Patricia M. Kearney

Global Disparities of Hypertension Prevalence and Control: A Systematic Analysis of Population-Based Studies From 90 Countries.

Background: Hypertension is the leading preventable cause of premature death worldwide. We examined global disparities of hypertension prevalence, awareness, treatment, and control in 2010 and compared secular changes from 2000 to 2010. Methods: We searched MEDLINE from 1995 through 2014 and supplemented with manual searches of retrieved article references. We included 135 population-based studies of 968 419 adults from 90 countries. Sex- and age-specific hypertension prevalences from each country were applied to population data to calculate regional and global numbers of hypertensive adults. Proportions of awareness, treatment, and control from each country were applied to hypertensive populations to obtain regional and global estimates. Results: In 2010, 31.1% (95% confidence interval, 30.0%–32.2%) of the world’s adults had hypertension; 28.5% (27.3%–29.7%) in high-income countries and 31.5% (30.2%–32.9%) in low- and middle-income countries. An estimated 1.39 (1.34–1.44) billion people had hypertension in 2010: 349 (337–361) million in high-income countries and 1.04 (0.99–1.09) billion in low- and middle-income countries. From 2000 to 2010, the age-standardized prevalence of hypertension decreased by 2.6% in high-income countries, but increased by 7.7% in low- and middle-income countries. During the same period, the proportions of awareness (58.2% versus 67.0%), treatment (44.5% versus 55.6%), and control (17.9% versus 28.4%) increased substantially in high-income countries, whereas awareness (32.3% versus 37.9%) and treatment (24.9% versus 29.0%) increased less, and control (8.4% versus 7.7%) even slightly decreased in low- and middle-income countries. Conclusions: Global hypertension disparities are large and increasing. Collaborative efforts are urgently needed to combat the emerging hypertension burden in low- and middle-income countries.Background: Hypertension is the leading preventable cause of premature death worldwide. We examined global disparities of hypertension prevalence, awareness, treatment, and control in 2010 and compared secular changes from 2000 to 2010. Methods: We searched MEDLINE from 1995 through 2014 and supplemented with manual searches of retrieved article references. We included 135 population-based studies of 968 419 adults from 90 countries. Sex- and age-specific hypertension prevalences from each country were applied to population data to calculate regional and global numbers of hypertensive adults. Proportions of awareness, treatment, and control from each country were applied to hypertensive populations to obtain regional and global estimates. Results: In 2010, 31.1% (95% confidence interval, 30.0%–32.2%) of the world’s adults had hypertension; 28.5% (27.3%–29.7%) in high-income countries and 31.5% (30.2%–32.9%) in low- and middle-income countries. An estimated 1.39 (1.34–1.44) billion people had hypertension in 2010: 349 (337–361) million in high-income countries and 1.04 (0.99–1.09) billion in low- and middle-income countries. From 2000 to 2010, the age-standardized prevalence of hypertension decreased by 2.6% in high-income countries, but increased by 7.7% in low- and middle-income countries. During the same period, the proportions of awareness (58.2% versus 67.0%), treatment (44.5% versus 55.6%), and control (17.9% versus 28.4%) increased substantially in high-income countries, whereas awareness (32.3% versus 37.9%) and treatment (24.9% versus 29.0%) increased less, and control (8.4% versus 7.7%) even slightly decreased in low- and middle-income countries. Conclusions: Global hypertension disparities are large and increasing. Collaborative efforts are urgently needed to combat the emerging hypertension burden in low- and middle-income countries. # Clinical Perspective {#article-title-35}

Cohort Profile: The Irish Longitudinal Study on Ageing

Ireland shares with other developed countries the prospect of rapid and sustained population ageing. The age distribution of the Irish population is undergoing a dramatic change at present and this trend is predicted to continue into the future. People are living longer, and older persons represent a larger proportion of the population. In Ireland, the proportion of the population aged 565 years has remained steady at 11% for the past 40 years. However, it is projected that this proportion will rise to 14% by 2021 and to 19% by 2031. The greatest increase will be in the oldest old, aged 480 years, which is expected to more than treble by 2036. This change in the demographic profile of the Irish population poses a major public health challenge. Unlike the situation in the USA, the UK and many other developed countries, there have been no large population-based cohort studies in Ireland to inform research on healthy ageing. Whereas a number of studies have provided population-based data on the health status of older people living in Ireland, many questions remain unanswered. The Irish Longitudinal Study on Ageing (TILDA) is a large prospective cohort study of ageing, which includes an assessment of the social, economic and health circumstances of community-resident older people living in Ireland. The study has been harmonized with leading international research so as to ensure adoption of best practice and comparability of results. The Irish government, The Atlantic Philanthropies and Irish Life plc have provided funding for the study. Ethical approval has been obtained from the Trinity College Dublin Research Ethics Committee. Who is in the sample?

Defining Metabolically Healthy Obesity: Role of Dietary and Lifestyle Factors

Background There is a current lack of consensus on defining metabolically healthy obesity (MHO). Limited data on dietary and lifestyle factors and MHO exist. The aim of this study is to compare the prevalence, dietary factors and lifestyle behaviours of metabolically healthy and unhealthy obese and non-obese subjects according to different metabolic health criteria. Method Cross-sectional sample of 1,008 men and 1,039 women aged 45-74 years participated in the study. Participants were classified as obese (BMI ≥30kg/m2) and non-obese (BMI <30kg/m2). Metabolic health status was defined using five existing MH definitions based on a range of cardiometabolic abnormalities. Dietary composition and quality, food pyramid servings, physical activity, alcohol and smoking behaviours were examined. Results The prevalence of MHO varied considerably between definitions (2.2% to 11.9%), was higher among females and generally increased with age. Agreement between MHO classifications was poor. Among the obese, prevalence of MH was 6.8% to 36.6%. Among the non-obese, prevalence of metabolically unhealthy subjects was 21.8% to 87%. Calorie intake, dietary macronutrient composition, physical activity, alcohol and smoking behaviours were similar between the metabolically healthy and unhealthy regardless of BMI. Greater compliance with food pyramid recommendations and higher dietary quality were positively associated with metabolic health in obese (OR 1.45-1.53 unadjusted model) and non-obese subjects (OR 1.37-1.39 unadjusted model), respectively. Physical activity was associated with MHO defined by insulin resistance (OR 1.87, 95% CI 1.19-2.92, p = 0.006). Conclusion A standard MHO definition is required. Moderate and high levels of physical activity and compliance with food pyramid recommendations increase the likelihood of MHO. Stratification of obese individuals based on their metabolic health phenotype may be important in ascertaining the appropriate therapeutic or intervention strategy.

The effect of moderate gestational alcohol consumption during pregnancy on speech and language outcomes in children: a systematic review

BackgroundConsensus has not been reached on safe alcohol consumption recommendations during pregnancy. The National Institutes for Care and Health Excellence (NICE) in the UK suggest that one to two drinks not more than twice per week is safe. However, the speech and language effects of even low levels of alcohol use among offspring are unknown. The aim of this study was to review systematically the evidence on studies of the effect of low to moderate levels of alcohol consumption during pregnancy (up to 70 grams of alcohol per week) compared to abstinence on speech and language outcomes in children.MethodsUsing medical subject headings, PubMed, Web of knowledge, Scopus, Embase, Cinahl and the Cochrane Library were searched from their inception up to March 2012. Case control and cohort studies were included. Two assessors independently reviewed titles, abstracts and full articles, extracted data and assessed quality.ResultsA total of 1,397 titles and abstracts were reviewed of which 51 full texts were retrieved. Three cohort studies totaling 10,642 women met the inclusion criteria. All three studies, (United States (2) and Australia (1)) indicated that language was not impaired as a result of low to moderate alcohol consumption during pregnancy. Two studies were judged to be of low quality based on a six-item bias classification tool. Due to heterogeneity, results could not be meta-analyzed.ConclusionStudies included in this review do not provide sufficient evidence to confirm or refute an association between low to moderate alcohol use during pregnancy and speech and language outcomes in children. High quality, population based studies are required to establish the safety of low to moderate levels of alcohol use such as those set out by the NICE guidelines in the UK.

Measured Parental Weight Status and Familial Socio-Economic Status Correlates with Childhood Overweight and Obesity at Age 9

Background Parental obesity is a predominant risk factor for childhood obesity. Family factors including socio-economic status (SES) play a role in determining parent weight. It is essential to unpick how shared family factors impact on child weight. This study aims to investigate the association between measured parent weight status, familial socio-economic factors and the risk of childhood obesity at age 9. Methodology/Principal Findings Cross sectional analysis of the first wave (2008) of the Growing Up in Ireland (GUI) study. GUI is a nationally representative study of 9-year-old children (N = 8,568). Schools were selected from the national total (response rate 82%) and age eligible children (response rate 57%) were invited to participate. Children and their parents had height and weight measurements taken using standard methods. Data were reweighted to account for the sampling design. Childhood overweight and obesity prevalence were calculated using International Obesity Taskforce definitions. Multinomial logistic regression examined the association between parent weight status, indicators of SES and child weight. Overall, 25% of children were either overweight (19.3%) or obese (6.6%). Parental obesity was a significant predictor of child obesity. Of children with normal weight parents, 14.4% were overweight or obese whereas 46.2% of children with obese parents were overweight or obese. Maternal education and household class were more consistently associated with a child being in a higher body mass index category than household income. Adjusted regression indicated that female gender, one parent family type, lower maternal education, lower household class and a heavier parent weight status significantly increased the odds of childhood obesity. Conclusions/Significance Parental weight appears to be the most influential factor driving the childhood obesity epidemic in Ireland and is an independent predictor of child obesity across SES groups. Due to the high prevalence of obesity in parents and children, population based interventions are required.

Subclinical Thyroid Dysfunction and Fracture Risk: A Meta-analysis

IMPORTANCE Associations between subclinical thyroid dysfunction and fractures are unclear and clinical trials are lacking. OBJECTIVE To assess the association of subclinical thyroid dysfunction with hip, nonspine, spine, or any fractures. DATA SOURCES AND STUDY SELECTION The databases of MEDLINE and EMBASE (inception to March 26, 2015) were searched without language restrictions for prospective cohort studies with thyroid function data and subsequent fractures. DATA EXTRACTION Individual participant data were obtained from 13 prospective cohorts in the United States, Europe, Australia, and Japan. Levels of thyroid function were defined as euthyroidism (thyroid-stimulating hormone [TSH], 0.45-4.49 mIU/L), subclinical hyperthyroidism (TSH <0.45 mIU/L), and subclinical hypothyroidism (TSH ≥4.50-19.99 mIU/L) with normal thyroxine concentrations. MAIN OUTCOME AND MEASURES The primary outcome was hip fracture. Any fractures, nonspine fractures, and clinical spine fractures were secondary outcomes. RESULTS Among 70,298 participants, 4092 (5.8%) had subclinical hypothyroidism and 2219 (3.2%) had subclinical hyperthyroidism. During 762,401 person-years of follow-up, hip fracture occurred in 2975 participants (4.6%; 12 studies), any fracture in 2528 participants (9.0%; 8 studies), nonspine fracture in 2018 participants (8.4%; 8 studies), and spine fracture in 296 participants (1.3%; 6 studies). In age- and sex-adjusted analyses, the hazard ratio (HR) for subclinical hyperthyroidism vs euthyroidism was 1.36 for hip fracture (95% CI, 1.13-1.64; 146 events in 2082 participants vs 2534 in 56,471); for any fracture, HR was 1.28 (95% CI, 1.06-1.53; 121 events in 888 participants vs 2203 in 25,901); for nonspine fracture, HR was 1.16 (95% CI, 0.95-1.41; 107 events in 946 participants vs 1745 in 21,722); and for spine fracture, HR was 1.51 (95% CI, 0.93-2.45; 17 events in 732 participants vs 255 in 20,328). Lower TSH was associated with higher fracture rates: for TSH of less than 0.10 mIU/L, HR was 1.61 for hip fracture (95% CI, 1.21-2.15; 47 events in 510 participants); for any fracture, HR was 1.98 (95% CI, 1.41-2.78; 44 events in 212 participants); for nonspine fracture, HR was 1.61 (95% CI, 0.96-2.71; 32 events in 185 participants); and for spine fracture, HR was 3.57 (95% CI, 1.88-6.78; 8 events in 162 participants). Risks were similar after adjustment for other fracture risk factors. Endogenous subclinical hyperthyroidism (excluding thyroid medication users) was associated with HRs of 1.52 (95% CI, 1.19-1.93) for hip fracture, 1.42 (95% CI, 1.16-1.74) for any fracture, and 1.74 (95% CI, 1.01-2.99) for spine fracture. No association was found between subclinical hypothyroidism and fracture risk. CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE Subclinical hyperthyroidism was associated with an increased risk of hip and other fractures, particularly among those with TSH levels of less than 0.10 mIU/L and those with endogenous subclinical hyperthyroidism. Further study is needed to determine whether treating subclinical hyperthyroidism can prevent fractures.

Health and Aging: Development of The Irish Longitudinal Study on Ageing Health Assessment

To assist researchers planning studies similar to The Irish Longitudinal Study on Ageing (TILDA), concerning the development of the health assessment component, to promote use of the archived data set, to inform researchers of the methods employed, and to complement the accompanying article on normative values.

Thyroid Hormone Therapy for Older Adults with Subclinical Hypothyroidism

BACKGROUND The use of levothyroxine to treat subclinical hypothyroidism is controversial. We aimed to determine whether levothyroxine provided clinical benefits in older persons with this condition. METHODS We conducted a double‐blind, randomized, placebo‐controlled, parallel‐group trial involving 737 adults who were at least 65 years of age and who had persisting subclinical hypothyroidism (thyrotropin level, 4.60 to 19.99 mIU per liter; free thyroxine level within the reference range). A total of 368 patients were assigned to receive levothyroxine (at a starting dose of 50 μg daily, or 25 μg if the body weight was <50 kg or the patient had coronary heart disease), with dose adjustment according to the thyrotropin level; 369 patients were assigned to receive placebo with mock dose adjustment. The two primary outcomes were the change in the Hypothyroid Symptoms score and Tiredness score on a thyroid‐related quality‐of‐life questionnaire at 1 year (range of each scale is 0 to 100, with higher scores indicating more symptoms or tiredness, respectively; minimum clinically important difference, 9 points). RESULTS The mean age of the patients was 74.4 years, and 396 patients (53.7%) were women. The mean (±SD) thyrotropin level was 6.40±2.01 mIU per liter at baseline; at 1 year, this level had decreased to 5.48 mIU per liter in the placebo group, as compared with 3.63 mIU per liter in the levothyroxine group (P<0.001), at a median dose of 50 μg. We found no differences in the mean change at 1 year in the Hypothyroid Symptoms score (0.2±15.3 in the placebo group and 0.2±14.4 in the levothyroxine group; between‐group difference, 0.0; 95% confidence interval [CI], ‐2.0 to 2.1) or the Tiredness score (3.2±17.7 and 3.8±18.4, respectively; between‐group difference, 0.4; 95% CI, ‐2.1 to 2.9). No beneficial effects of levothyroxine were seen on secondary‐outcome measures. There was no significant excess of serious adverse events prespecified as being of special interest. CONCLUSIONS Levothyroxine provided no apparent benefits in older persons with subclinical hypothyroidism. (Funded by European Union FP7 and others; TRUST ClinicalTrials.gov number, NCT01660126.)

Research review: Birth by caesarean section and development of autism spectrum disorder and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND Given the growing prevalence of birth by Caesarean section (CS) worldwide, it is important to understand any long-term effects CS delivery may have on a childs development. We assessed the impact of mode of delivery on autism spectrum disorders (ASD) and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). METHODS We conducted a systematic review of the literature in PubMed, Embase, CINAHL, PsycINFO and Web of Science up to 28 February 2014. No publication date, language, location or age restrictions were employed. RESULTS Thirteen studies reported an adjusted estimate for CS-ASD, producing a pooled odds ratio (OR) of 1.23 (95% CI: 1.07, 1.40). Two studies reported an adjusted estimate for CS-ADHD, producing a pooled OR of 1.07 (95% CI: 0.86, 1.33). CONCLUSIONS Delivery by CS is associated with a modest increased odds of ASD, and possibly ADHD, when compared to vaginal delivery. Although the effect may be due to residual confounding, the current and accelerating rate of CS implies that even a small increase in the odds of disorders, such as ASD or ADHD, may have a large impact on the society as a whole. This warrants further investigation.

Prevalence and predictors of alcohol use during pregnancy: findings from international multicentre cohort studies

Objectives To compare the prevalence and predictors of alcohol use in multiple cohorts. Design Cross-cohort comparison of retrospective and prospective studies. Setting Population-based studies in Ireland, the UK, Australia and New Zealand. Participants 17 244 women of predominantly Caucasian origin from two Irish retrospective studies (Growing up in Ireland (GUI) and Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring System Ireland (PRAMS Ireland)), and one multicentre prospective international cohort, Screening for Pregnancy Endpoints (SCOPE) study. Primary and secondary outcome measures Prevalence of alcohol use pre-pregnancy and during pregnancy across cohorts. Sociodemographic factors associated with alcohol consumption in each cohort. Results Alcohol consumption during pregnancy in Ireland ranged from 20% in GUI to 80% in SCOPE, and from 40% to 80% in Australia, New Zealand and the UK. Levels of exposure also varied substantially among drinkers in each cohort ranging from 70% consuming more than 1–2 units/week in the first trimester in SCOPE Ireland, to 46% and 15% in the retrospective studies. Smoking during pregnancy was the most consistent predictor of gestational alcohol use in all three cohorts, and smokers were 17% more likely to drink during pregnancy in SCOPE, relative risk (RR)=1.17 (95% CI 1.12 to 1.22), 50% more likely to drink during pregnancy in GUI, RR=1.50 (95% CI 1.36 to 1.65), and 42% more likely to drink in PRAMS, RR=1.42 (95% CI 1.18 to 1.70). Conclusions Our data suggest that alcohol use during pregnancy is prevalent and socially pervasive in the UK, Ireland, New Zealand and Australia. New policy and interventions are required to reduce alcohol prevalence both prior to and during pregnancy. Further research on biological markers and conventions for measuring alcohol use in pregnancy is required to improve the validity and reliability of prevalence estimates.