Health Economic Benefits Research Articles

PMD39 Projection of Health Economics Benefits of Continuous Glucose Monitoring Versus Self Monitoring of Blood Glucose in Type 1 Diabetes, in Sweden

PMD39 Projection of Health Economics Benefits of Continuous Glucose Monitoring Versus Self Monitoring of Blood Glucose in Type 1 Diabetes, in Sweden

EnROL: A multicentre randomised trial of conventional versus laparoscopic surgery for colorectal cancer within an enhanced recovery programme

BackgroundDuring the last two decades the use of laparoscopic resection and a multimodal approach known as an enhanced recovery programme, have been major changes in colorectal perioperative care. Clinical outcome improves using laparoscopic surgery to resect colorectal cancer but until recently no multicentre trial evidence had been reported regarding whether the benefits of laparoscopy still exist when open surgery is optimized within an enhanced recovery programme. The EnROL trial (Enhanced Recovery Open versus Laparoscopic) examines the hypothesis that laparoscopic surgery within an enhanced recovery programme will provide superior postoperative outcomes when compared to conventional open resection of colorectal cancer within the same programme.Methods/designEnROL is a phase III, multicentre, randomised trial of laparoscopic versus open resection of colon and rectal cancer with blinding of patients and outcome observers to the treatment allocation for the first 7 days post-operatively, or until discharge if earlier. 202 patients will be recruited at approximately 12 UK hospitals and randomised using minimization at a central computer system in a 1:1 ratio. Recruiting surgeons will previously have performed >100 laparoscopic colorectal resections and >50 open total mesorectal excisions to minimize conversion. Eligible patients are those suitable for elective resection using either technique. Excluded patients include: those with acute intestinal obstruction and patients in whom conversion from laparoscopic to open procedure is likely. The primary outcome is physical fatigue as measured by the physical fatigue domain of the multidimensional fatigue inventory 20 (MFI-20) with secondary outcomes including postoperative hospital stay; complications; reoperation and readmission; quality of life indicators; cosmetic assessments; standardized performance indicators; health economic analysis; the other four domains of the MFI-20. Pathological assessment of surgical quality will also be undertaken and compliance with the enhanced recovery programme will be recorded for all patients.DiscussionShould this trial demonstrate that laparoscopic surgery confers a significant clinical and/or health economic benefit this will further support the transition to this type of surgery, with implications for the training of surgeons and resource allocation.Trial registrationISRCTN48516968.

Cost-Effectiveness of Escitalopram in Major Depressive Disorder in the Dutch Health Care Setting

ObjectiveThis study assessed the cost-effectiveness of escitalopram for the treatment of depression in the Netherlands from a societal perspective. MethodsA decision tree model was constructed using decision analytical techniques. Data sources included published literature, clinical trials, official price/tariff lists, national population statistics, and Delphi panel data. The comparators were venlafaxine XR and citalopram. The primary perspective of this health economic evaluation was that of the society in the Netherlands in 2010. The time horizon was 26 weeks. The effectiveness outcomes of the study were quality-adjusted life-years (QALYs). ResultsEscitalopram was associated with a cost savings per patient of €263 versus venlafaxine XR and €1992 versus citalopram over a period of 26 weeks from a societal perspective. Escitalopram was also associated with a gains QALYs: 0.0062 versus venlafaxine XR and 0.0166 versus citalopram. Escitalopram was dominant over both venlafaxine XR and citalopram. ConclusionBased on the findings from this cost-effectiveness analysis, the favorable clinical benefit of escitalopram resulted in a positive health economic benefit in the Netherlands.

Potential cost-effectiveness and benefit-cost ratios of adult pneumococcal vaccination in Germany.

BackgroundInvasive (IPD, defined as detection of pneumococci in sterile body fluids like meningitis or bacteremic pneumonia) and non-invasive Streptococcus pneumoniae infections (i.e. non-bacteremic pneumonia, otitis media) in adults are associated with substantial morbidity, mortality and costs. In Germany, Pneumococcal polysaccharide vaccination (PPV23) is recommended for all persons >60 years and for defined risk groups (age 5–59). The aim of this model was to estimate the potential cost-effectiveness and benefit-cost ratios of the adult vaccination program (18 years and older), considering the launch of the pneumococcal conjugate vaccine for adults (PCV13).MethodsA cross-sectional steady state Markov model was developed to estimate the outcomes of PCV13, PPV23 vaccination schemes and ‘no vaccination’. Conservative assumptions were made if no data were available for PCV13 and PPV23 respectively. The effectiveness of individual pneumococcal vaccination in adults was adjusted for expected indirect effects due to the vaccination in infants. Data on incidences, effectiveness and costs were derived from scientific literature and publicly available databases. All resources used are indicated. Benefit-cost ratios and cost-effectiveness were evaluated from the perspective of the German Statutory Health Insurance as well as from social perspective.ResultsUnder the assumption that PCV13 has a comparable effectiveness to PCV7, a vaccination program with PCV13 revealed the potential to avoid a greater number of yearly cases and deaths in IPD and pneumonia in Germany compared to PPV23. For PCV13, the costs were shown to be overcompensated by monetary savings resulting from reduction in the use of health care services. These results would render the switch from PPV23 to PCV13 as a dominant strategy compared to PPV23 and ‘no vaccination’. Given the correctness of the underlying assumptions every Euro spent on the PCV13 vaccination scheme yields savings of 2.09 € (social perspective: 2.16 €) compared to PPV23 and 1.27 € (social perspective: 1.32 €) compared to ‘no vaccination’, respectively.ConclusionsResults of the model indicate that the health economic benefit of immunizing adults with PCV13 can be expected to outperform the sole use of PPV23, if the effectiveness of PCV13 is comparable to the effectiveness of PCV7.

Use of Models to Identify Cost-effective Interventions: Pertussis Vaccination for Pediatric Health Care Workers

Acellular pertussis vaccine is safe and effective in adults. An explicit recommendation for pertussis booster vaccination in pediatric health care workers is based on the importance of health care workers as a potential source of infection for patients. However, limited information is available on the economic attractiveness of this intervention. We sought to evaluate the health-economic attractiveness of a diphtheria-tetanus-acellular pertussis booster vaccination program for health care workers in a pediatric intensive care setting. We developed a Markov model to calculate the cost-effectiveness of vaccinating NICU health care workers in different proportions ranging from the current strategy of no pertussis booster vaccination program to a vaccination program that achieves between 25% and 95% vaccine coverage. Implementation of a vaccination program that achieves 25% coverage was projected to be cost-saving compared with no vaccine program. At all coverage levels the intervention reduced costs, increased life expectancy, and was cost-effective. Projections were most sensitive to the risk of a pertussis introduction via an infected health care worker. Once the monthly risk of an introduction exceeded ∼0.3%, implementation of an immunization program with at least 25% coverage provided both greater health and greater economic benefits than having no vaccine program. The implementation of a hospital-based and funded diphtheria-tetanus-acellular pertussis vaccine program administered through an occupational health program is cost-effective or cost-saving in the context of pediatric health care facilities in which many of the patients are at risk of serious morbidity and mortality should they acquire pertussis while hospitalized.

The societal benefits of reducing six behavioural risk factors: an economic modelling study from Australia

BackgroundA large proportion of disease burden is attributed to behavioural risk factors. However, funding for public health programs in Australia remains limited. Government and non-government organisations are interested in the productivity effects on society from reducing chronic diseases. We aimed to estimate the potential health status and economic benefits to society following a feasible reduction in the prevalence of six behavioural risk factors: tobacco smoking; inadequate fruit and vegetable consumption; high risk alcohol consumption; high body mass index; physical inactivity; and intimate partner violence.MethodsSimulation models were developed for the 2008 Australian population. A realistic reduction in current risk factor prevalence using best available evidence with expert consensus was determined. Avoidable disease, deaths, Disability Adjusted Life Years (DALYs) and health sector costs were estimated. Productivity gains included workforce (friction cost method), household production and leisure time. Multivariable uncertainty analyses and correction for the joint effects of risk factors on health status were undertaken. Consistent methods and data sources were used.ResultsOver the lifetime of the 2008 Australian adult population, total opportunity cost savings of AUD2,334 million (95% Uncertainty Interval AUD1,395 to AUD3,347; 64% in the health sector) were found if feasible reductions in the risk factors were achieved. There would be 95,000 fewer DALYs (a reduction of about 3.6% in total DALYs for Australia); 161,000 less new cases of disease; 6,000 fewer deaths; a reduction of 5 million days in workforce absenteeism; and 529,000 increased days of leisure time.ConclusionsReductions in common behavioural risk factors may provide substantial benefits to society. For example, the total potential annual cost savings in the health sector represent approximately 2% of total annual health expenditure in Australia. Our findings contribute important new knowledge about productivity effects, including the potential for increased household and leisure activities, associated with chronic disease prevention. The selection of targets for risk factor prevalence reduction is an important policy decision and a useful approach for future analyses. Similar approaches could be applied in other countries if the data are available.

Estimating Expected Value of Sample Information for Incomplete Data Models Using Bayesian Approximation

Expected value of sample information (EVSI) involves simulating data collection, Bayesian updating, and reexamining decisions. Bayesian updating in incomplete data models typically requires Markov chain Monte Carlo (MCMC). This article describes a revision to a form of Bayesian Laplace approximation for EVSI computation to support decisions in incomplete data models. The authors develop the approximation, setting out the mathematics for the likelihood and log posterior density function, which are necessary for the method. They compare the accuracy of EVSI estimates in a case study cost-effectiveness model using first- and second-order versions of their approximation formula and traditional Monte Carlo. Computational efficiency gains depend on the complexity of the net benefit functions, the number of inner-level Monte Carlo samples used, and the requirement or otherwise for MCMC methods to produce the posterior distributions. This methodology provides a new and valuable approach for EVSI computation in health economic decision models and potential wider benefits in many fields requiring Bayesian approximation.

Successful treatment of ventilator dependent emphysema with Chartis treatment planning and endobronchial valves

INTRODUCTIONEmphysema is a leading cause of disability and death. Patients who require ventilator support as a result of respiratory failure have limited treatment options. We report a successful outcome for a ventilator dependent patient in whom endobronchial valves were inserted into lobes assessed as being without collateral ventilation. PRESENTATION OF CASEA 54 year old male patient had been ventilator dependent for two months due to respiratory insufficiency from emphysema. Prior to admission, FEV1 was 0.89L (25% predicted) and RV was 4.5L (205% predicted). CT scan showed destruction of right lower and middle lobes and left lower lobe. Chartis assessment showed the absence of collateral ventilation. Zephyr endobronchial valves were placed in left and right lower lobes. Lung volume reduction bilaterally was confirmed on chest X-ray and CT scan the following day. On day three, ventilator support was discontinued and there was no requirement for supplementary oxygen. At 30 days post procedure, the RV reduced to 3.2L (142% predicted) and the FEV1 increased to 1.32L (38% predicted). DISCUSSIONHyperinflation in emphysema compromises lung function. For this ventilator dependent patient, there were no other treatment options. Endoscopic lung volume reduction was successfully achieved by bilateral lower lobe placement of Zephyr endobronchial valves with a prior assessment using Chartis to determine the absence of collateral flow in the targeted lobes. The patient achieved an impressive 48% improvement in FEV1 and a 29% reduction in RV. CONCLUSIONEndoscopic lung volume reduction assisted by Chartis to plan treatment resulted in a clinical and a health-economic benefit.

Endoscopic Dacryocystorhinostomy in Acute Dacryocystitis: A Multicenter Case Series

Objective: To present our experience of early endonasal DCR (endoDCR) in the treatment of acute dacryocystitis (AD). Methods. International multicenter non-comparative retrospective study.Results: Eighteen patients were identified. All were treated with antibiotics prior to surgery with a median of time from referral to endoDCR surgeon to surgery of 3 days (range 1-7). Surgery was performed using mechanical powered endoDCR (MENDCR) in 15/18 (83.3%) cases; mitomycin C was used in 5/18 (27.8%) and all cases underwent bicanalicular intubation. An increase in perioperative bleeding was noted in 5/18 (27.8%), causing interference in surgical technique in one (5.6%). Resolution of AD was seen in all cases, with no recurrences. 17/18 (94.4%) cases were free of epiphora at median follow-up of 12 months (range 2–36), with nasal endoscopy revealing free flow of fluorescein through the ostium in 17/18 (94.4%) of cases. The median total length of stay was 1 night (range 0–3).Conclusions: EndoDCR surgery performed early in AD led to rapid resolution of the condition in all cases and was associated with subsequent anatomical and functional success in 94.4% of cases. Early endoDCR surgery in the context of AD and the potential associated health economic benefits are worth further consideration and study.

Animal products, diseases and drugs: a plea for better integration between agricultural sciences, human nutrition and human pharmacology

Eicosanoids are major players in the pathogenesis of several common diseases, with either overproduction or imbalance (e.g. between thromboxanes and prostacyclins) often leading to worsening of disease symptoms. Both the total rate of eicosanoid production and the balance between eicosanoids with opposite effects are strongly dependent on dietary factors, such as the daily intakes of various eicosanoid precursor fatty acids, and also on the intakes of several antioxidant nutrients including selenium and sulphur amino acids. Even though the underlying biochemical mechanisms have been thoroughly studied for more than 30 years, neither the agricultural sector nor medical practitioners have shown much interest in making practical use of the abundant high-quality research data now available. In this article, we discuss some specific examples of the interactions between diet and drugs in the pathogenesis and therapy of various common diseases. We also discuss, using common pain conditions and cancer as specific examples, how a better integration between agricultural science, nutrition and pharmacology could lead to improved treatment for important diseases (with improved overall therapeutic effect at the same time as negative side effects and therapy costs can be strongly reduced). It is shown how an unnaturally high omega-6/omega-3 fatty acid concentration ratio in meat, offal and eggs (because the omega-6/omega-3 ratio of the animal diet is unnaturally high) directly leads to exacerbation of pain conditions, cardiovascular disease and probably most cancers. It should be technologically easy and fairly inexpensive to produce poultry and pork meat with much more long-chain omega-3 fatty acids and less arachidonic acid than now, at the same time as they could also have a similar selenium concentration as is common in marine fish. The health economic benefits of such products for society as a whole must be expected vastly to outweigh the direct costs for the farming sector.

Cost-effectiveness model for a specific mixture of prebiotics in The Netherlands

The objective of this study was to assess the cost-effectiveness of the use of prebiotics for the primary prevention of atopic dermatitis in The Netherlands. A model was constructed using decision analytical techniques. The model was developed to estimate the health economic impact of prebiotic preventive disease management of atopic dermatitis. Data sources used include published literature, clinical trials and official price/tariff lists and national population statistics. The comparator was no supplementation with prebiotics. The primary perspective for conducting the economic evaluation was based on the situation in The Netherlands in 2009. The results show that the use of prebiotics infant formula (IMMUNOFORTIS(®)) leads to an additional cost of € 51 and an increase in Quality Adjusted Life Years (QALY) of 0.108, when compared with no prebiotics. Consequently, the use of infant formula with a specific mixture of prebiotics results in an incremental cost-effectiveness ratio (ICER) of € 472. The sensitivity analyses show that the ICER remains in all analyses far below the threshold of € 20,000/QALY. This study shows that the favourable health benefit of the use of a specific mixture of prebiotics results in positive short- and long-term health economic benefits. In addition, this study demonstrates that the use of infant formula with a specific mixture of prebiotics is a highly cost-effective way of preventing atopic dermatitis in The Netherlands.

P256 Investigating suspected pulmonary embolism as outpatient: the Portsmouth experience

IntroductionSuspected PE is a commonacute medical presentation. It continues to be a significant burden on the healthcare resources, hence it makes sense to investigate and manage stable patients with suspected...

Detection of rare cancers with aptamer proteomic technology

Abstract The need for sensitive, early detection of aggressive, rare malignancies such as pancreatic cancer and mesothelioma is high. Just as importantly, the stringent specificity required of diagnostic tests for these low prevalence diseases creates unique challenges. A diagnostic test which identified these rare diseases early in a significant number of patients without creating a large number of false positive results would be clinically important and would deliver health-economic benefits. However, there is great difficulty in precisely quantifying such signals for large numbers of low abundance proteins. Our group therefore created a highly multiplexed proteomic assay which is continuously expanding in breadth. It currently measures 825 proteins simultaneously from ~15ul blood, with throughput of 300 samples/day. The average dynamic range of each protein in the assay is >3 logs — with nearly seven logs of dynamic range achieved through multiple dilutions — and the median lower limit of quantification is below 1 pM. The median coefficient of variation for each protein is <5%. This assay performance arises from the selection of high affinity aptamers that bind selectively to their target proteins with slow offrates. We have applied this proteomics technology to the discovery of biomarkers and diagnostic algorithms for two rare malignancies, pancreatic cancer and mesothelioma. Pancreatic cancer is the fourth leading cause of cancer-related death in the USA. While the 5-year survival is only 5%, this has shown to be increased by early surgical intervention. Plasma samples were analyzed in a prospectively designed case:control study from 143 cases of pancreatic cancer and 116 controls of a similar age and gender distribution. 25% of each group was retained as a blinded verification set. In the training set, 47 markers were significantly different at a false-discovery-rate corrected value of p<0.001. An 11 marker panel had a Receiver Operating Characteristic (ROC) curve area under the curve (AUC) of 0.91. A specificity-driven decision threshold relevant to early detection in asymptomatic patients of 97.5% had a sensitivity of ~60% in the training set. This test performance was effectively maintained in the blinded verification set, with a specificity of 96.5% and a sensitivity of 65%. Other decision thresholds relevant to symptomatic patients enable a sensitivity-driven approach of 90% sensitivity and 75% specificity. The results of this test using the high specificity decision threshold will deliver a positive predictive value of greater than 10% in a population with a disease prevalence of 0.4% or more. Additionally, when the test is used in symptomatic subjects as a differential diagnostic, non-invasive, rapid and sensitive detection of pancreatic cancer enables swift clinical decisions for treatment of this aggressive disease. The second rare cancer analyzed in this clinical series was malignant pleural mesothelioma, which is an aggressive, asbestos-related pulmonary cancer. This disease causes an estimated 15,000 to 20,000 deaths per year worldwide. Between 1940 and 1979, approximately 27.5 million people were occupationally exposed to asbestos in the United States. The incidence of pleural mesothelioma in the US is 3,000 new cases/year and will not peak for another 20 years. Mesothelioma has a latency period of 20-40 years from asbestos exposure, but once diagnosed this aggressive disease is often fatal within 14 months. Because diagnosis is difficult, most patients present at a clinically advanced stage where possibility of cure is minimal. Therefore, we have conducted a broad search for new serum biomarkers with our aptamer-based proteomic platform and defined a classifier for the detection of mesothelioma in asbestos exposed individuals. Serum samples were analyzed with the aptamer proteomics platform in a prospectively designed case:control study of 357 serum samples obtained from patients diagnosed with mesothelioma or lung cancer compared to asbestos exposed controls, high risk smokers and benign lung disease. These samples were divided into a training and test set for classifier development and verification. The objective of the study was to discover proteins which are involved in mesothelioma and to develop algorithms and classifiers for the disease. The initial results are promising. Nineteen significant biomarkers were discovered. Classifiers were built with subsets of these biomarkers resulting in an AUC of 0.95 or better with an overall accuracy of 93%. Applying a 13-plex Random Forest classifier to the blinded test set resulted in a specificity of 100% and sensitivity of 80% for distinction of asbestos exposed controls from mesothelioma. Refinement and confirmation of classifier performance will be established through ongoing validation studies.

Cost Effectiveness of Paricalcitol versus a Non-Selective Vitamin D Receptor Activator for Secondary Hyperparathyroidism in the UK

secondary hyperparathyroidism (SHPT) is a common complication of chronic kidney disease (CKD) and a frequent cause of clinically significant bone disease. Non-selective vitamin D receptor (VDR) activator treatment has been used to treat the condition but is ineffective for many patients with hypercalcaemia and hyperphosphataemia and may precipitate worsening of their condition. Compared with non-selective VDR activator treatment, use of the VDR ligand paricalcitol may increase survival and reduce the risk of morbidities in patients with SHPT, which may have health economic consequences. the objective of this study was to determine the cost effectiveness of paricalcitol versus a non-selective VDR activator for the treatment of SHPT in patients with CKD in the UK setting. A Markov process model was developed employing data sources from the published literature, paricalcitol clinical trials and observational studies, official UK price/tariff lists and national population statistics. The comparator was alfacalcidol, a non-selective VDR activator medication. The primary perspective of the study was that of the UK National Health Service (NHS). The efficacy outcomes (reductions in SHPT, proteinuria, complications and mortality) were extrapolated to: number of life-years gained (LYG) and number of quality-adjusted life-years (QALYs). Clinical and economic outcomes were discounted at 3.5%. The year of costing for costs determined in the study was 2006. the reference case analysis was a 10-year time horizon, based on a comparison of paricalcitol with a non-selective VDR activator, which is started in CKD stage 3 (moderate reduction in glomerular filtration rate [GFR] with kidney damage) and continued in CKD stage 4 (severe reduction in GFR) and CKD stage 5 (established kidney failure). The use of paricalcitol leads to an additional medical cost of pound3224 ($US5970). The health benefits of paricalcitol lead to an increase in LYG of 0.52 and a gain in QALYs of 0.465. Therefore the use of paricalcitol results in an incremental cost-effectiveness ratio of pound6933/QALY ($US12 840/QALY) from the primary perspective of the NHS. One-way sensitivity analyses and probabilistic sensitivity analyses confirmed the robustness of the model. this model showed that the favourable clinical benefit of paricalcitol results in positive short- and long-term health economic benefits. This study suggests that the use of paricalcitol in patients with early CKD may be cost effective from the UK NHS perspective versus non-selective VDR activator medication.

Health Economics and Compliance of Vials/Syringes Versus Pen Devices: A Review of the Evidence

The goal of this review was to assess the state of the published literature on health economics and compliance of vials/syringes versus pen devices. A literature search was performed using the Embase search engine for publications that linked drug terms (insulin and insulin lispro) to disease terms (insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus, non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus) and other terms (accuracy, article, clinical trial, controlled clinical trial, controlled study, cost benefit analysis, drug delivery system, drug dosage form, drug dosage form comparison, drug dose comparison, drug preference, equipment design, force, glycemic control, healthcare cost, human, insulin treatment, needle, patient attitude, patient compliance, patient safety, torque) along with author keywords (Diabetes, Dose accuracy, FlexPen [Novo Nordisk, Bagsvaerd, Denmark], Insulin, Next Generation FlexPen). The search yielded 39 articles, of which five articles met our study criteria. The focus of the critical outcomes was patient adherence to insulin pen devices versus insulin vials (syringes), hypoglycemic events, emergency department visits due to hypoglycemic events, and costs associated with diabetes and health care. The observation period, mean age of patients, and data sources differed across the studies. The studies indicated that there was an improved adherence with insulin pen devices as opposed to insulin vials (syringes) and that the associated healthcare resource utilization and costs associated with them were found to decrease with the use of pen devices, compared to vials. The use of pen devices improves the health economics benefits and adherence to insulin therapy.

Nephrectomy‐only for Wilms tumour: Negotiating the tangled web requires multi‐professional input

Nephrectomy‐only for Wilms tumour: Negotiating the tangled web requires multi‐professional input

The emergence of a clinical specialty in wound care

The emergence of a clinical specialty in wound care

Potential of a New Blood Test for Colorectal Cancer Screening –The Septin 9 Gene Biomarker

Despite clear evidence for a better prognosis when detected early, in most countries colorectal cancer (CRC) has a low compliance rate in terms of screening. There are several methods of CRC screening ranging from a variety of stool tests, e.g. faecal occult blood test (FOBT), to endoscopy (sigmoidoscopy, colonoscopy). A blood test for CRC detection is a new alternative, at least for patients not willing to accept screening colonoscopy or to undergo FOBT. The septin 9 biomarker is a potential candidate to fulfil this purpose. It has been validated in several case–control studies, showing a strong association of plasma-containing methylated DNA within the septin 9 gene (mSEPT9) with the presence of CRC. If sensitive methylated-DNA-detection technologies are used formSEPT9 detection in blood plasma samples, sensitivities of about 50% for stage I, 70–80% for stages II and III and 90–100% for stage IV at a specificity of ≥90% have been reported in these studies. Screening experts assume that such a blood-based test will increase compliance to CRC screening. Further studies are ongoing or have just been completed, including a large prospective screening trial involving 8,000 individuals in the US and Germany. The main objectives of this clinical investigation, called Prospective Evaluation of Septin 9 Performance for Colorectal Cancer Screening (PRESEPT), are to determine the performance of the septin 9 test for identification of CRC in a screening population and to demonstrate the health economic benefit of septin 9 in this setting. Results are expected in April 2010. This article presents an update on current analytical and clinical data onmSEPT9.

A 100 year update on diagnosis of tuberculosis infection

Diagnosis and treatment of latent tuberculosis infection (LTBI) is a cornerstone of tuberculosis (TB) control in the developed world. In the last century, the tuberculin skin test (TST) was the only means of diagnosing LTBI. ELISpot and whole-blood ELISA, collectively known as interferon-gamma release assays (IGRAs), are promising new tools. IGRAs are more specific than TST for diagnosis of LTBI as they are not confounded by previous bacille Calmette-Guerin (BCG) vaccination. Assessing IGRA sensitivity in the absence of a gold standard for LTBI is challenging. Studies have therefore used surrogate markers such as active TB and correlation with degree of TB exposure in contact investigations. These studies suggest that sensitivity of ELISpot is higher than TST while whole-blood ELISA has similar sensitivity to TST. Recent longitudinal studies demonstrating the prognostic power of these tests for development of active TB provide definitive evidence that positive IGRA results reflect infection with dormant yet viable bacilli. Is the prognostic power of IGRAs greater than the TST? What are the false-negative rates in immunocompromised individuals with LTBI at high risk of progressing to active TB? IGRAs have been incorporated into national guidelines, although their optimal deployment in diagnostic algorithms is evolving. The health economic benefits of utilizing IGRAs are increasingly recognized, partly because their high specificity avoids unnecessary chemoprophylaxis in BCG-vaccinated persons with false-positive TST results. Current IGRAs are being improved and next-generation tests, with improved sensitivity, could enable the reliable exclusion of LTBI in immunocompromised individuals.

Efficacy and cost-effectiveness of the 13C-urea breath test as the primary diagnostic investigation for the detection of Helicobacter pylori infection compared to invasive and non-invasive diagnostic tests.

Efficacy and cost-effectiveness of the 13C-urea breath test as the primary diagnostic investigation for the detection of Helicobacter pylori infection compared to invasive and non-invasive diagnostic tests.