Thomas Runge

Burden of Gastrointestinal, Liver, and Pancreatic Diseases in the United States

BACKGROUND & AIMS Gastrointestinal (GI), liver, and pancreatic diseases are a source of substantial morbidity, mortality, and cost in the United States. Quantification and statistical analyses of the burden of these diseases are important for researchers, clinicians, policy makers, and public health professionals. We gathered data from national databases to estimate the burden and cost of GI and liver disease in the United States. METHODS We collected statistics on health care utilization in the ambulatory and inpatient setting along with data on cancers and mortality from 2007 through 2012. We included trends in utilization and charges. The most recent data were obtained from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, and the National Cancer Institute. RESULTS There were 7 million diagnoses of gastroesophageal reflux and almost 4 million diagnoses of hemorrhoids in the ambulatory setting in a year. Functional and motility disorders resulted in nearly 1 million emergency department visits in 2012; most of these visits were for constipation. GI hemorrhage was the most common diagnosis leading to hospitalization, with >500,000 discharges in 2012, at a cost of nearly

NAFLD and liver transplantation: Current burden and expected challenges

5 billion dollars. Hospitalizations and associated charges for inflammatory bowel disease, Clostridium difficile infection, and chronic liver disease have increased during the last 20 years. In 2011, there were >1 million people in the United States living with colorectal cancer. The leading GI cause of death was colorectal cancer, followed by pancreatic and hepatobiliary neoplasms. CONCLUSIONS GI, liver and pancreatic diseases are a source of substantial burden and cost in the United States.

Smallpox and the Native American

Because of global epidemics of obesity and type 2 diabetes, the prevalence of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is increasing both in Europe and the United States, becoming one of the most frequent causes of chronic liver disease and predictably, one of the leading causes of liver transplantation both for end-stage liver disease and hepatocellular carcinoma. For most transplant teams around the world this will raise many challenges in terms of pre- and post-transplant management. Here we review the multifaceted impact of NAFLD on liver transplantation and will discuss: (1) NAFLD as a frequent cause of cryptogenic cirrhosis, end-stage chronic liver disease, and hepatocellular carcinoma; (2) prevalence of NAFLD as an indication for liver transplantation both in Europe and the United States; (3) the impact of NAFLD on the donor pool; (4) the access of NAFLD patients to liver transplantation and their management on the waiting list in regard to metabolic, renal and vascular comorbidities; (5) the prevalence and consequences of post-transplant metabolic syndrome, recurrent and de novo NAFLD; (6) the alternative management and therapeutic options to improve the long-term outcomes with particular emphasis on the correction and control of metabolic comorbidities.

Epidemiology of Barrett's Esophagus and Esophageal Adenocarcinoma.

&NA; With the arrival of Europeans in the Western Hemisphere, Native American populations were exposed to new infectious diseases, diseases for which they lacked immunity. These communicable diseases, including smallpox and measles, devastated entire native populations. In this article, we focus on the effect of smallpox on the Native Americans from the 15th through the 19th centuries. Among the “new” infectious diseases brought by the Europeans, smallpox was one of the most feared because of the high mortality rates in infected Native Americans. This fear may have been well‐founded, because the Native Americans were victims of what was probably one of the earliest episodes of biological warfare. Fortunately, they were also major beneficiaries of early vaccination programs. Thus, the arrival of smallpox and the decline of the Native American populations are inexorably linked, as the history summarized here illustrates.

Outcomes of Esophageal Dilation in Eosinophilic Esophagitis: Safety, Efficacy, and Persistence of the Fibrostenotic Phenotype

Barretts esophagus (BE) is the precursor to esophageal adenocarcinoma (EAC), a disease with increasing burden in the Western world, especially in white men. Risk factors for BE include obesity, tobacco smoking, and gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD). EAC is the most common form of esophageal cancer in the United States. Risk factors include GERD, tobacco smoking, and obesity, whereas nonsteroidal antiinflammatory drugs and statins may be protective. Factors predicting progression from nondysplastic BE to EAC include dysplastic changes on esophageal histology and length of the involved BE segment. Biomarkers have shown promise, but none are approved for clinical use.

Quality of Care for Gastrointestinal Conditions: A Primer for Gastroenterologists

Objectives:Esophageal dilation is commonly performed in eosinophilic esophagitis (EoE), but there are few long-term data. The aims of this study were to assess the safety and long-term efficacy of esophageal dilation in a large cohort of EoE cases, and to determine the frequency and predictors of requiring multiple dilations.Methods:We conducted a retrospective cohort study in the University of North Carolina EoE Clinicopathological Database from 2002 to 2014. Included subjects met consensus diagnostic criteria for EoE. Clinical, endoscopic, and histologic features were extracted, as were dilation characteristics (dilator type, change in esophageal caliber, and total number of dilations) and complications. Patients with EoE who had undergone dilation were compared with those who did not and also stratified by whether they required single or multiple dilations.Results:Of 509 EoE patients, 164 were dilated a total of 486 times. Those who underwent dilation had a longer duration of symptoms before diagnosis (11.1 vs. 5.4 years, P<0.001). Ninety-five patients (58%) required >1 dilation (417 dilations total, mean of 4.4±4.3 per patient). The only predictor of requiring multiple dilations was a smaller baseline esophageal diameter. Dilation was tolerated well, with no major bleeds, perforations, or deaths. The overall complication rate was 5%, primarily due to post-procedural pain. Of 164 individuals dilated, a majority (58% or 95/164) required a second dilation. Of these individuals, 75% required repeat dilation within 1 year.Conclusions:Dilation in EoE is well-tolerated, with a very low risk of serious complications. Patients with long-standing symptoms before diagnosis are likely to require dilation. More than half of those dilated will require multiple dilations, often needing a second procedure within 1 year. These findings can be used to counsel patients with fibrostenotic complications of EoE.

Diminishing Effectiveness of Long-Term Maintenance Topical Steroid Therapy in PPI Non-Responsive Eosinophilic Esophagitis

The Institute of Medicine’s publications To Err Is Human and Crossing the Quality Chasm publicized the widespread deficits in health-care quality. The quality of care for digestive diseases has not been evaluated comprehensively, although emerging literature suggests that the gap between recommended care and actual practice may be quite substantial. This paper reviews the history of, the rationale behind, and current work related to quality of care and quality improvement in the area of digestive diseases, with particular attention to colonoscopy, inflammatory bowel diseases, gastroesophageal reflux disease, chronic hepatitis C virus infection, and liver transplantation.

Cost Utility Analysis of Topical Steroids Compared With Dietary Elimination for Treatment of Eosinophilic Esophagitis

OBJECTIVES: While topical corticosteroids are first‐line therapy for eosinophilic esophagitis (EoE), the data regarding long‐term effectiveness are lacking. We aimed to determine long‐term histologic and endoscopic outcomes of maintenance therapy in EoE steroid responders. METHODS: We performed a retrospective study of adults with EoE at UNC Hospitals who had initial histologic response (<15 eos/hpf) after 8 weeks of topical steroids, and maintained on therapy. Endoscopic and the histologic data were recorded at baseline and follow‐up endoscopies. Multivariable logistic regression was performed to assess loss of treatment response by steroid dose at recurrence, and Kaplan–Meier analysis to calculate durability of disease remission. RESULTS: Of 55 EoE patients with initial response to swallowed/topical fluticasone or budesonide over a median 11.7 months, 33 had at least two follow‐up EGDs. Of these patients, 61% had histologic loss of response and worse endoscopic findings. There was no difference in baseline steroid dose (P=0.55) between the groups, but those maintained on their initial dose had lower odds (OR: 0.10; 95% CI: 0.01, 0.90) of loss of response compared to those who had subsequent dose reduction. On survival analysis, 50% had loss of response to steroids by 18.5 months and 75% by 29.6 months. CONCLUSIONS: In adult EoE steroid responders, loss of treatment response is common, and is associated with a steroid dose reduction. Routinely lowering doses for maintenance steroids may provide inferior outcomes.

Esophageal dilation with either bougie or balloon technique as a treatment for eosinophilic esophagitis: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Background & Aims Topical corticosteroids or dietary elimination are recommended as first‐line therapies for eosinophilic esophagitis, but data to directly compare these therapies are scant. We performed a cost utility comparison of topical corticosteroids and the 6‐food elimination diet (SFED) in treatment of eosinophilic esophagitis, from the payer perspective. Methods We used a modified Markov model based on current clinical guidelines, in which transition between states depended on histologic response simulated at the individual cohort‐member level. Simulation parameters were defined by systematic review and meta‐analysis to determine the base‐case estimates and bounds of uncertainty for sensitivity analysis. Meta‐regression models included adjustment for differences in study and cohort characteristics. Results In the base‐case scenario, topical fluticasone was about as effective as SFED but more expensive at a 5‐year time horizon (

Epipericardial fat necrosis - A rare cause of pleuritic chest pain: Case report and review of the literature

9261.58 vs