Citations

Abstract BACKGROUND Patients recovering from decompressive laminectomy without fusion may require assistance with activities of daily living and physical/occupational therapy upon hospital discharge. OBJECTIVE To examine comorbidities and perioperative characteristics of patients undergoing lumbar decompression for associations with discharge status using a multicenter database. METHODS A multicenter database was used for this retrospective cohort analysis. Patients admitted from home with degenerative spine disease for lumbar decompression without fusion were included. Thirty-day outcomes and operative characteristics were compared as a function of patient discharge using chi-square and Wilcoxon Rank Sum tests. Multivariable logistic regression was used to determine factors associated with discharge to a nonhome facility. RESULTS Of the 8627 patients included for analysis, 9.7% were discharged to a nonhome facility. On multivariable analysis, age (85+ vs <65, odds ratio [OR] 13.59), number of levels of decompression (3+ vs 1, OR 1.75), African American race vs Non-Hispanic or Hispanic White (OR 1.87), female vs male gender (OR 1.97), body mass index (BMI) (40+ vs 18.5-24.9, OR 1.74), American Society of Anesthesiologists physical classification status (4 vs 1 or 2, OR 2.35), hypertension (OR 1.29), dependent functional status (OR 3.92), diabetes (OR 1.47), smoking (OR 1.40), hematocrit (<35 vs 35+, OR 1.76), international normalized ratio (≥1.3 vs <1.3, OR 2.32), and operative time (3+ h vs <1 h, OR 5.34) were significantly associated with an increased odds of discharge to nonhome facilities. CONCLUSION Preoperative status and operative course variables can influence discharge disposition in lumbar decompression patients. Identifying specific factors that contribute to a greater likelihood of dismissal to skilled facility or rehabilitation unit can further inform both surgeons and patients during preoperative counseling and disposition planning.

ObjectiveTo report the point prevalence of primary Sjögren's syndrome (SS) in the first US population‐based study.MethodsCases of all potential primary SS patients living in Olmsted County, Minnesota, on January 1, 2015, were retrieved using Rochester Epidemiology Project resources, and ascertained by manual medical records review. Primary SS cases were defined according to physician diagnosis. The use of diagnostic tests was assessed and the performance of classification criteria was evaluated. The number of prevalent cases in 2015 was also projected based on 1976–2005 incidence data from the same source population.ResultsA total of 106 patients with primary SS were included in the study: 86% were female, with a mean ± SD age of 64.6 ± 15.2 years, and a mean ± SD disease duration of 10.5 ± 8.4 years. A majority were anti‐SSA positive (75%) and/or anti‐SSB positive (58%), but only 22% met American–European Consensus Group or American College of Rheumatology criteria, because the other tests required for disease classification (ocular dryness objective assessment, salivary gland functional or morphologic tests, or salivary gland biopsy) were rarely performed in clinical practice. According to the physician diagnosis, the age‐ and sex‐adjusted prevalence of primary SS was 10.3 per 10,000 inhabitants, but according to classification criteria, this prevalence was only 2.2 per 10,000. The analysis based on previous incidence data projected a similar 2015 prevalence rate of 11.0 per 10,000.ConclusionThe prevalence of primary SS in this geographically well‐defined population was estimated to be between 2 and 10 per 10,000 inhabitants. Physicians rarely used tests included in the classification criteria to diagnose the disease in this community setting.

OBJECTIVE With improving medical therapies for chronic conditions, elderly patients increasingly present as candidates for operative intervention for degenerative diseases of the spine. To date, there is a paucity of studies examining complications in lumbar decompression, without fusion, that include patients older than 80 years. Using a multicenter national database, the authors of this study evaluated lumbar decompression in the elderly, including octogenarians, to evaluate for associations between age and patient outcomes. METHODS The 2011–2013 American College of Surgeons' National Surgical Quality Improvement Program data set was queried for patients 65 years and older with diagnosis and procedure codes inclusive of degenerative spine disease and lumbar decompression without fusion. Morbidity and mortality within the 30-day postoperative period were the primary outcomes. Secondary outcomes of interest included unplanned readmission within 30 days or discharge to a nonhome facility. Outcomes and operative characteristics were compared using chi-square tests, Kruskal-Wallis tests, and multivariable logistic regression models. RESULTS A total of 8744 patients were identified; of these patients 4573 (52.30%) were 65 years and older. Elderly patients were stratified into 3 age categories: 85 years or older (n = 314), 75–84 years (n = 1663), and 65–74 years (n = 2596). Univariate analysis showed that, compared with age younger than 65 years, increased age was associated with the number of levels (≥ 3), readmissions within 30 days, nonhome discharge, any complication, length of stay, and blood transfusion (all p < 0.001). On multivariable analysis and with younger than 65 years as the reference, increased age was associated with any minor complication (p < 0.001; ≥ 85 years: OR 3.47, 95% CI 1.69–7.13; 75–84 years: OR 2.34, 95% CI 1.45–3.78; and 65–74 years: OR 1.44, 95% CI 0.94–2.20), as well as discharge location other than home (p < 0.001; ≥ 85 years: OR 13.59, 95% CI 9.47–19.49; 75–84 years: OR 5.64, 95% CI 4.33–7.34; and 65–74 years: OR 2.61, 95% CI 2.05–3.32). CONCLUSIONS The authors' high-powered, multicenter analysis of lumbar decompression without fusion in the elderly, specifically including patients older than 80 years, demonstrates that increased age is associated with more extensive operations, resulting in longer hospital stays, increased rates of nonhome discharge, and minor complications.

ObjectiveInterstitial lung disease (ILD) is associated with substantial morbidity in rheumatoid arthritis (RA), but very little is known about its long‐term progression. This study was undertaken to investigate the progression of pulmonary disease using a large single‐center cohort of patients with RA‐associated ILD.MethodsRecords of all patients with RA‐associated ILD seen at Mayo Clinic between 1998 and 2014, with at least 4 weeks follow‐up and at least 1 pulmonary function test, were identified and manually screened for study inclusion. Progression was defined as a diffusing capacity for carbon monoxide (DLco) <40% predicted (or patients whose illness was too advanced to undergo screening) or a forced vital capacity (FVC) <50% predicted. Time to progression was analyzed using the Kaplan‐Meier method.ResultsOf the 167 patients included in the study, 81 (49%) were female, with a mean ± SD age of 67 ± 10 years at diagnosis of ILD. Median follow‐up time from diagnosis of ILD was 3.3 years (range 0.01–14.8). One‐third of the patients required supplemental oxygen, 40% developed DLco <40% predicted, and 22% developed FVC <50% predicted within 5 years after ILD diagnosis. Usual interstitial pneumonia (UIP) versus nonspecific interstitial pneumonia (NSIP) was a risk factor for DLco progression (hazard ratio 3.29 [95% confidence interval 1.28–8.41]). Lower DLco and FVC at baseline increased the risk for progression to DLco <40% predicted and FVC <50% predicted, and higher rates of change in the first 6 months also increased the risk of progression.ConclusionProgressive loss of pulmonary function is common in RA‐associated ILD and is worse in patients with UIP than in those with NSIP. Predictors of progression in patients with RA‐associated ILD may aid clinicians in identifying patients at highest risk for progression of ILD.

ObjectiveTo determine time trends in the incidence and survival of polymyalgia rheumatica (PMR) over a 15‐year period in Olmsted County, Minnesota, and to examine trends in incidence of PMR in the population by comparing this time period to a previous incidence cohort from the same population base.MethodsAll cases of incident PMR among Olmsted County, Minnesota residents in 2000–2014 were identified to extend the previous 1970–1999 cohort. Detailed review of all individual medical records was performed. Incidence rates were age‐ and sex‐adjusted to the US white 2010 population. Survival rates were compared with the expected rates in the population of Minnesota.ResultsThere were 377 incident cases of PMR during the 15‐year study period. Of these, 64% were female and the mean age at incidence was 74.1 years. The overall age‐ and sex‐adjusted annual incidence of PMR was 63.9 (95% confidence interval [95% CI] 57.4–70.4) per 100,000 population ages ≥50 years. Incidence rates increased with age in both sexes, but incidence fell after age 80 years. There was a slight increase in incidence of PMR in the recent time period compared to 1970–1999 (P = 0.063). Mortality among individuals with PMR was not significantly worse than that expected in the general population (standardized mortality ratio 0.70 [95% CI 0.57–0.85]).ConclusionThe incidence of PMR has increased slightly in the past 15 years compared to previous decades. Survivorship in patients with PMR is not worse than in the general population.

ObjectivePolyarteritis nodosa (PAN) is a systemic necrotizing vasculitis of medium‐sized visceral vessels. However, cutaneous arteritis (CA) and gastrointestinal (GI) vasculitis are forms of single‐organ vasculitis having indistinguishable histopathologic findings from PAN. The aim of this study was to evaluate and compare the clinical characteristics, treatment, and outcomes of patients with systemic PAN, CA, and GI vasculitis.MethodsRetrospective cohorts were assembled, consisting of patients with PAN, CA, and GI vasculitis between 1980 and 2014. The demographics, clinical characteristics, treatment, and outcomes of patients were abstracted from medical records.ResultsWe included 48 patients with PAN, 41 patients with CA, and 19 patients with GI vasculitis. The disease of 1 patient evolved from CA to systemic PAN during the disease course. At diagnosis, 94% of patients with PAN, 93% of patients with CA, and 67% of patients with GI vasculitis were treated with glucocorticoids. Additional immunosuppressive agents were used in 67% of PAN, 37% of GI vasculitis, and 32% of CA cases. The 5‐year cumulative relapse rate was 45.2% in CA, and only 9.6% in PAN during a followup of approximately 6 years. No deaths were observed in the CA group. The survival rate at 10 years was 66% in the PAN group and 61% in the GI vasculitis group.ConclusionSystemic PAN, CA, and GI vasculitis take different clinical courses and therefore may be different diseases, rather than existing on a spectrum of the same disease. Progression of CA to systemic PAN is very rare. Relapse risk is low during followup in PAN. Patients with CA have a higher relapse rate than those with systemic PAN, possibly due to less use of immunosuppressive therapy in CA.

Objective. To determine whether the incidence of malignancy is increased in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) compared to a matched comparison cohort and to identify risk for any individual malignancy in RA. Methods. A cohort of 813 Olmsted County, Minnesota, residents who first fulfilled 1987 ACR criteria for RA in 1980–2007 was previously identified by medical record review. Medical records of 813 RA cases and a comparison cohort of age and sex matched Olmsted County residents without RA were evaluated retrospectively for cancer occurrence. Patients in both cohorts were followed until death, migration from Olmsted County, or 12/31/2014. Results. The RA and non-RA cohorts (mean age at incidence/index date: 55.9 [SD: 15.7] years; 68.4% females in both cohorts) were followed on average of 14.1 (SD: 7.7) and 14.9 (SD: 8.1) years, respectively. Prior to RA incidence/index date, 52 RA patients and 66 non-RA subjects had malignancies excluding NMSC ( p = 0.21 ). During follow-up, significantly more malignancies occurred in patients with RA ( n = 143 ) than in comparator subjects ( n = 118 ; hazard ratio: 1.32; p = 0.027 ). Inclusion of NMSC obviated this difference. Conclusion. After excluding NMSC, there was a small to moderately increased risk of malignancies in patients with RA. Cancer surveillance is imperative in all patients with RA.

In 2012, the Systemic Lupus International Collaborating Clinics (SLICC) group published a new set of classification criteria for systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). Studies applying these criteria to real-life scenarios have found either equal or greater sensitivity and equal or lower specificity to the 1997 ACR classification criteria (ACR 97). Nonetheless, there are no studies that have used the SLICC 12 criteria to investigate the incidence of lupus. We used the resource of the Rochester Epidemiology Project to identify incident SLE patients in Olmsted County, Minnesota, from 1993 to 2005, who fulfilled the ACR 97 or SLICC 12 criteria. A total of 58 patients met criteria by SLICC 12 and 44 patients met criteria by ACR 97. The adjusted incidence of 4.9 per 100,000 person-years by SLICC 12 was higher than that by ACR 97 (3.7 per 100,000 person-years, p = 0.04). The median duration from the appearance of first criterion to fulfillment of the criteria was shorter for the SLICC 12 than for ACR 97 (3.9 months vs 8.1 months). The higher incidence by SLICC 12 criteria came primarily from the ability to classify patients with renal-limited disease, the expansion of the immunologic criteria and the expansion of neurologic criteria.

AbstractBackgroundThe epidemiology of cutaneous sarcoidosis is not well‐characterized as only referral‐based studies are available.ObjectivesTo characterize the epidemiology of cutaneous sarcoidosis, with emphasis on annual incidence and clinical characteristics, from 1976 to 2013.MethodsInception cohorts of patients with incident isolated cutaneous sarcoidosis and incident systemic sarcoidosis with cutaneous involvement in 1976–2013 in Olmsted County, Minnesota, United States were identified based on comprehensive individual medical record review. Inclusion in the isolated cutaneous sarcoidosis cohort required physician diagnosis and skin biopsy showing non‐necrotizing granuloma. Inclusion in the systemic sarcoidosis with cutaneous involvement cohort required presence of systemic sarcoidosis and cutaneous lesions. Presence of systemic sarcoidosis was determined by physician diagnosis supported by histopathology of non‐necrotizing granuloma, characteristic radiologic features of intrathoracic sarcoidosis and exclusion of other granulomatous diseases. Cutaneous lesions were defined as either sarcoidosis‐specific or non‐specific.ResultsThere were 62 cases with sarcoidosis‐specific cutaneous lesions (36 cases of sarcoidosis‐specific cutaneous lesions and 26 cases of isolated cutaneous sarcoidosis) which corresponded to an incidence of 1.9 per 100 000 population. The female to male ratio was 2.1 : 1. Plaques, papules and subcutaneous nodules were the most commonly observed cutaneous lesions. There was no significant difference in cutaneous presentation between those who had isolated skin disease and those who had skin disease in association with systemic sarcoidosis. Prognosis of cutaneous sarcoidosis was favourable, as over 90% of patients had a good response to either glucocorticoids, hydroxychloroquine or tetracycline antibiotics. This study has a significant limitation, in that the studied population was predominantly Caucasians who generally have a lower prevalence of skin disease.ConclusionsThe incidence of sarcoidosis‐specific cutaneous lesions was about 1.9 per 100 000 population with female predominance. The cutaneous presentations were similar among those with and without systemic sarcoidosis.