Black Race (black + race)

Distribution by Scientific Domains


Selected Abstracts


Patterns of care in elderly glioblastoma patients,

ANNALS OF NEUROLOGY, Issue 6 2008
Fabio M. Iwamoto MD
Objective To evaluate the patterns of care in elderly glioblastoma (GBM) patients from a large population-based registry. Methods We identified a cohort of GBM patients 65 years or older from Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results cancer registry data linked with Medicare claims between 1994 and 2002. We assessed the impact of demographic characteristics and comorbidities on the probability of undergoing surgical resection, radiotherapy (RT), and chemotherapy within 3 months of diagnosis using multivariate logistic regression. Results A total of 4,137 patients with GBM were included, with a median overall survival of 4 months. Sixty-one percent of patients underwent resection at diagnosis; 65% received RT and 10% received chemotherapy within 3 months of diagnosis. In a multivariate regression analysis, age was the most significant predictor of resection, RT, or chemotherapy. Black race (odds ratio [OR], 0.64; p = 0.008) was associated with lower rates of surgical resection. Factors associated with decreased likelihood of receiving RT included unmarried marital status (OR, 0.64; p < 0.0001) and more comorbidities (OR, 0.55; p < 0.0001). Factors associated with decreased likelihood of receiving chemotherapy included unmarried marital status (OR, 0.59; p = 0.0002) and more comorbidities (OR, 0.56; p = 0.02). Interpretation Survival of elderly GBM patients was poor in this population-based study. Age, marital status, and comorbidities influenced the probability of receiving RT or chemotherapy in this cohort. Ann Neurol 2008;64:628,634 [source]


Cessation of periodontal care during pregnancy: effect on infant birthweight

EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF ORAL SCIENCES, Issue 1 2006
Philippe P. Hujoel
The goal of this study was to assess whether interruption of care for chronic periodontitis during pregnancy increased the risk of low-birthweight infants. A population-based case-control study was designed with 793 cases (infants <,2,500 g) and a random sample of 3,172 controls (infants ,,2,500 g). Generalized estimating equation models were used to relate periodontal treatment history to low birthweight risk and to common risk factors. The results indicate that periodontal care utilization was associated with a 2.35-fold increased odds of self-reported smoking during pregnancy (95% confidence interval: 1.48,3.71), a 2.19-fold increased odds for diabetes (95% confidence interval: 1.21,3.98), a 3.90-fold increased odds for black race (95% confidence interval: 2.31,6.61), and higher maternal age. After adjustment for these factors, interruption of periodontal care during pregnancy did not lead to an increased risk for a low-birthweight infant when compared to women with no history of periodontal care (odds ratio, 0.96; 95% confidence interval, 0.60,1.52). In conclusion, women receiving periodontal care had genetic and environmental characteristics, such as smoking, diabetes and race, that were associated with an increased risk for low-birthweight infants. Periodontal care patterns, in and of themselves, were unrelated to low-birthweight risk. [source]


Cognitive Impairment and Mortality in Older Primary Care Patients

JOURNAL OF AMERICAN GERIATRICS SOCIETY, Issue 7 2001
Timothy E. Stump MA
OBJECTIVE: To assess the impact of cognitive impairment on mortality in older primary care patients after controlling for confounding effects of demographic and comorbid chronic conditions. DESIGN: Prospective cohort study. SETTING: Academic primary care group practice. PARTICIPANTS: Three thousand nine hundred and fifty-seven patients age 60 and older who completed the Short Portable Mental Status Questionnaire (SPMSQ) during routine office visits. MEASUREMENTS: Cognitive impairment measured at baseline using the SPMSQ, demographics, problem drinking, history of smoking, clinical data (including weight, cholesterol level, and serum albumin), and comorbid chronic conditions collected at baseline; survival time measured during the 5 to 7 years after baseline. RESULTS: Eight hundred and eighty-six patients (22.4%) died during the 5 to 7 years of follow-up. Cognitive impairment was categorized as having no impairment (84.3%), mild impairment (10.5%), and moderate-to-severe impairment (5.2%) based on SPMSQ score. Chi-square tests revealed that patients with moderate-to-severe impairment were significantly more likely to die compared with patients with mild impairment (40.8% vs 21.5%) and those with no impairment (40.8% vs 21.4%). No significant difference in crude mortality was found between patients with no impairment and those with mild impairment. After analyzing time to death using the Kaplan-Meier method, patients with moderate-to-severe cognitive impairment were at increased risk of death compared with those with no or mild impairment (Log-rank ,2 = 55.5; P < .0001). Even in multivariable analyses using Cox proportional hazards to control for confounding factors, compared with those with no impairment, moderately-to-severely impaired patients had an increased risk of death, with a hazard ratio (HR) of 1.70. Increased risk of death was also associated with older age (HR = 1.03 for each year), a history of smoking (HR = 1.48), having a serum albumin level <3.5 g/L (HR = 1.29), and weighing less than 90% of the ideal body weight (HR = 1.98). Outpatient diagnoses associated with increased mortality risk were diabetes mellitus, coronary artery disease, congestive heart failure, cerebrovascular disease, cancer, anemia, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (HR range 1.36,1.67). Factors protective of mortality risk included female gender (HR = 0.67) and black race (HR = 0.73). CONCLUSIONS: Moderate-to-severe cognitive impairment is associated with an increased risk of mortality, even after controlling for confounding effects of demographic and clinical characteristics. Mild cognitive impairment is not associated with mortality risk, but a longer follow-up period may be necessary to identify this risk if it exists. [source]


Association of Race and Socioeconomic Position with Outcomes in Pediatric Heart Transplant Recipients

AMERICAN JOURNAL OF TRANSPLANTATION, Issue 9 2010
T. P. Singh
We assessed the association of socioeconomic (SE) position with graft loss in a multicenter cohort of pediatric heart transplant (HT) recipients. We extracted six SE variables from the US Census 2000 database for the neighborhood of residence of 490 children who underwent their primary HT at participating transplant centers. A composite SE score was derived for each child and four groups (quartiles) compared for graft loss (death or retransplant). Graft loss occurred in 152 children (122 deaths, 30 retransplant). In adjusted analysis, graft loss during the first posttransplant year had a borderline association with the highest SE quartile (HR 1.94, p = 0.05) but not with race. Among 1-year survivors, both black race (HR 1.81, p = 0.02) and the lowest SE quartile (HR 1.77, p = 0.01) predicted subsequent graft loss in adjusted analysis. Among subgroups, the lowest SE quartile was associated with graft loss in white but not in black children. Thus, we found a complex relationship between SE position and graft loss in pediatric HT recipients. The finding of increased risk in the highest SE quartile children during the first year requires further confirmation. Black children and low SE position white children are at increased risk of graft loss after the first year. [source]


Factors Associated with Failure to List HIV-Positive Kidney Transplant Candidates

AMERICAN JOURNAL OF TRANSPLANTATION, Issue 6 2009
D. Sawinski
With improved survival in the antiretroviral era, data from ongoing studies suggest that HIV patients can be safely transplanted. The disproportionate burden of HIV-related end-stage renal disease in minority populations may impose additional obstacles to successful completion of the transplant evaluation. We retrospectively reviewed 309 potentially eligible HIV patients evaluated for kidney transplant at our institution since 2000. Only 20% of HIV patients have been listed, compared to 73% of HIV-negative patients evaluated over the same period (p < 0.00001). Failure to provide documentation of CD4 and viral load (36% of candidates) was the most common reason for failure to progress beyond initial evaluation. Other factors independently associated with failure to complete the evaluation included CD4 < 200 at initial evaluation (OR 15.17; 95% CI 1.94,118.83), black race (OR 2.33; 95% CI 1.07,5.06), and history of drug use (OR 2.56; 95% CI 1.22,5.37). More efficient medical record sharing and an awareness of factors associated with failure to list HIV-positive transplant candidates may enable transplant centers to more effectively advocate for these patients. [source]


Liver Transplantation in Children with Metabolic Disorders in the United States

AMERICAN JOURNAL OF TRANSPLANTATION, Issue 3 2003
Liise K. Kayler
We studied pediatric liver transplantation for metabolic disease in a large national cohort to determine whether smaller studies suggesting a survival advantage for these recipients could be corroborated. We also hoped to determine whether higher survival rates in recipients with metabolic disease are associated with lack of structural liver disease, and to evaluate these recipients' risk factors for mortality. Data from the Scientific Registry of Transplant Recipients were used to analyze nationwide results (1990,99) of pediatric liver transplantation for patients with biliary atresia and metabolic disease. Adjusted patient survival rates for children with metabolic disease at 1 and 5 years were 94% and 92%, respectively, , significantly higher than for recipients with biliary atresia (90% and 86%) (p,=,0.008). Cox regression models identified recipient black race [relative risk (RR) = 5.1] and simultaneous transplantation of other organs (RR = 3.2) as significant risk factors for mortality in the metabolic group. Adjusted survival rates for metabolic patients with structural and nonstructural liver diseases were similar to each other at both 1 and 5 years. Children with metabolic disease had significantly higher adjusted short- and long-term post-transplant survival rates than those with biliary atresia. Structural disease was not a risk factor for worse outcomes. [source]


Racial Disparities in Emergency Department Length of Stay for Admitted Patients in the United States

ACADEMIC EMERGENCY MEDICINE, Issue 5 2009
Jesse M. Pines MD
Abstract Objectives:, Recent studies have demonstrated the adverse effects of prolonged emergency department (ED) boarding times on outcomes. The authors sought to examine racial disparities across U.S. hospitals in ED length of stay (LOS) for admitted patients, which may serve as a proxy for boarding time in data sets where the actual time of admission is unavailable. Specifically, the study estimated both the within- and among-hospital effects of black versus non,black race on LOS for admitted patients. Methods:, The authors studied 14,516 intensive care unit (ICU) and non-ICU admissions in 408 EDs in the National Hospital Ambulatory Medical Care Survey (NHAMCS; 2003,2005). The main outcomes were ED LOS (triage to transfer to inpatient bed) and proportion of patients with prolonged LOS (>6 hours). The effects of black versus non,black race on LOS were decomposed to distinguish racial disparities between patients at the same hospital (within-hospital component) and between hospitals that serve higher proportions of black patients (among-hospital component). Results:, In the unadjusted analyses, ED LOS was significantly longer for black patients admitted to ICU beds (367 minutes vs. 290 minutes) and non-ICU beds (397 minutes vs. 345 minutes). For admissions to ICU beds, the within-hospital estimates suggested that blacks were at higher risk for ED LOS of >6 hours (odds ratio [OR] = 1.42, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.01 to 2.01), while the among-hospital differences were not significant (OR = 1.08 for each 10% increase in the proportion of black patients, 95% CI = 0.96 to 1.23). By contrast, for non-ICU admissions, the within-hospital racial disparities were not significant (OR = 1.12, 95% CI = 0.94 to 1.23), but the among-hospital differences were significant (OR = 1.13, 95% CI = 1.04 to 1.22) per 10% point increase in the percentage of blacks admitted to a hospital. Conclusions:, Black patients who are admitted to the hospital through the ED have longer ED LOS compared to non,blacks, indicating that racial disparities may exist across U.S. hospitals. The disparity for non-ICU patients might be accounted for by among-hospital differences, where hospitals with a higher proportion of blacks have longer waits. The disparity for ICU patients is better explained by within-hospital differences, where blacks have longer wait times than non,blacks in the same hospital. However, there may be additional unmeasured clinical or socioeconomic factors that explain these results. [source]