diagnosis of non-valvular atrial fibrillation registered in SIDIAP from 2007 to 2012. The main outcome of antithrombotics' effectiveness was stroke. The main outcomes of safety were cerebral and gastrointestinal haemorrhages. We also estimated all-cause mortality. We used multivariable Cox proportional hazard models to examine association between antithrombotic treatment and main outcomes.We included 22 205 subjects with non-valvular atrial fibrillation; 40.8% initiated on vitamin K antagonists (VKA), 33.4% on antiplatelets and 25.8% untreated. We found stroke-risk reduction with VKA, hazard ratio (HR) 0.72 (95% confidence interval (CI), 0.58-0.91), also seen in patients with CHADSThis study found a stroke-risk reduction associated with VKA and an increased risk of gastrointestinal bleeding associated with platelet-aggregation inhibitors in comparison with untreated patients. Both antithrombotic groups showed a reduction in all-cause mortality. Copyright © 2016 John WileySons, Ltd.

Many people with diabetes often reuse disposable needles for subcutaneous insulin injection. We aimed to identify, critically appraise and summarize the available evidence about the safety of this practice.Systematic review in accordance with the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses statement.MEDLINE (via PubMed), CINALH (via EBSCO), SCOPUS, Web of Science, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials and Open Grey were searched from their inception to December 2015, with no language restrictions.Epidemiologic and experimental studies assessing adverse effects of reusing needles in people of any age or sex, with or without diabetes, were included. Two reviewers independently assessed the methodological quality of included studies using a multi-design tool.In total, 25 studies were included. All studies had a high risk of bias and data from only nine studies could be pooled. Five studies showed no association between infection at site of injection and reuse of needles (risk difference=-0.00; 95% confidence interval=-0.12-0.11; P=0.99); heterogeneity between these studies was substantial (I(2)=66%; P=0.02). Five cross-sectional studies showed an association between lipohypertrophy and needle reuse (risk difference=0.16, 95% confidence interval=0.05-0.28, P=0.006); there was strong evidence of heterogeneity between these studies (I(2)=87%; P0.001). Pooled data of two studies with no evidence of heterogeneity between them showed more perceived pain among reusers (risk difference=0.24; 95% confidence interval=0.06-0.43; P=0.006). Reusing a pen needle or disposable syringe-needle was not associated with worse glycaemic control.There is currently no clear scientific evidence to suggest for or against the reuse of needles for subcutaneous insulin injection. This practice is very common among people with diabetes; consequently, further research is necessary to establish its safety.

Vacunación; Narcolepsia; Simulación y modelado: en Vacunació; Narcolèpsia; Simulació i modelització Vaccination; Narcolepsy; Simulation and modeling Background & objectives Vaccine safety signals require investigation, which may be done rapidly at the population level using ecological studies, before embarking on hypothesis-testing studies. Incidence rates were used to assess a signal of narcolepsy following AS03-adjuvanted monovalent pandemic H1N1 (pH1N1) influenza vaccination among children and adolescents in Sweden and Finland in 2010. We explored the utility of ecological data to assess incidence of narcolepsy following exposure to pandemic H1N1 virus or vaccination in 10 sites that used different vaccines, adjuvants, and had varying vaccine coverage. Methods We calculated incidence rates of diagnosed narcolepsy for periods defined by influenza virus circulation and vaccination campaign dates, and used Poisson regression to estimate incidence rate ratios (IRRs) comparing the periods during which wild-type virus circulated and after the start of vaccination campaigns vs. the period prior to pH1N1 virus circulation. We used electronic health care data from Sweden, Denmark, the United Kingdom, Canada (3 provinces), Taiwan, Netherlands, and Spain (2 regions) from 2003 to 2013. We investigated interactions between age group and adjuvant in European sites and conducted a simulation study to investigate how vaccine coverage, age, and the interval from onset to diagnosis may impact the ability to detect safety signals. Results Incidence rates of narcolepsy varied by age, continent, and period. Only in Taiwan and Sweden were significant time-period-by-age-group interactions observed. Associations were found for children in Taiwan (following pH1N1 virus circulation) and Sweden (following vaccination). Simulations showed that the individual-level relative risk of narcolepsy was underestimated using ecological methods comparing post- vs. pre-vaccination periods; this effect was attenuated with higher vaccine coverage and a shorter interval from disease onset to diagnosis. Conclusions Ecological methods can be useful for vaccine safety assessment but the results are influenced by diagnostic delay and vaccine coverage. Because ecological methods assess risk at the population level, these methods should be treated as signal-generating methods and drawing conclusions regarding individual-level risk should be avoided. Antecedents i objectius Els senyals de seguretat per les vacunes requereixen una investigació, que es pot fer ràpidament a nivell de població mitjançant estudis ecològics, abans d'iniciar estudis de prova d'hipòtesi. Les taxes d'incidència es van utilitzar per avaluar un senyal de narcolèpsia després de la vacunació contra la influença pandèmica monovalent H1N1 (pH1N1) adjuvant de AS03 en nens i adolescents a Suècia i Finlàndia el 2010. Explorem la utilitat de les dades ecològiques per avaluar la incidència de la narcolèpsia després de l'exposició a la pandèmia H1N1 virus o vacunació en 10 llocs que utilitzaven diferents vacunes, coadjuvants i tenien una cobertura de vacunes variable. Mètodes Es van calcular les taxes d'incidència de la narcolèpsia diagnosticada per períodes definits per la circulació del virus de la influença i les dates de la campanya de vacunació, i es va utilitzar la regressió de Poisson per estimar les taxes de taxa d'incidència (IRR) que comparaven els períodes durant els quals circulava el virus de tipus salvatge i després de començar campanyes de vacunació contra. el període anterior a la circulació del virus PH1N1. Utilitzem dades d'assistència sanitària electrònica de Suècia, Dinamarca, Regne Unit, Canadà (3 províncies), Taiwan, Països Baixos i Espanya (2 regions) de 2003 a 2013. Es van investigar les interaccions entre grups d'edat i adjuvants en llocs europeus i es va dur a terme una estudi de simulació per investigar com la cobertura de la vacuna, l'edat i l'interval des de l'inici fins al diagnòstic poden afectar la capacitat de detectar senyals de seguretat. Resultats Les taxes d'incidència de la narcolepsia variaven segons l'edat, el continent i el període. Només a Taiwan i Suècia es van observar importants interaccions entre grups de temps i edat. Es van trobar associacions per a nens a Taiwan (després de la circulació del virus pH1N1) i de Suècia (després de la vacunació). Les simulacions van demostrar que el risc relatiu de la narcolepsia a nivell individual es subestimava mitjançant mètodes ecològics que comparaven els períodes post-versus pre-vacunació; aquest efecte es va atenuar amb una major cobertura de vacunes i un interval més curt d'inici de la malaltia al diagnòstic. Conclusions Els mètodes ecològics poden ser útils per a l'avaluació de la seguretat de la vacuna, però els resultats estan influïts per la demora diagnòstica i la cobertura de la vacuna. Atès que els mètodes ecològics avaluen el risc a nivell de la població, aquests mètodes han de ser tractats com a mètodes generadors de senyals i s'han d'extreure conclusions sobre el risc individual. Antecedentes y objetivos Las señales de seguridad de la vacuna requieren una investigación, que se puede hacer rápidamente a nivel de la población utilizando estudios ecológicos, antes de emprender estudios de prueba de hipótesis. Las tasas de incidencia se utilizaron para evaluar una señal de narcolepsia después de la vacunación contra la influenza H1N1 (pH1N1) pandovalente con adyuvante AS03 en niños y adolescentes en Suecia y Finlandia en 2010. Exploramos la utilidad de los datos ecológicos para evaluar la incidencia de narcolepsia después de la exposición a H1N1 pandémica virus o vacunación en 10 sitios que utilizaron diferentes vacunas, adyuvantes y tenían una cobertura de vacunas variable. Métodos Calculamos las tasas de incidencia de narcolepsia diagnosticada para los períodos definidos por la circulación del virus de la influenza y las fechas de las campañas de vacunación, y utilizamos la regresión de Poisson para estimar las tasas de incidencia (IRR) comparando los períodos durante los cuales el virus de tipo salvaje circuló y después del inicio de las campañas de vacunación vs. El período anterior a la circulación del virus pH1N1. Utilizamos datos electrónicos de atención médica de Suecia, Dinamarca, Reino Unido, Canadá (3 provincias), Taiwán, Países Bajos y España (2 regiones) desde 2003 hasta 2013. Investigamos las interacciones entre el grupo de edad y el adyuvante en sitios europeos y realizamos una estudio de simulación para investigar cómo la cobertura de la vacuna, la edad y el intervalo desde el inicio hasta el diagnóstico pueden afectar la capacidad de detectar señales de seguridad. Resultados Las tasas de incidencia de narcolepsia variaron según la edad, el continente y el período. Solo en Taiwán y Suecia se observaron interacciones significativas período-tiempo-por-edad. Se encontraron asociaciones para niños en Taiwán (después de la circulación del virus pH1N1) y Suecia (después de la vacunación). Las simulaciones mostraron que el riesgo relativo a nivel individual de narcolepsia se subestimó utilizando métodos ecológicos que comparan los períodos post-vacunación versus pre-vacunación; este efecto se atenuó con una mayor cobertura de la vacuna y un intervalo más corto desde el inicio de la enfermedad hasta el diagnóstico. Conclusiones Los métodos ecológicos pueden ser útiles para la evaluación de la seguridad de la vacuna, pero los resultados están influenciados por el retraso en el diagnóstico y la cobertura de la vacuna. Debido a que los métodos ecológicos evalúan el riesgo a nivel de la población, estos métodos deben tratarse como métodos generadores de señales y deben evitarse conclusiones extraordinarias con respecto al riesgo a nivel individual.

Previous studies have estimated an overall prevalence for narcolepsy between 15 and 70 cases per 100 000 inhabitants. We aimed to estimate the prevalence of narcolepsy in Catalunya (Catalonia), a north-east region of Spain (7 424 754 inhabitants), on 31 December 2014 by identifying all living subjects diagnosed with narcolepsy. First, we identified patients diagnosed by one of the 13 sleep, paediatric or neurological departments that perform tests regularly to diagnose narcolepsy. In a second phase, we searched for additional patients with narcolepsy in a clinical database of the primary health-care system. Clinical files were reviewed and narcolepsy diagnosis validated according to the Brighton Collaboration case definitions. Three hundred and twenty-five patients had a validated diagnosis of narcolepsy in the specialized centres (mean age: 44.6 years, range: 6-89; male: 60.3%; 85% with narcolepsy type 1), including 17.8% cases in Brighton, definition level 1, 62.5% in level 2, 15.4% in level 3 and 4.3% in level 4a. The overall prevalence for narcolepsy was 4.4; 3.7 for narcolepsy type 1 and 0.7 cases per 100 000 inhabitants for narcolepsy type 2. Fifty-six additional narcoleptic patients were identified in the primary health-care system, increasing the overall prevalence to 5.2 cases per 100 000 inhabitants. Prevalence rates for narcolepsy type 1 increased from childhood to adulthood, but in subjects aged more than 50 years there was a substantial drop in prevalence rates, suggesting the presence of a significant pool of undiagnosed cases in this population. Narcolepsy can be considered a rare neurological disorder in Catalunya.

A recent clinical trial could not find differences between anti-inflammatory drugs, antibiotics and placebo in shortening the duration of symptoms in acute bronchitis.To investigate if C-reactive protein (CRP) concentrations at presentation are predictive of symptom resolution in these patients.We performed a secondary analysis of the data from a placebo-controlled, randomized clinical trial carried out in primary care. Patients from 18 to 70 years of age presenting a respiratory tract infection of1 week of evolution, with cough as the predominant symptom and the presence of discoloured expectoration, were enrolled in the study. On the baseline visit, CRP was determined in capillary blood and a five-item symptom diary was given. Patients were followed up to 30 days. The main outcome measure was the number of days with persistent cough.A total of 312 subjects fulfilled all the criteria for the efficacy analysis and had undergone the CRP test; of these, 56.4% presented a CRP value8 mg/l and 76% presented20 mg/l. There were no significant differences in the median duration of cough: 10 days among patients with CRP concentrations8 mg/l [95% confidence interval (CI): 8-11 days], 11 days among those with concentrations ranging from 8 to 19 mg/l (95% CI: 8-16) and 11 days in those with CRP20 mg/l (95% CI: 9-12) (P = 0.337).Among patients with uncomplicated acute bronchitis and discoloured sputum, the CRP concentrations at presentation are not helpful for predicting symptom resolution.

Background Although hypercholesterolemia is considered a cardiovascular risk factor, in isolation it is not necessarily sufficient cause for a cardiovascular event. To improve event prediction, cardiovascular risk calculators have been developed; the REGICOR calculator has been validated for use in our population. The objective of this project is to develop an intervention with general practitioners (GPs) and evaluate its impact on prescription adequacy of cholesterol-lowering drugs in primary prevention of cardiovascular disease and in controlling the costs associated with this disease. Methods This nonblinded, cluster-randomized clinical trial analyzes data from primary care electronic medical records (ECAP) and other databases. Inclusion criteria are patients aged 35 to 74 years with no known cardiovascular disease and a new prescription for cholesterol-lowering drugs during the 2-year study period. Dependent variables include the following: RETIRA, defined as new cholesterol-lowering drugs initiated during the year preceding the intervention, considered inadequate, and withdrawn during the study period; EVITA, defined as new cholesterol-lowering drugs initiated during the study period and considered inadequate; COST, defined as the total cost of inadequate new treatments prescribed; and REGISTER, defined as the recording of cardiovascular risk factors. Independent variables include the GP’s quality-of-care indicators and randomly assigned study group (intervention vs control), patient demographics, and clinical variables. Aggregated descriptive analysis will be done at the GP level and multilevel analysis will be performed to estimate the intervention effect, adjusted for individual and GP variables. Discussion The study objective is to generate evidence about the effectiveness of implementing feedback information programs directed to GPs in the context of Primary Care. The goal is to improve the prescription adequacy of lipid-lowering therapies for primary prevention. Trial registration ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT01997671. November 28, 2013.

BackgroundThe aim of the present study is to evaluate the impact of glucose-lowering agents in the risk of cancer in a large type 2 diabetic population.MethodsA nested case-control study was conducted within a defined cohort (275,164 type 2 diabetic patients attending 16 Primary Health Care Centers of Barcelona). Cases (n = 1,040) comprised those subjects with any cancer diagnosed between 2008 and 2010, registered at the Cancer Registry of Hospital Vall d'Hebron (Barcelona). Three control subjects for each case (n = 3,120) were matched by age, sex, diabetes duration, and geographical area. The treatments analyzed (within 3 years prior to cancer diagnosis) were: insulin glargine, insulin detemir, human insulin, fast-acting insulin and analogues, metformin, sulfonylureas, repaglinide, thiazolidinediones, dipeptidyl peptidase-4 inhibitors, and alpha glucosidase inhibitors. Conditional logistic regressions were used to calculate the risk of cancer associated with the use of each drug adjusted by age, BMI, dose and duration of treatment, alcohol use, smoking habit, and diabetes duration.ResultsNo differences were observed between case and control subjects for the proportion, dose or duration of exposure to each treatment. None of the types of insulin and oral agents analyzed showed a significant increase in the risk of cancer. Moreover, no cancer risk was observed when glargine was used alone or in combination with metformin.ConclusionsOur results suggest that diabetes treatment does not influence the risk of cancer associated with type 2 diabetes. Therefore, an eventual increase of cancer should not be a reason for biasing the selection of any glucose-lowering treatment in type 2 diabetic population.

OBJECTIVE The objective of this study was to analyze the clinical characteristics and levels of glycemic and cardiovascular risk factor control in patients with type 2 diabetes that are in primary health care centers in Catalonia (Spain). RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS This was a cross-sectional study of a total population of 3,755,038 individuals aged 31–90 years at the end of 2009. Clinical data were obtained retrospectively from electronic clinical records. RESULTS A total of 286,791 patients with type 2 diabetes were identified (7.6%). Fifty-four percent were men, mean (SD) age was 68.2 (11.4) years, and mean duration of disease was 6.5 (5.1) years. The mean (SD) A1C value was 7.15 (1.5)%, and 56% of the patients had A1C values ≤7%. The mean (SD) blood pressure (BP) values were 137.2 (13.8)/76.4 (8.3) mmHg, mean total cholesterol concentration was 192 (38.6) mg/dL, mean HDL cholesterol concentration was 49.3 (13.2) mg/dL, mean LDL cholesterol (LDL-C) concentration was 112.5 (32.4) mg/dL, and mean BMI was 29.6 (5) kg/m2. Thirty-one percent of the patients had BP values ≤130/80 mmHg, 37.9% had LDL-C values ≤100 mg/dL, and 45.4% had BMI values ≤30 kg/m2. Twenty-two percent were managed exclusively with lifestyle changes. Regarding medicated diabetic patients, 46.9, 22.9, and 2.8% were prescribed one, two, or three antidiabetic drugs, respectively, and 23.4% received insulin therapy. CONCLUSIONS The results from this study indicate a similar or improved control of glycemia, lipids, and BP in patients with type 2 diabetes when compared with previous studies performed in Spain and elsewhere.

Antidepressants; Comorbidity; Drug utilization study; Europe Antidepresivos; Comorbilidad; Estudio de utilización de medicamentos; Europa Antidepressius; Comorbiditat; Estudi d'utilització de medicaments; Europa Background We aimed to describe patterns of use and characteristics of 10 commonly used antidepressants for the period 2009–2014 in Denmark, Germany, Spain, and Sweden. Methods Adult initiators from 2009 to 2014 of each study antidepressant were identified in four countries using five data sources: the Danish National registers, GePaRD (Germany), EpiChron (Aragon, Spain), SIDIAP (Catalonia, Spain), and the Swedish National Registers. The study included 10 study antidepressants: citalopram, escitalopram, fluoxetine, paroxetine, sertraline, duloxetine, venlafaxine, amitriptyline, mirtazapine, and agomelatine. Results Citalopram was the most prescribed study antidepressant, followed by mirtazapine. Paroxetine and agomelatine were the least prescribed antidepressants. Mirtazapine was widely used among older antidepressant initiators with higher percentages of comorbidities at baseline, and fluoxetine was used among young patients. Citalopram and amitriptyline had the lowest percentage of multiple antidepressant use in the 12 months prior to the current treatment episode, while agomelatine, duloxetine, and venlafaxine had the highest percentage of multiple antidepressant use in the year prior to the current treatment episode. Limitations The most important limitations are exposure information based on filled prescriptions, focus on antidepressant initiators only, lack of information on the indication, and heterogeneity of the type of data across data sources. Conclusions Results of this study including 4.8 million study antidepressant initiators of study antidepressants suggest that citalopram and mirtazapine are the most commonly prescribed antidepressants. Agomelatine and paroxetine were the least used antidepressants in the participating populations. Mirtazapine was the antidepressant most commonly prescribed among older antidepressant initiators with high percentage of comorbidities at baseline, whereas fluoxetine was commonly used among young patients.

Resumen: Objetivos: Analizar el riesgo de neumonía y/o exacerbaciones en pacientes con enfermedad pulmonar obstructiva crónica (EPOC) tratados con corticoides inhalados (CI) y no tratados con CI (NCI). Estimar el riesgo de neumonía según la dosis de CI. Diseño: Estudio de cohortes de base poblacional. Emplazamiento: Atención Primaria. Institut Català de la Salut. Participantes: Pacientes ≥ 45 años diagnosticados de EPOC entre 2007 y 2009 en el Sistema de Información para el Desarrollo de la Investigación en Atención Primaria (SIDIAP). Intervención: Dos cohortes; pacientes que inician CI y pacientes que inician broncodilatadores NCI después del diagnóstico de EPOC. Mediciones principales: Sociodemográficas, tabaquismo, antecedentes patológicos, neumonías, exacerbaciones, vacunaciones y tratamientos farmacológicos. Resultados: Se incluyeron 3.837 pacientes: el 58% en el grupo CI y el 42% en el grupo NCI. Se detectaron incidencias superiores de neumonía y exacerbaciones en el grupo CI respecto al NCI (2,18 vs. 1,37). El riesgo de neumonía y de exacerbaciones graves no fue significativamente diferente entre grupos: HR de 1,17 (IC 95%: 0,87-1,56) y de 1,06 (IC 95%: 0,87-1,31), respectivamente. En el grupo CI presentaron mayor riesgo de exacerbaciones leves, con HR de 1,28 (IC 95%: 1,10-1,50). Las variables asociadas a mayor riesgo de neumonías fueron: edad, diabetes, neumonías y bronquitis previas, EPOC muy grave, tratamiento con β2-adrenérgicos o anticolinérgicos a dosis bajas, y tratamiento previo con corticoides orales. Conclusiones: No hubo diferencias entre cohortes en el riesgo de NAC ni exacerbaciones graves. Las exacerbaciones leves fueron superiores en el grupo CI. Tanto NAC como exacerbaciones graves fueron más frecuentes en pacientes con EPOC grave y en pacientes tratados con dosis altas de CI. Abstract: Objectives: To analyse the risk of pneumonia and/or exacerbations in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) who receive treatment with inhaled corticosteroids (CI), in comparison with those who are not treated with inhaled corticosteroids (NCI). To estimate the risk of pneumonia according to CI dose. Design: Population-based cohort study. Setting: Primary Healthcare. Institut Català de la Salut. Participants: Patients ≥ 45 years-old diagnosed with COPD between 2007 and 2009 in the Information System for Research in Primary Care (SIDIAP). Intervention: Two cohorts; patients initiating CI and patients initiating bronchodilators after COPD diagnosis. Main measurements: Demographics, smoking, medical history, pneumonias, exacerbations, vaccinations, and drug therapy. Results: A total of 3,837 patients were included, 58% in the CI and 42% in the NCI group. Higher incidence rates of pneumonia and exacerbations were detected in the CI group compared with the NCI (2.18 vs. 1.37). The risk of pneumonia and severe exacerbations was not significantly different between groups, HR; 1.17 (95% CI; 0.87-1.56) and 1.06 (95% CI; 0.87-1.31), respectively. Patients in the CI group had a higher risk of mild exacerbations, HR; 1.28 (95% CI; 1.10-1.50). Variables associated with a higher risk of pneumonia were age, diabetes, previous pneumonias and bronchitis, very severe COPD, treatment with low doses of β2-adrenergic or anticholinergic agents, and previous treatment with oral corticosteroids. Conclusions: There were no differences between cohorts in the risk of pneumonia and severe exacerbations. The risk of mild exacerbations was higher in the CI group. Pneumonias and severe exacerbations were more frequent in patients with severe COPD and in patients receiving high doses of CI. Palabras clave: Corticoides inhalados, EPOC, Neumonía, Exacerbaciones, Broncodilatadores, Keywords: Inhaled corticosteroids, COPD, Pneumonia, Exacerbations, Bronchodilators

Background: Apixaban is a direct oral anticoagulant, which inhibits factor Xa. It has demonstrated clinical efficacy in prevention of stroke and systemic embolism in adult patients with nonvalvular atrial fibrillation and a better safety profile compared to warfarin. Objectives: (1) To describe the characteristics of patients with nonvalvular atrial fibrillation beginning treatment with apixaban, (2) to analyze concomitant prescriptions of medications that could potentially interact with apixaban, (3) to evaluate the level of appropriate usage according to the recommended dosage, and (4) to estimate the level of apixaban persistence among naive and non-naive patients. Methods: Cohort study using data from primary care (System for Research in Primary Care database, users of the Institut Català de la Salut; Catalonia, Spain) from August 2013 to December 2015. Results: Mean age for apixaban-treated patients was 71.8 years (standard deviation = 11.1) and 55.6% were male. In all, 3.2% of patients receiving apixaban were taking drugs described as potentially related to either pharmacokinetic or pharmacodynamic interactions. According to the summary of product characteristics, 81.1% of patients with a recommended dose of 2.5 mg twice daily and 51.8% with a recommended dose of 5 mg twice daily actually took this dose. After 1 year of follow-up, 62.6% of the apixaban users showed good adherence. Conclusion: The prescribed dose of apixaban did not fully follow the recommended dose, particularly in patients who were treatment naive. Patients with a prior history of anticoagulant treatment were more likely to remain persistent to treatment with apixaban.