Zongshan Lai

Randomized controlled trial to assess reduction of cardiovascular disease risk in patients with bipolar disorder: the Self-Management Addressing Heart Risk Trial (SMAHRT).

OBJECTIVES Persons with bipolar disorder experience a disproportionate burden of medical conditions, notably cardiovascular disease (CVD), leading to impaired functioning and premature mortality. We hypothesized that the Life Goals Collaborative Care (LGCC) intervention, compared to enhanced usual care, would reduce CVD risk factors and improve physical and mental health outcomes in US Department of Veterans Affairs patients with bipolar disorder. METHOD Patients with an ICD-9 diagnosis of bipolar disorder and ≥ 1 CVD risk factor (N = 118) enrolled in the Self-Management Addressing Heart Risk Trial, conducted April 2008-May 2010, were randomized to LGCC (n = 58) or enhanced usual care (n = 60). Life Goals Collaborative Care included 4 weekly self-management sessions followed by tailored contacts combining health behavior change strategies, medical care management, registry tracking, and provider guideline support. Enhanced usual care included quarterly wellness newsletters sent during a 12-month period in addition to standard treatment. Primary outcome measures included systolic and diastolic blood pressure, nonfasting total cholesterol, and physical health-related quality of life. RESULTS Of the 180 eligible patients identified for study participation, 134 were enrolled (74%) and 118 completed outcomes assessments (mean age = 53 years, 17% female, 5% African American). Mixed effects analyses comparing changes in 24-month outcomes among patients in LGCC (n = 57) versus enhanced usual care (n = 59) groups revealed that patients receiving LGCC had reduced systolic (β = -3.1, P = .04) and diastolic blood pressure (β = -2.1, P = .04) as well as reduced manic symptoms (β = -23.9, P = .01). Life Goals Collaborative Care had no significant impact on other primary outcomes (total cholesterol and physical health-related quality of life). CONCLUSIONS Life Goals Collaborative Care, compared to enhanced usual care, may lead to reduced CVD risk factors, notably through decreased blood pressure, as well as reduced manic symptoms, in patients with bipolar disorder. TRIAL REGISTRATION ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT00499096.

Relationship of vitamin D and parathyroid hormone with obesity and body composition in African Americans

Background  Obesity disproportionately affects African Americans (AA) (especially women), and is linked to depressed 25‐hydroxyvitamin D (25‐OH D) and elevated parathyroid hormone (PTH). The relationship of 25‐OH D and PTH with body composition and size in AA is not well known.

Quality of general medical care among patients with serious mental illness: Does colocation of services matter?

OBJECTIVE This study was conducted to determine whether patients with serious mental illness receiving care in Veterans Affairs (VA) mental health programs with colocated general medical clinics were more likely to receive adequate medical care than patients in programs without colocated clinics based on a nationally representative sample. METHODS The study included all VA patients with diagnoses of serious mental illness in fiscal year (FY) 2006-2007 who were also part of the VAs External Peer Review Program (EPRP) FY 2007 random sample and who received care from VA facilities (N=107 facilities) with organizational data from the VA Mental Health Program Survey (N=7,514). EPRP included patient-level chart review quality indicators for common processes of care (foot and retinal examinations for diabetes complications; screens for colorectal health, breast cancer, and alcohol misuse; and tobacco counseling) and outcomes (hypertension, diabetes blood sugar, and lipid control). RESULTS Ten out of 107 (10%) mental health programs had colocated medical clinics. After adjustment for organizational and patient-level factors, analyses showed that patients from colocated clinics compared with those without colocation were more likely to receive foot exams (OR=1.87, p<.05), colorectal cancer screenings (OR=1.54, p<.01), and alcohol misuse screenings (OR=2.92, p<.01). They were also more likely to have good blood pressure control (<140/90 mmHg; OR=1.32, p<.05) but less likely to have glycosylated hemoglobin <9% (OR=.69, p<.05). CONCLUSIONS Colocation of medical care was associated with better quality of care for four of nine indicators. Additional strategies, particularly those focused on improving diabetes control and other chronic medical outcomes, might be warranted for patients with serious mental illness.

Life Goals Collaborative Care for patients with bipolar disorder and cardiovascular disease risk.

OBJECTIVE This pilot study compared Life Goals Collaborative Care (LGCC) with enhanced treatment as usual in reducing cardiometabolic risk factors and improving outcomes for persons with bipolar disorder. METHODS Participants were randomly assigned to LGCC (N=34) or enhanced treatment as usual (N=34). LGCC included four weekly self-management sessions and monthly telephone contacts for six months thereafter. Enhanced treatment as usual included wellness mailings. Outcomes were blood pressure, body mass index (BMI), quality of life, functioning, and symptoms. RESULTS Compared with enhanced treatment as usual, LGCC was not associated with reductions in cardiometabolic risk factors in 12-month repeated-measures analyses. Among patients with a BMI of ≥30 or systolic blood pressure of ≥140, LGCC was associated with improvements in functioning (beta=-2.2 and beta=-3.8, respectively, p=.04) and reduced depressive symptoms (beta=-2.0 and -3.5, respectively, p=.04). CONCLUSIONS Further research is needed to determine whether LGCC improves outcomes for patients with elevated cardiometabolic risk.

Eight-Year Trends of Cardiometabolic Morbidity and Mortality in Patients with Schizophrenia

OBJECTIVE We examined cardiometabolic disease and mortality over 8 years among individuals with and without schizophrenia. METHOD We compared 65,362 patients in the Veteran Affairs (VA) health system with schizophrenia to 65,362 VA patients without serious mental illness (non-SMI) matched on age, service access year and location. The annual prevalence of diagnosed cardiovascular disease, diabetes, dyslipidemia, hypertension, obesity, and all-cause and cause-specific mortality was compared for fiscal years 2000-2007. Mean years of potential life lost (YPLLs) were calculated annually. RESULTS The cohort was mostly male (88%) with a mean age of 54 years. Cardiometabolic disease prevalence increased in both groups, with non-SMI patients having higher disease prevalence in most years. Annual between-group differences ranged from <1% to 6%. Annual mortality was stable over time for schizophrenia (3.1%) and non-SMI patients (2.6%). Annual mean YPLLs increased from 12.8 to 15.4 in schizophrenia and from 11.8 to 14.0 for non-SMI groups. CONCLUSIONS VA patients with and without schizophrenia show increasing but similar prevalence rates of cardiometabolic diseases. YPLLs were high in both groups and only slightly higher among patients with schizophrenia. The findings highlight the complex population served by the VA while suggesting a smaller mortality impact from schizophrenia than previously reported.

National evaluation of obesity screening and treatment among veterans with and without mental health disorders

OBJECTIVE The objective was to determine whether obesity screening and weight management program participation and outcomes are equitable for individuals with serious mental illness (SMI) and depressive disorder (DD) compared to those without SMI/DD in Veterans Health Administration (VHA), the largest integrated US health system, which requires obesity screening and offers weight management to all in need. METHODS We used chart-reviewed, clinical and administrative VHA data from fiscal years 2010-2012 to estimate obesity screening and participation in the VHAs weight management program (MOVE!) across groups. Six- and 12-month weight changes in MOVE! participants were estimated using linear mixed models adjusted for confounders. RESULTS Compared to individuals without SMI/DD, individuals with SMI or DD were less frequently screened for obesity (94%-94.7% vs. 95.7%) but had greater participation in MOVE! (10.1%-10.4% vs. 7.4%). MOVE! participants with SMI or DD lost approximately 1 lb less at 6 months. At 12 months, average weight loss for individuals with SMI or neither SMI/DD was comparable (-3.5 and -3.3 lb, respectively), but individuals with DD lost less weight (mean=-2.7 lb). CONCLUSIONS Disparities in obesity screening and treatment outcomes across mental health diagnosis groups were modest. However, participation in MOVE! was low for every group, which limits population impact.

Mood disorder symptoms and elevated cardiovascular disease risk in patients with bipolar disorder.

OBJECTIVES We examined the association between mood symptoms and 10-year CVD risk estimated by Framingham risk score in a cohort of patients with bipolar disorder. METHODS Veterans with bipolar disorder and CVD risk factors (N=118) were recruited from outpatient VA clinics. CVD risk factor data were collected from electronic medical records and patient surveys, and used to calculate patient Framingham Scores. The relationship between mood symptoms (depressive, manic) and Framingham scores was examined, as was the relationship between mental health symptoms and individual CVD risk factors (lipids, blood pressure, weight, smoking, and fasting glucose). RESULTS Mean sample age was 53 years (SD=9.9), 17% were female, and 5% were African-American. Almost 70% were obese (BMI≥30), 84% had hyperlipidemia, 70% were hypertensive, and 25% had diabetes. Nineteen percent had a Framingham score of >20%, indicative of elevated 10-year risk of developing CVD. After adjusting for age, gender, diabetes diagnosis, smoking status, and mood symptoms, patients with clinically significant depressive symptoms had a 6-fold increased odds of having a Framingham score of >20% (OR=6.1, p=0.03) while clinically significant manic symptoms were not associated with the Framingham score (OR=0.6, p=0.36). Depressive symptoms were also associated with elevated BMI, fasting glucose, and blood pressure. LIMITATIONS Single-site study reliant on cross-sectional and self-reported mood measures. CONCLUSION After controlling for physiologic correlates, depressive symptoms were associated with greater relative 10-year risk for CVD mortality among patients with bipolar disorder. Interventions that address self-management of depressive symptoms may help persons with bipolar disorder decrease CVD risk.

Colocated General Medical Care and Preventable Hospital Admissions for Veterans With Serious Mental Illness

OBJECTIVE This study examined whether veterans with serious mental illness in mental health settings with colocated general medical care had fewer hospitalizations for ambulatory care-sensitive conditions than veterans in other settings. METHODS Using 2007 data, the study examined hospitalizations for ambulatory care-sensitive conditions with zero-inflated negative binomial regression controlling for demographic, clinical, and facility characteristics. RESULTS Of 92,268 veterans with serious mental illness, 9,662 (10.5%) received care at ten sites with colocated care and 82,604 (89.5%) at 98 sites without it. At sites without colocation, 5.1% had a hospitalization for an ambulatory care-sensitive condition, compared with 4.3% at sites with colocation. Attendance at sites with colocated care was associated with an adjusted count of hospitalizations of .76 compared with attendance at sites with no colocation (β=-.28, 95% confidence interval=.47 to -.09, p=.004). CONCLUSIONS Colocation of general medical services in the mental health setting was associated with significantly fewer preventable hospitalizations.

Enhanced Fidelity to Treatment for Bipolar Disorder: Results From a Randomized Controlled Implementation Trial

OBJECTIVE The authors compared fidelity to bipolar disorder treatment at community practices that received a standard or enhanced version of a novel implementation intervention called Replicating Effective Programs (REP). METHODS Five community practices in Michigan and Colorado were assigned at random to receive enhanced (N=3) or standard (N=2) REP to help implement Life Goals Collaborative Care (LGCC), a psychosocial intervention consisting of four self-management support group sessions, ongoing care management contacts by phone, and dissemination of guidelines to providers. Standard REP includes an intervention package consisting of an outline, a treatment manual and implementation guide, a standard training program, and as-needed technical assistance. Enhanced REP added customization of the treatment manual and ongoing, proactive technical assistance from internal and external facilitators. Multiple and logistic regression analyses determined the impact of enhanced versus standard REP on patient-level fidelity. RESULTS The participants (N=384) had a mean age of 42 years; 67% were women, and 30% were nonwhite. Participants attended an average of three group sessions and had an average of four care management contacts. After adjustment for patient factors, enhanced REP was associated with 2.6 (p<.001) times more total sessions and contacts than standard REP, which was driven by 2.5 (p<.01) times more care management contacts. Women and participants with a history of homelessness had fewer total sessions and contacts. CONCLUSIONS Enhanced REP was associated with improved LGCC fidelity, primarily for care management contacts. Additional customization of interventions such as LGCC may be needed to ensure adequate treatment fidelity for vulnerable populations.

Quality of life among patients with bipolar disorder in primary care versus community mental health settings

INTRODUCTION Bipolar disorder is associated with functional impairment across a number of domains, including health-related quality of life (HRQOL). Many patients are treated exclusively in primary care (PC) settings, yet little is known how HRQOL outcomes compare between PC and community mental health (CMH) settings. This study aimed to explore the correlates of HRQOL across treatment settings using baseline data from a multisite, randomized controlled trial for adults with bipolar disorder. METHODS HRQOL was measured using the SF-12 physical (PCS) and mental (MCS) composite scale scores. Independent sample t-tests were calculated to compare differences in HRQOL between settings. Multivariate regression models then examined the effect of treatment setting on HRQOL, adjusting for covariate demographic factors, mood symptoms (Internal State Scale), hazardous drinking (AUDIT-C), and substance abuse. RESULTS A total of 384 enrolled participants completed baseline surveys. MCS and PCS scores reflected similar impairment in HRQOL across PC and CMH settings (p=0.98 and p=0.49, respectively). Depressive symptoms were associated with lower MCS scores (B=-0.68, p<0.001) while arthritis/chronic pain was strongly related to lower PCS scores (B=-5.23, p<0.001). LIMITATIONS This study lacked a formal diagnostic interview, relied on cross-sectional self-report, and sampled from a small number of sites in two states. DISCUSSION Participants reported similar impairments in both mental and physical HRQOL in PC and CMH treatment settings, emphasizing the need for integrated care for patients with bipolar disorder regardless of where they present for treatment.