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Background Tuberculosis (TB) is a public health threat, with >80% of active TB in the United States occurring due to reactivation of latent TB infection (LTBI). We may be underscreening those with high risk for LTBI and overtesting those at lower risk. A better understanding of gaps in current LTBI testing practices in relation to LTBI test positivity is needed. Methods This study, conducted between 1 January 2008 and 31 December 2019 at Kaiser Permanente Southern California, included individuals aged ≥18 years without a history of active TB. We examined factors associated with LTBI testing and LTBI positivity. Results Among 3 816 884 adults (52% female, 37% White, 37% Hispanic, mean age 43.5 years [standard deviation, 16.1]), 706 367 (19%) were tested for LTBI, among whom 60 393 (9%) had ≥1 positive result. Among 1 211 971 individuals who met ≥1 screening criteria for LTBI, 210 025 (17%) were tested for LTBI. Factors associated with higher adjusted odds of testing positive included male sex (1.32; 95% confidence interval, 1.30–1.35), Asian/Pacific Islander (2.78, 2.68–2.88), current smoking (1.24, 1.20–1.28), diabetes (1.13, 1.09–1.16), hepatitis B (1.45, 1.34–1.57), hepatitis C (1.54, 1.44–1.66), and birth in a country with an elevated TB rate (3.40, 3.31–3.49). Despite being risk factors for testing positive for LTBI, none of these factors were associated with higher odds of LTBI testing. Conclusions Current LTBI testing practices may be missing individuals at high risk of LTBI. Additional work is needed to refine and implement screening guidelines that appropriately target testing for those at highest risk for LTBI. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Previous research suggests that stressors may trigger the onset of acute cardiovascular disease (CVD) events within hours to days, but there has been limited research around sociopolitical events such as presidential elections. Among adults ≥18 y of age in Kaiser Permanente Southern California, hospitalization rates for acute CVD were compared in the time period immediately prior to and following the 2016 presidential election date. Hospitalization for CVD was defined as an inpatient or emergency department discharge diagnosis of acute myocardial infarction (AMI) or stroke using International Classification of Diseases, 10th revision codes. Rate ratios (RR) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were calculated comparing CVD rates in the 2 d following the 2016 election to rates in the same 2 d of the prior week. In a secondary analysis, AMI and stroke were analyzed separately. The rate of CVD events in the 2 d after the 2016 presidential election (573.14 per 100,000 person-years [PY]) compared to the rate in the window prior to the 2016 election (353.75 per 100,000 PY) was 1.62 times higher (95% CI 1.17, 2.25). Results were similar across sex, age, and race/ethnicity groups. The RRs were similar for AMI (RR 1.67, 95% CI 1.00, 2.76) and stroke (RR 1.59, 95% CI 1.03, 2.44) separately. Transiently heightened cardiovascular risk around the 2016 election may be attributable to sociopolitical stress. Further research is needed to understand the intersection between major sociopolitical events, perceived stress, and acute CVD events., Competing Interests: The authors declare no competing interest.

Background: Sepsis, the most expensive cause of hospitalization in the United States, is associated with high morbidity and mortality. However, healthcare utilization patterns following sepsis are poorly understood., Objective: To identify patient-level factors that contribute to postsepsis mortality and healthcare utilization., Design, Setting, Patients: A retrospective study of sepsis patients drawn from 21 community-based hospitals in Kaiser Permanente Northern California in 2010., Measurements: We determined 1-year survival and use of outpatient and facility-based healthcare before and after sepsis and used logistic regression to identify the factors that contributed to early readmission (within 30 days) and high utilization (≥ 15% of living days spent in facility-based care)., Results: Among 6344 sepsis patients, 5479 (86.4%) survived to hospital discharge. Mean age was 72 years with 28.9% of patients aged <65 years. Postsepsis survival was strongly modified by age; 1-year survival was 94.1% for <45 year olds and 54.4% for ≥ 85 year olds. A total of 978 (17.9%) patients were readmitted within 30 days; only a minority of all rehospitalizations were for infection. After sepsis, adjusted healthcare utilization increased nearly 3-fold compared with presepsis levels and was strongly modified by age. Patient factors including acute severity of illness, hospital length of stay, and the need for intensive care were associated with early readmission and high healthcare utilization; however, the dominant factors explaining variability-comorbid disease burden and high presepsis utilization-were present prior to sepsis admission., Conclusion: Postsepsis survival and healthcare utilization were most strongly influenced by patient factors already present prior to sepsis hospitalization., (© 2014 Society of Hospital Medicine.)