Peter Przekop

Binge Drinking Among California Adults: Results from the 2005 California Health Interview Survey

Objective: To calculate binge drinking rates among California adults and describe the characteristics of female and male binge drinkers. Method: Analyses of 2005 California Health Interview Survey (CHIS) data. Results: At least one binge drinking episode over a 30-day period was reported by 1.4 million California women (10.7% of all adult women) and 3.2 million California men (24.7%). For both women and men, factors associated with binge drinking included being 18–44 years of age, smoking, and having mid-range psychological distress scores. There were gender differences in binge drinking risk by race/ethnicity and health status. Method: Given the multi-stage sampling design and non-responses in the 2005 California Health Interview Survey-Specific techniques were employed to ensure that the 43,020 compteted result yeilded reasonable state wide estimates. Conclusion: Binge drinking is a serious public health concern that affects millions of adult Californians.

Binge Drinking, Poor Mental Health, and Adherence to Treatment Among California Adults with Asthma

Binge drinking and poor mental health may affect adherence to treatment for individuals with asthma. The purposes were to (a) examine the relationship of self-reported binge drinking and mental health to adherence to daily asthma control medications and (b) identify other demographic and health-related factors associated with asthma control medication adherence. Secondary analyses of 2003 adult California Health Interview Survey data were undertaken, and these analyses identified 3.2 million California adults who had been told by a physician they had asthma. Of these, approximately 1.7 million were symptomatic. Binge drinking significantly predicted medication nonadherence among California adults with symptomatic asthma (OR =. 63, 95% CI =. 45-.89), whereas poor mental health did not. Other predictors of nonadherence (odds ratios < 1, p <. 05) included being overweight, younger age, having some college education, being a current smoker, and having no usual source of medical care. Predictors of adherence (odds ratios > 1, p <. 05) were older age, more frequent asthma symptoms, more ER visits, more missed work days, being African American, and being a non-citizen. Intervention efforts could be directed toward improving medication adherence among adult asthma patients who engage in risky health behaviors such as binge drinking. Also at risk for medication nonadherence and therefore good targets for asthma control medication management interventions are adults who are overweight, younger (18–44 age range), have some college education, and no usual source of medical care.

Posttraumatic Stress Disorder-Related Hospitalizations in the United States (2002-2011): Rates, Co-Occurring Illnesses, Suicidal Ideation/Self-Harm, and Hospital Charges.

Abstract The purpose of the present study was to evaluate posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD)–related hospitalizations in the United States (2002–2011). Over this period, there were an estimated 1,477,944 hospitalizations (915,591 women) with either a primary (reason for hospitalization) or secondary PTSD diagnosis. Population-based hospitalization rates rose from 2002 to 2011; women in the age range of 20 to 44 years had the highest rates and the steepest rise. Most of the hospitalizations for men and women younger than 45 years had been assigned a primary diagnosis of mental illness (including PTSD). Mood and substance use disorders were among the most commonly co-occurring psychiatric diagnoses with PTSD. Suicidal ideation/suicide attempts declined with increasing age. The strongest predictor of this criterion was mood disorder, and its importance as a predictor increased as people aged. Total inflation-adjusted charges for all PTSD-related hospitalizations were

Subgroup demographic may have skewed ALLHAT results.

34.9 billion, with 36% being for hospitalizations where a mental illness (including PTSD) was the primary diagnosis.

Fibromyalgia: prevalence, course, and co-morbidities in hospitalized patients in the United States, 1999-2007.

To the Editor: Results of the recent Antihypertensive and Lipid-Lowering Treatment to Prevent Heart Attack Trial (ALLHAT)1 have generated much excitement and controversy. The reported superior performance of thiazide diuretics brought the trial under scrutiny for reasons that include experimental design, population characteristics, primary and secondary endpoints, and statistical analysis.2,3 We propose an alternative explanation for the drug’s superior performance based on the new field of pharmacogenetics. The drug’s result may be a function of the genetic predisposition of the study’s subjects. It has been shown that more than 76% of African American men have the C825T polymorphism, a predisposition that confers a superior response to thiazides.4 As 35% of the subjects in the ALLHAT study were African American, the influence of this polymorphism could have skewed the results. Responses to angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor can also be predicted and may influence outcome.5 Thus, there appear to be subgroups within subject pools that 3. Messerli FH, Weber MA. ALLHAT—all hit or all miss? Key questions still remain. Am J Cardiol. 2003;92:280-281.