BACKGROUND Cigarette smoking and tooth loss are seldom considered concurrently as determinants of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). This study examines the multiplicative effect of self-reported tooth loss and cigarette smoking on COPD among United States adults aged ≥18 years. METHODS Data were taken from the 2012 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (n = 439,637). Log-linear regression-estimated prevalence ratios (PRs) are reported for the interaction of combinations of tooth loss (0, 1 to 5, 6 to 31, or all) and cigarettes smoking status (never, former, or current) with COPD after adjusting for age, sex, race/ethnicity, marital status, educational attainment, employment, health insurance coverage, dental care utilization, and diabetes. RESULTS Overall, 45.7% respondents reported having ≥1 teeth removed from tooth decay or gum disease, 18.9% reported being current cigarette smokers, and 6.3% reported having COPD. Smoking and tooth loss from tooth decay or gum disease were associated with an increased likelihood of COPD. Compared with never smokers with no teeth removed, all combinations of smoking status categories and tooth loss had a higher likelihood of COPD, with adjusted PRs ranging from 1.5 (never smoker with 1 to 5 teeth removed) to 6.5 (current smoker with all teeth removed) (all P <0.05). CONCLUSIONS Tooth loss status significantly modifies the association between cigarette smoking and COPD. An increased understanding of causal mechanisms linking cigarette smoking, oral health, and COPD, particularly the role of tooth loss, infection, and subsequent inflammation, is essential to reduce the burden of COPD. Health providers should counsel their patients about cigarette smoking, preventive dental care, and COPD risk.

OBJECTIVE:Racial/ethnic health disparities are infrequently considered by nativity status in the United States, although the immigrant population has practically doubled since 1990. We investigated the modifying role of nativity status (US- vs. foreign-born) on racial/ethnic disparities in short sleep duration (<7 h), which has serious health consequences. DESIGN:Cross-sectional data from 23,505 US-born and 4,326 foreign-born adults aged ≥ 18 years from the 2012 National Health Interview Survey and multivariable log-linear regression were used to estimate prevalence ratios (PR) for reporting short sleep duration and their corresponding 95% confidence intervals (CI). RESULTS:After controlling for sociodemographic covariates, short sleep was more prevalent among blacks (PR 1.29, 95% CI: 1.21-1.37), Hispanics (PR 1.18, 95% CI: 1.08, 1.29), and Asians (PR 1.37, 95% CI: 1.16-1.61) than whites among US-born adults. Short sleep was more prevalent among blacks (PR 1.71, 95% CI: 1.38, 2.13) and Asians (PR 1.23, 95% CI: 1.02, 1.47) than whites among the foreign-born. CONCLUSION:Among both US- and foreign-born adults, blacks and Asians had a higher likelihood of short sleep compared to whites. US-born Hispanics, but not foreign-born Hispanics, had a higher likelihood than their white counterparts. Future research should aim to uncover mechanisms underlying these disparities.

HomeCirculationVol. 133, No. 10Response to Letter Regarding Article, "Coronary Heart Disease Mortality Declines in the United States From 1979 Through 2011: Evidence for Stagnation in Young Adults, Especially Women" Free AccessLetterPDF/EPUBAboutView PDFView EPUBSections ToolsAdd to favoritesDownload citationsTrack citationsPermissions ShareShare onFacebookTwitterLinked InMendeleyReddit Jump toFree AccessLetterPDF/EPUBResponse to Letter Regarding Article, "Coronary Heart Disease Mortality Declines in the United States From 1979 Through 2011: Evidence for Stagnation in Young Adults, Especially Women" Kobina A. Wilmot, MD Martin O'Flaherty, MD, PhD, MSc and Simon Capewell, MD, DSc Earl S. Ford, MD, PhD Viola Vaccarino, MD PhD Kobina A. WilmotKobina A. Wilmot Department of Medicine, Division of Cardiology, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA Martin O'FlahertyMartin O'Flaherty Clinical Epidemiology, University of Liverpool, Department of Public Health & Policy, Institute of Psychology, Health & Society, Liverpool, United Kingdom and Simon CapewellSimon Capewell Clinical Epidemiology, University of Liverpool, Department of Public Health & Policy, Institute of Psychology, Health & Society, Liverpool, United Kingdom Earl S. FordEarl S. Ford Formerly, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA Viola VaccarinoViola Vaccarino Department of Epidemiology, Rollins School of Public Health, Department of Medicine, Division of Cardiology, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA Originally published8 Mar 2016https://doi.org/10.1161/CIRCULATIONAHA.115.020672Circulation. 2016;133:e433We thank Drs Gupta and Rajagopalan for bringing up the important issue of changing patterns of smoking behavior in the United States as a potential explanation for the recent stagnation in coronary heart disease (CHD) mortality decline in young women we reported.1 Tobacco smoking is a powerful risk factor for CHD in young people,2 and smoking confers a higher risk of CHD in women than in men.3 In the past decade, however, smoking has declined at a similar rate in young and middle-aged women and men.4 Still, a less pronounced decline in smoking prevalence in teenage girls than in boys in the earlier part of the study period may be reflected in a less pronounced decrease in CHD mortality in young and middle-aged women a few decades later.Furthermore, as Drs Gupta and Rajagopalan suggest, a declining smoking prevalence may affect CHD mortality in men more than in women, despite the fact that smoking is a stronger risk factor in women. In our earlier analysis of trends in CHD mortality between 1980 and 2000,5 a 10% absolute decline in smoking among women accounted for ≈7% of their overall CHD mortality reduction; in men, a 13% decrease in smoking explained ≈14% of their CHD mortality decline (ie, twice as much as women). However, although smoking trends may help explain sex differences in CHD mortality changes over time, smoking is unlikely to be the only factor, because it explains only a small portion of the CHD mortality decline in both women and men.Kobina A. Wilmot, MDDepartment of Medicine, Division of CardiologyEmory University School of MedicineAtlanta, GAMartin O'Flaherty, MD, PhD, MScSimon Capewell, MD, DScClinical EpidemiologyUniversity of LiverpoolDepartment of Public Health & PolicyInstitute of Psychology, Health & SocietyLiverpool, United KingdomEarl S. Ford, MD, PhDFormerly, Centers for Disease Control and PreventionAtlanta, GAViola Vaccarino, MD PhDDepartment of EpidemiologyRollins School of Public HealthDepartment of Medicine, Division of CardiologyEmory University School of MedicineAtlanta, GADisclosuresNone.References1. Wilmot KA, O'Flaherty M, Capewell S, Ford ES, Vaccarino V. Coronary heart disease mortality declines in the United States from 1979 through 2011: evidence for stagnation in young adults, especially women.Circulation. 2015; 132:997–1002. doi: 10.1161/CIRCULATIONAHA.115.015293.LinkGoogle Scholar2. Khan RJ, Stewart CP, Davis SK, Harvey DJ, Leistikow BN. The risk and burden of smoking related heart disease mortality among young people in the United States.Tob Induc Dis. 2015; 13:16. doi: 10.1186/s12971-015-0041-z.CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar3. Huxley RR, Woodward M. Cigarette smoking as a risk factor for coronary heart disease in women compared with men: a systematic review and meta-analysis of prospective cohort studies.Lancet. 2011; 378:1297–1305. doi: 10.1016/S0140-6736(11)60781-2.CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar4. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.Health, United States, 2014: With Special Feature on Adults Aged 55–64. Hyattsville, MD: National Center for Health Statistics; 2015.Google Scholar5. Ford ES, Ajani UA, Croft JB, Critchley JA, Labarthe DR, Kottke TE, Giles WH, Capewell S. Explaining the decrease in U.S. deaths from coronary disease, 1980-2000.N Engl J Med. 2007; 356:2388–2398. doi: 10.1056/NEJMsa053935.CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar Previous Back to top Next FiguresReferencesRelatedDetailsCited By Aggarwal N, Bond R and Mieres J (2018) The role of imaging in women with ischemic heart disease, Clinical Cardiology, 10.1002/clc.22913, 41:2, (194-202), Online publication date: 1-Feb-2018. Nohara A (2016) Optimal Treatment using Statins from Childhood in Heterozygous Familial Hypercholesterolemia, Journal of Atherosclerosis and Thrombosis, 10.5551/jat.ED025, 23:1, (39-43), . March 8, 2016Vol 133, Issue 10 Advertisement Article InformationMetrics © 2016 American Heart Association, Inc.https://doi.org/10.1161/CIRCULATIONAHA.115.020672PMID: 26951831 Originally publishedMarch 8, 2016 PDF download Advertisement SubjectsCardiovascular DiseaseEpidemiologyWomen, Sex, and Gender

Risk assessment has become an important tool to assess an individual’s future risk for cardiovascular disease. Recently, the American College of Cardiology/American Heart Association (ACC/AHA) released a report that presented updated risk equations, the Pooled Cohort Risk Equations, for cardiovascular disease.1 Race and ethnicity-specific estimates were novel to the new risk equations. Because changes over time in predicted cardiovascular risk using these new risk equations have not been examined, our objectives were to (1) examine the trend in predicted 10-year cardiovascular risk using the new ACC/AHA Pooled Cohort Risk Equations and (2) estimate the potential for risk reduction by optimizing levels of cardiovascular risk factors.

Background Coronary heart disease (CHD) mortality rates have fallen dramatically over the past 4 decades in the Western world. However, recent data from the United States and elsewhere suggest a plateauing of CHD incidence and mortality among young women. We therefore examined recent trends in CHD mortality rates in the United States according to age and sex.Methods and Results We analyzed mortality data between 1979 and 2011 for US adults 25 years of age. We calculated age-specific CHD mortality rates and compared estimated annual percentage changes during 3 approximate decades of data (1979-1989, 1990-1999, and 2000-2011). We then used Joinpoint regression modeling to assess changes in trends over time on the basis of inflection points of the mortality rates. Adults 65 years of age showed consistent mortality declines, which became even steeper after 2000 (women, -5.0%; men, -4.4%). In contrast, young men and women (<55 years of age) initially showed a clear decline in CHD mortality from 1979 until 1989 (estimated annual percentage change, -5.5% in men and -4.6% in women). However, the 2 subsequent decades saw stagnation with minimal improvement. Notably, young women demonstrated no improvements between 1990 and 1999 (estimated annual percentage change, 0.1%) and only -1% estimated annual percentage change since 2000. Joinpoint analyses provided consistent results.Conclusions The dramatic decline in CHD mortality since 1979 conceals major heterogeneities. CHD death rates in older groups are now falling steeply. However, young adults have experienced frustratingly small decreases in CHD mortality rates since 1990. The drivers of these major differences in CHD mortality trends by age and sex merit urgent study.

Background Several studies have shown that the waist circumference of children and adolescents has increased over the last 25 years. However, given the strong correlation between waist circumference and BMI, it is uncertain if the secular trends in waist circumference are independent of those in BMI. Methods We analyzed data from 6- to 19-year-olds who participated in the 1988–1994 through 2011–2012 cycles of the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey to assess whether the trends in waist circumference were independent of changes in BMI, race-ethnicity and age. Results Mean, unadjusted levels of waist circumference increased by 3.7 cm (boys) and 6.0 cm (girls) from 1988–94 through 2011–12, while mean BMI levels increased by 1.1 kg/m2 (boys) and 1.6 kg/m2 (girls). Overall, the proportional changes in mean levels of both waist circumference and BMI were fairly similar among boys (5.3%, waist vs. 5.6%, BMI) and girls (8.7%, waist vs. 7.7%, BMI). As assessed by the area under the curve, adjustment for BMI reduced the secular increases in waist circumference by about 75% (boys) and 50% (girls) beyond that attributable to age and race-ethnicity. There was also a race-ethnicity interaction (p < 0.001). Adjustment for BMI reduced the secular trend in waist circumference among non-Hispanic (NH) black children (boys and girls) to a greater extent (about 90%) than among other children. Conclusions Our results indicate that among children in the U.S., about 75% (boys) and 50% (girls) of the secular increases in waist circumference since 1988–94 can be accounted for by changes in BMI. The reasons for the larger independent effects among girls and among NH blacks are uncertain.

Red blood cell distribution width (RDW), an indicator of anisocytosis, is a novel biomarker of cardiovascular disease (CVD) and all-cause mortality (1). Although findings are inconclusive, the pathophysiology linking RDW with morbidity/mortality may pertain to inflammation and/or disordered iron homeostasis (2). Consequently, identification of modifiable behaviors for prevention of unequal RDW, particularly in the general population, is needed. Emerging research demonstrates that sedentary behavior (SB), even independently of physical activity, is predictive of CVD and premature mortality (3). Although results have been inconclusive, potential mechanisms for explaining this relationship include SB-induced inflammation and modulation of metabolic risk (4). Consequently, it is plausible to suggest that SB may be related to CVD and mortality via SB-induced anisocytosis. However, to our knowledge, no study has yet examined the association between SB and RDW. Identification of such an association may help to delineate a potential mechanism through which SB may influence CVD. Therefore, we decided to evaluate this possible association.

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a group of progressive respiratory conditions, including emphysema and chronic bronchitis, characterized by airflow obstruction and symptoms such as shortness of breath, chronic cough, and sputum production. COPD is an important contributor to mortality and disability in the United States. Healthy People 2020 has several COPD-related objectives,* including to reduce activity limitations among adults with COPD. To assess the state-level prevalence of COPD and the association of COPD with various activity limitations among U.S. adults, CDC analyzed data from the 2013 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS). Among U.S. adults in all 50 states, the District of Columbia (DC), and two U.S. territories, 6.4% (an estimated 15.7 million adults) had been told by a physician or other health professional that they have COPD. Adults who reported having COPD were more likely to report being unable to work (24.3% versus 5.3%), having an activity limitation caused by health problems (49.6% versus 16.9%), having difficulty walking or climbing stairs (38.4% versus 11.3%), or using special equipment to manage health problems (22.1% versus 6.7%), compared with adults without COPD. Smokers who have been diagnosed with COPD are encouraged to quit smoking, which can slow the progression of the disease and reduce mobility impairment. In addition, COPD patients should consider participation in a pulmonary rehabilitation program that combines patient education and exercise training to address barriers to physical activity, such as respiratory symptoms and muscle wasting.

Little is known about trends in prescriptions for benzodiazepines among patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Our objective was to examine trends of office/outpatient department visits with a mention of a benzodiazepine made by patients aged ≥40 years with COPD in the United States. We used data from the National Ambulatory Medical Care Survey and National Hospital Ambulatory Medical Care Survey from 1999-2010. From 1999 to 2010, the estimated numbers of office/outpatient department visits with a benzodiazepine mentioned increased from 20.7 million to 43.2 million among all patients, from 684,000 to 1.5 million among patients with COPD, and from 20.0 million to 41.7 million among patients without COPD. Using all 12-years of data, patients with COPD were more likely to have a visit with a mention of a benzodiazepine than patients without COPD (adjusted prevalence ratio = 1.48, 95% CI = 1.27-1.71).The unadjusted percentage of all office/outpatient department visits by patients with COPD with a mention of a benzodiazepine increased from 4.6% during 1999-2002 to 10.2% during 2007-2010 (P trend < 0.001). After adjustment for age, sex, and race, the adjusted prevalence ratio for 2007-2010 compared with 1999-2002 was 2.26 (95% confidence interval: 1.60-3.17). Since 1999, the number and percentage of office/outpatient department visits with a mention of a benzodiazepine by patients with COPD and all patients may have increased in the United States.

Background: The question of how smoking, COPD, and other chronic diseases are related remains unresolved. Therefore, we examined relationships between smoking, COPD, and 10 other chronic diseases and assessed the prevalence of co-morbid chronic conditions among people with COPD.Methods: We analyzed cross-sectional data from 405,856 US adults aged 18 years or older in the 2011 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System. We used log-linear regression to estimate prevalence ratios (PRs) and their corresponding 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for these relationships adjusting for age, gender, race/ethnicity, marital status, educational attainment, annual household income, and health insurance coverage.Results: Overall, 17.5% reported being current cigarette smokers, 6.9% reported having COPD, and 71.2% reported another chronic condition. After age-adjustment, prevalence of COPD was 14.1% (adjusted PR = 3.9; 95% CI: 3.7, 4.1) among current smokers and 7.1% (adjusted PR = 2.5; 95% CI: 2.4, 2.7) among former smokers compared to 2.9% among never smokers. The most common chronic conditions among current smokers after age-adjustment were high cholesterol (36.7%), high blood pressure (34.6%), arthritis (29.4%), depression (27.4%), and asthma (16.9%). In separate multivariable models, smoking and COPD were associated with each of the 10 other chronic conditions (p < 0.05), which also included cancer, coronary heart disease, diabetes, kidney disease, and stroke; COPD modified associations between smoking and co-morbidities, while smoking did not modify associations between COPD and co-morbidities.Conclusions: Our findings confirm previous evidence and highlight the continuing importance of comprehensive care coordination for people with COPD and co-morbid chronic conditions and also tobacco prevention and control strategies.

BACKGROUND:COPD imposes a large public health burden internationally and in the United States. The objective of this study was to examine trends in mortality from COPD among US adults from 1968 to 2011. METHODS:Data from the National Vital Statistics System from 1968 to 2011 for adults aged ≥ 25 years were accessed, and trends in mortality rates were examined with Joinpoint analysis. RESULTS:Among all adults, age-adjusted mortality rate rose from 29.4 per 100,000 population in 1968 to 67.0 per 100,000 population in 1999 and then declined to 63.7 per 100,000 population in 2011 (annual percentage change [APC] 2000-2011, -0.2%; 95% CI, -0.6 to 0.2). The age-adjusted mortality rate among men peaked in 1999 and then declined (APC 1999-2011, -1.1%; 95% CI, -1.4 to -0.7), whereas the age-adjusted mortality rate among women increased from 2000 to 2011, peaking in 2008 (APC 2000-2011, 0.4%; 95% CI, 0.0-0.9). Despite a narrowing of the sex gap, mortality rates in men continued to exceed those in women. Evidence of a decline in the APC was noted for black men (1999-2011, -1.5%; 95% CI, -2.1 to -1.0) and white men (1999-2011, -0.9%; 95% CI, -1.3 to -0.6), adults aged 55 to 64 years (1989-2011, -1.0%; 95% CI, -1.2 to -0.8), and adults aged 65 to 74 years (1999-2011, -1.2%; 95% CI, -1.6 to -0.9). CONCLUSIONS:In the United States, the mortality rate from COPD has declined since 1999 in men and some age groups but appears to be still rising in women, albeit at a reduced pace.

Study Objective: The trend in sleep duration in the United States population remains uncertain. Our objective was to examine changes in sleep duration from 1985 to 2012 among US adults.Design: Trend analysis.Setting: Civilian noninstitutional population of the United States.Participants: 324,242 US adults aged >= 18 y of the National Health Interview Survey (1985, 1990, and 2004-2012).Measurements and Results: Sleep duration was defined on the basis of the question "On average, how many hours of sleep do you get in a 24-h period?" The age-adjusted mean sleep duration was 7.40 h (standard error [SE] 0.01) in 1985, 7.29 h (SE 0.01) in 1990, 7.18 h (SE 0.01) in 2004, and 7.18 h (SE 0.01) in 2012 (P 2012 versus 1985 < 0.001; P trend 2004-2012 = 0.982). The age-adjusted percentage of adults sleeping <= 6 h was 22.3% (SE 0.3) in 1985, 24.4% (SE 0.3) in 1990, 28.6% (SE 0.3) in 2004, and 29.2% (SE 0.3) in 2012 (P 2012 versus 1985 < 0.001; P trend 2004-2012 = 0.050). In 2012, approximately 70.1 million US adults reported sleeping <= 6 h.Conclusions: Since 1985, age-adjusted mean sleep duration has decreased slightly and the percentage of adults sleeping <= 6 h increased by 31%. Since 2004, however, mean sleep duration and the percentage of adults sleeping <= 6 h have changed little.

Objective: Insomnia is a prevalent disorder in the United States and elsewhere. It has been associated with a range of somatic and psychiatric conditions, and adversely affects quality of life, productivity at work, and school performance. The objective of this study was to examine the trend in self-reported insomnia and excessive daytime sleepiness among US adults.Methods: We used data of participants aged >= 18 years from the National Health Interview Survey for the years 2002 (30,970 participants), 2007 (23,344 participants), and 2012 (34,509 participants).Results: The unadjusted prevalence of insomnia or trouble sleeping increased from 17.5% (representing 37.5 million adults) in 2002 to 19.2% (representing 46.2 million adults) in 2012 (relative increase: +8.0%) (P trend <0.001). The age-adjusted prevalence increased from 17.4% to 18.8%. Significant increases were present among participants aged 18-24, 25-34, 55-64, and 65-74 years, men, women, whites, Hispanics, participants with diabetes, and participants with joint pain. Large relative increases occurred among participants aged 18-24 years (+30.9%) and participants with diabetes (+27.0%). The age-adjusted percentage of participants who reported regularly having excessive daytime sleepiness increased from 9.8% to 12.7% (P trend <0.001). Significant increases were present in most demographic groups. The largest relative increase was among participants aged 25-34 years (+49%). Increases were also found among participants with hypertension, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, asthma, and joint pain.Conclusions: Given the deleterious effects of insomnia on health and performance, the increasing prevalence of insomnia and excessive daytime sleepiness among US adults is a potentially troubling development. Published by Elsevier B.V.

Background: Cardiovascular mortality rates have fallen dramatically over the past four decades. However, recent unfavorable trends in coronary heart disease (CHD) risk factors among young adults (obesity, diabetes, and tobacco use) raise concerns about their subsequent impact on CHD mortality. Furthermore, recent data from the US and other countries suggest a worsening of CHD incidence and mortality among young women. We therefore examined recent trends in CHD mortality rates in the US according to age and sex. Methods: We used mortality data between 1980 and 2011 from US adults ≥ 25 years. We calculated age-specific CHD mortality rates and estimated annual percentage change (EAPC) for US adults, and compared three decades of data (1980-1989, 1990-1999, and 2000-2011). We also used Joinpoint regression modeling to assess changes in trends over time, based on inflection points of the mortality distribution. Results: Young men and women (aged<55 years) showed a robust decline in CHD mortality from 1980 until 1989 (EAPC -5.5% in men and -4.6% in women). However, the two subsequent decades saw stagnation with minimal improvement (Table). This was particularly true for young women who had no improvements between 1990 and 1999 (EAPC +0.1%), and only -1% EAPC since 2000. In contrast, older adults (65+years) showed steep annual declines since 2000, approximately doubled compared with the previous period (women, -5.0% and men, -4.4%). Jointpoint analyses provided consistent results. Conclusions: The dramatic declines in cardiovascular mortality since 1980 conceals major heterogeneities. CHD death rates in older groups are now falling steeply. However, young men and women have enjoyed small decreases in CHD mortality rates since 1990. The drivers of these major differences in CHD mortality trends by age and sex needs urgent study.

BACKGROUND:Elevated urinary albumin-creatinine ratio (UACR) and decreased estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) predict all-cause mortality, but whether these markers of kidney damage and function do so in adults with obstructive lung function (OLF) is unclear. The objective of this study was to examine the associations between UACR and eGFR and all-cause mortality in adults with OLF. METHODS:Data of 5,711 US adults aged 40 to 79 years, including 1,390 adults with any OLF who participated in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey III (1988-1994), were analyzed. Mortality follow-up was conducted through 2006. RESULTS:During the median follow-up of 13.7 years, 650 adults with OLF died. After maximal adjustment, mean levels of UACR were higher in adults with moderate-severe OLF (7.5 mg/g; 95% CI, 6.7-8.5) than in adults with normal pulmonary function (6.2 mg/g; 95% CI, 5.8-6.6) (P = .003) and mild OLF (6.2 mg/g; 95% CI, 5.5-6.9) (P = .014). Adjusted mean levels of eGFR were lower in adults with moderate-severe OLF (87.6 mL/min/1.73 m²; 95% CI, 86.0-89.1) than in adults with normal lung function (89.6 mL/min/1.73 m²; 95% CI, 88.9-90.3) (P = .015). Among adults with OLF, hazard ratios for all-cause mortality increased as levels of UACR, modeled as categorical or continuous variables, increased (maximally adjusted hazard ratio for quintile 5 vs 1: 2.23; 95% CI, 1.56-3.18). eGFR, modeled as a continuous variable but not as quintiles, was significantly associated with mortality. CONCLUSIONS:UACR and eGFR, in continuous form, were associated with all-cause mortality among US adults with OLF.

Objective. Prior studies have documented disparities in short and long sleep duration, excessive daytime sleepiness, and insomnia by educational attainment and race/ethnicity separately. We examined both independent and interactive effects of these factors with a broader range of sleep indicators in a racially/ethnically diverse sample.Methods. We analyzed 2012 National Health Interview Survey data from 33,865 adults aged >= 18 years. Sleep-related symptomatology included short sleep duration (<= 6 h), long sleep duration (>= 9 h), fatigue >3 days, excessive daytime sleepiness, and insomnia. Bivariate analyses with chi-square tests and log-linear regression were performed.Results. The overall age-adjusted prevalence was 29.1% for short sleep duration, 8.5% for long sleep duration, 15.1% for fatigue, 12.6% for excessive daytime sleepiness, and 18.8% for insomnia. Educational attainment and race/ethnicity were independently related to the five sleep-related symptoms. Among Whites, the likelihood of most sleep indicators increased as educational attainment decreased; relationships varied for the other racial/ethnic groups. For short sleep duration, the educational attainment-by-race/ethnicity interaction effect was significant for African Americans (p <0.0001), Hispanics (p <0.0001), and Asians (p = 0.0233) compared to Whites. For long sleep duration, the interaction was significant for Hispanics only (p = 0.0003).Conclusions. Our results demonstrate the importance of examining both educational attainment and race/ethnicity simultaneously to more fully understand disparities in sleep health. Increased understanding of the mechanisms linking sociodemographic factors to sleep health is needed to determine whether policies and programs to increase educational attainment may also reduce these disparities within an increasingly diverse population. Published by Elsevier Inc.

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease is characterized by an inflammatory state of uncertain significance. The objective of this study was to examine the association between elevated inflammatory marker count (white blood cell count, C‐reactive protein and fibrinogen) on all‐cause mortality in a national sample of US adults with obstructive lung function (OLF).

OBJECTIVE:Consider all metabolic syndrome (MetS) components [systolic (SBP) and diastolic (DBP) blood pressures, waist circumference, HDL cholesterol, triglycerides (TG), and fasting glucose] and gender/race differential risk when assessing cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk. METHODS:We estimated a gender- and race-specific continuous MetS score using structural equation modeling and tested its association with CVD mortality using data from National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey III linked with the National Death Index. Cox proportional hazard regression tested the association adjusted for sociodemographic and behavior characteristics. RESULTS:For men, continuous MetS components associated with CVD mortality were SBP (hazard ratio = 1.50, 95% confidence interval = 1.14-1.96), DBP (1.48, 1.16-1.90), and TG (1.15, 1.12-1.16). In women, SBP (1.44, 1.27-1.63) and DBP (1.24, 1.02-1.51) were associated with CVD mortality. MetS score was not significantly associated with CVD mortality in men; but significant associations were found for all women (1.34, 1.06-1.68), non-Hispanic white women (1.29, 1.01-1.64), non-Hispanic black women (2.03, 1.12-3.69), and Mexican-American women (3.57, 2.21-5.76). Goodness-of-fit and concordance were overall better for models with the MetS score than MetS (yes/no). CONCLUSIONS:When assessing CVD mortality risk, MetS score provided additional information than MetS (yes/no).

BACKGROUNDNumbers and rates of hospitalizations and ED visits by patients with COPD are important metrics for surveillance purposes. The objective of this study was to examine trends in these rates from 2001 to 2012 among adults aged ≥ 18 years in the United States.METHODSData from the Nationwide Inpatient Sample (NIS) and Nationwide Emergency Department Sample (NEDS) were examined for temporal trends in the numbers and rates of hospitalizations by patients with COPD or bronchiectasis, mean length of stay, in-hospital case-fatality rate, 30-day readmission rate, and numbers and rates of ED visits.RESULTSThe national number of discharges with COPD or bronchiectasis as the principal diagnosis was about 88,000 higher in 2012 than in 2001, but the age-adjusted rate of discharges did not change significantly (range, 242.7-286.0 per 100,000 population, P trend = .554). In contrast, hospitalization rates for common cardiovascular disorders, pneumonia, and lung cancer decreased significantly by 27% to 68%, whereas the mean charge doubled and mean cost increased by 40%. From 2006 to 2011, the numbers of ED visits increased from 1,480,363 to 1,787,612. The age-adjusted rate increased nonsignificantly from 654 to 725 per 100,000 population (P trend = .072).CONCLUSIONSDespite many local and national efforts to reduce the burden of COPD, total hospitalizations and ED visits over the past decade have increased for COPD, and the age-adjusted rates of hospitalizations and ED visits for COPD or bronchiectasis have not changed significantly in the United States.