Published: 01-06-2018

We update the heoro.com database every day by searching PubMed for newly released studies. In this blog, we summarise some of the most relevant and interesting papers added during June 2018.

Studies reporting utility values

•  SF-6D values were reduced in patients with knee osteoarthritis in New Zealand, by 0.040-0.044 for Kellgren-Lawrence grade 2, 0.045 to 0.050 for grade 3, 0.073 to 0.081 for grade 4. Wilson 2018 Go to paper on PubMed
• SF-36 values fell significantly after endovascular repair of thoracic aortic aneurysms in the USA, but had recovered to pre-operative levels after 6 months. Meltzer 2017 Go to paper on PubMed
• EQ-5D values were 0.03 lower after a vertebral fracture in Japanese adults with osteoporosis, and remained low for several months. Imai 2017 Go to paper on PubMed
• Mean utility values using the time trade-off and willingness to pay methods in Hungarian women with primary dysmenorrhoea were 0.85 (median 0.95) for severe disease and 0.94 (median 1) for mild disease. Rencz 2017 Go to paper on PubMed
• Mean utility values using time trade-off interviews were 0.89 in patients in the UK who took oral medication for type 2 diabetes, but were significantly lower at 0.86 to 0.88 in those needing weekly injections. Matza 2017 Go to paper on PubMed
• Crowdsourcing of US adults led to time trade-off estimates of utility values in spina bifida of 0.85. Jiang 2017 Go to paper on PubMed
• The Patient-Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System-Global Health (PROMIS-GH) was mapped to the EQ-5D-3L using linear and equipercentile equating. Thompson 2017 Go to paper on PubMed
• EQ-5D values were lower in patients hospitalised in Malawi who were HIV positive than HIV negative; costs of admissions were US$74.78 higher per patient with HIV, but being on ART reduced costs by US$106.87. Maheswaran 2018 Go to paper on PubMed
• A systematic review identified 144 studies mapping 110 different PRO tools to the EQ-5D. Dakin 2018 Go to paper on PubMed
• Mean EQ-5D values were 0.87 in patients with type 1 diabetes in Ireland and 54% reported perfect quality of life. Raymakers 2018 Go to paper on PubMed
• Utility values in pregnant women ranged from 0.28 to 0.91 on VAS, 0.66 to 0.75 on PROMIS-GSF, 0.985 to 1.00 on Standard Gamble, 0.9990 to 0.99999 on Time Trade-off, USA. Lundsberg 2017 Go to paper on PubMed
• Beta-based mixture models were the best way of mapping the Asthma Quality of Life Questionnaire to the EQ-5D or HUI-3.  Gray 2018 Go to paper on PubMed
• SF-36 and EQ-5D values returned to normal by 1 year after adrenalectomy for primary hyperaldosteronism in the Netherlands and Poland, but were still below normal with aldosterone antagonists. Velema 2018 Go to paper on PubMed

Studies validating a PRO instrument

• The 7 factorial models of the EORTC QLQ-C30 were validated in Brazilian patients with cancer. Campos 2018 Go to paper on PubMed
• A Malay and Chinese version of the Catquest-9SF was validated in patients in Malaysia with cataracts. Adnan 2018 Go to paper on PubMed
• The Migraine Physical Function Impact Diary was validated in adult patients with migraine in the USA. Kawata 2017 Go to paper on PubMed
• The International Prostate Symptom Score was validated against the SF-12 and the Depression Anxiety Stress Scale (DASS) in Chinese men with benign prostatic hyperplasia. Wong 2017 Go to paper on PubMed
• The Short Demoralization Scale (SDS) was validated against the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) in Spanish patients receiving palliative care. Galiana 2017 Go to paper on PubMed
• The RA Flare Questionnaire (RA-FQ) was developed and validated in patients with rheumatoid arthritis in Canada, France and the Netherlands. Bartlett 2017 Go to paper on PubMed
• The Edmonton Symptom Assessment System was validated against the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale in French cancer patients receiving palliative care. Pautex 2017 Go to paper on PubMed
• A systematic review concluded that the Western Ontario Meniscal Evaluation Tool (WOMET) has the strongest evidence for validity in patients with menisceal tears of the knee. Abram 2017 Go to paper on PubMed
• The Ages and Changes Questionnaire was validated in Chinese children aged up to 25 months. Xie 2017 Go to paper on PubMed
• The Self-reported Foot and Ankle Score (SEFAS) was validated against the SF-36 and Foot and Ankle Outcome Score (FAOS) in German patients undergoing surgery on the foot or ankle. Arbab 2017 Go to paper on PubMed
• The Myotonic Dystrophy Health Index was validated in Italian patients with myotonic dystrophy.  Sansone 2017 Go to paper on PubMed
• The HIV Dementia Scale was validated in Spanish-speaking adults in the USA with HIV and neurocognitive disorders. Lopez 2017 Go to paper on PubMed
• The Oxford Shoulder Score was validated against the EQ-5D, Quick-DASH in Romanian patients with rotator cuff disorders or proximal humerus fractures. Haragus 2018 Go to paper on PubMed
• The 39-Item Parkinson's Disease Questionnaire and Parkinson's Disease Quality of Life Questionnaire were validated against the SF-36 in patients with Parkinson's disease in Portugal. Jesus-Ribeiro 2017 Go to paper on PubMed
• The SLE Quality of Life Questionnaire (L-QoL) was validated against the Systemic Lupus Erythematosus Disease Activity Index-2000 (SLEDAI-2K),  Nottingham Health Profile and Health Assessment Questionnaire in patients in Turkey. Druroz 2017 Go to paper on PubMed
• The Frail-VIG Index was able to predict 24-month mortality in frail elderly adults in Spain and took only 5-10 minutes to administer. Amblas-Novellas 2018 Go to paper on PubMed
• The 12-item Indian Visual Functioning Questionnaire (SF-IND-VFQ) was validated in patients undergoing cataract surgery in India.  Ehrlich 2018 Go to paper on PubMed
• The Multidimensional Fatigue Syndrome Inventory-Short Form (MFSI-SF) was validated against the EORTC QLQ-C30 in patients with breast cancer or lymphoma in Singapore. Chan 2018 Go to paper on PubMed
• The Voice-Related Quality of Life questionnaire (V-RQOL) was validated against the Voice Handicap Index (VHI) as a screening tool for occupational voice disorders in Poland. Morawska 2018 Go to paper on PubMed
• A systematic review concluded that the Carer well-being and support questionnaire (CWS) and the Caregiver Well-Being Scale are the most appropriate instruments to assess quality of life in informal caregivers of people with dementia. Dow 2018 Go to paper on PubMed
• The Portuguese Stroke Impact Scale was validated against the SF-36 in patients with stroke in Brazil. Brandao 2018 Go to paper on PubMed

Other PRO studies

• Quality of life, using the Cancer Survivor's Unmet Needs scale and a global score, was significantly higher in cancer survivors in Australia than in 8 other Asia-Pacific countries; 67% reported fatigue, 62% loss of strength and pain, 60% sleep impairment. Molassiotis 2017 Go to paper on PubMed
• High protein nutritional support did not reduce toxicity of chemotherapy or improve Functional Assessment of Anorexia/Cachexia Therapy scores in patients with colorectal cancer in Poland compared with usual care. Zitarska 2017 Go to paper on PubMed
• An educational intervention improved PHQ-9 depression scores, Minnesota Living with Heart Failure Questionnaire MLHFQ quality of life and European Heart Failure Self-care Behavior Scale (EHFScBS-9) scores in elderly patients in China with heart failure compared with control. Wang 2017 Go to paper on PubMed 
• Quality of life, on the EORTC QLQ-C30 and Brief Illness Perception Questionnaire, was worse in Dutch women with early breast cancer about to undergo a second round of chemotherapy than in similar patients in Japan. Fischer 2017 Go to paper on PubMed 
• Immigrant children in Spain had worse quality of life and mental health on the KIDSCREEN-10 and Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire than Spanish-born matched controls in 2006-12. Alonso-Fernandez 2017 Go to paper on PubMed
• A systematic review found that the Harris Hip Score and the Knee Society Score were the most commonly used PRO tools in studies of hip and knee arthroplasty. Lovelock 2017 Go to paper on PubMed
• Quality of life remains poor and mental health disorders are prevalent in caregivers of patients in China after liver transplantation. Wei 2018 Go to paper on PubMed
• US adults with medical or doctoral degrees who had major depression had greater response to citalopram and improved quality of life than those without doctoral degrees. Steiner 2017 Go to paper on PubMed

Studies reporting costs and resource use

•  Direct costs of hypoglycaemia in adults taking insulin for diabetes included additional monitoring and hospitalisation but varied across different countries; indirect costs of lost productivity affected 3.9% of T1DM and 6.2% of T2DM overall. Aronson 2018 Go to paper on PubMed
• Costs of tuberculosis in Indonesia were estimated at US$6.9 billion in 2015; 87% was due to productivity losses from early mortality, 10% productivity losses from illness, 2% medical costs, 1% direct non-medical costs to patients. Collins 2017 Go to paper on PubMed
• The estimated total costs of diabetes mellitus in the Netherlands was € 6.8 billion in 2016. Healthcare costs were € 1.6 billion, direct costs of complications were € 1.3 billion and indirect costs due to productivity losses, welfare payments and complications were € 4.0 billion. Peters 2017 Go to paper on PubMed
• The adjusted annual diabetes-related medical expenditure was three times higher in patients with type 2 diabetes on sulfonylureas in the USA who had hypoglycemia compared with those without ($6884 vs $2392, p<0.001).  Alemayehu 2017 Go to paper on PubMed
• Futile treatments were used in 12% of adults at the end of life in Australia who died during their last hospital admission; the annual NHS cost of futile treatments was $A153.1 million compared with a decision maker's willingness to pay of $A12.3 million.  Carter 2017 Go to paper on PubMed
• Patients with rheumatoid arthritis living in low income countries have lower employment rates, higher absenteeism rates but lower presenteeism rates than those in higher income countries. van der Zee-Neuen 2017 Go to paper on PubMed
• Mean household expenditure for leprosy in India ranged from US$5.4 to 6.5 for direct costs and US$8.7 to 12.4 for indirect costs; costs were higher for older patients and in private rather than government facilities. Tiwari 2018 Go to paper on PubMed
• A systematic review found that home hospitalisation for chemotherapy administration in patients with cancer did not affect quality of life although satisfaction was high, and the impact on costs was inconsistent. Cool 2018 Go to paper on PubMed
• A systematic review found some evidence that patients who have spinal fusion with minimally invasive techniques for low back pain return to work sooner and need less opioid analgesia than after open fusion. Wang 2017 Go to paper on PubMed
• Pharmacy drug costs were higher but other direct health costs and total costs were lower in elderly US adults with nonvalvular atrial fibrillation starting apixaban compared with warfarin in propensity score-matched controls. Deitelzweig 2017 Go to paper on PubMed
• US patients with a high controller to total asthma medication ratio (AMR) had higher overall costs and more office visits than those with a lower AMR, but had fewer hospitalisations and oral corticosteroids. Luskin 2017 Go to paper on PubMed
• Healthcare costs and resource use were lower with exenatide once weekly or twice daily than in propensity-matched controls receiving basal insulin for type 2 diabetes in the UK.  Holden 2017 Go to paper on PubMed
• Costs of knee arthroplasty revision were highest in patients with BMI of 40-44.9 in the USA; $11,521 over 5 years vs $3,300 with normal BMI. Roche 2018 Go to paper on PubMed
• Total medical costs were 1.5 times higher in patients with carbapenem-resistant Acinitobacter infections than susceptible infections in China. Zhen 2017 Go to paper on PubMed

Economic evaluations

• The 4 Pillars program to increase uptake of DTP, pneumococcal and influenza vaccines in high-risk US adults is cost-effective, with an ICER of $28,301/QALY and is cost-saving from a societal perspective. Wateska 2018 Go to paper on PubMed
• Ixekizumab is cost-effective when given every 4 weeks for moderate-severe plaque psoriasis; ixekizumab or etanercept every 2 weeks are not cost-effective at current US prices. Udkoff 2017 Go to paper on PubMed
• Adding ramucirumab to paclitaxel for 2nd line therapy of advanced stomach cancer is not cost-effective in Japan, with an ICER of >43million yen/QALY. Saito 2017 Go to paper on PubMed
• A systematic review concluded that screening migrants for tuberculosis could be cost-effective depending on the context and screening approach. Zenner 2017 Go to paper on PubMed
• Early use of tranexamic acid after delivery is cost-effective at reducing post-partum haemorrhage, with ICERs of $208 per QALY in Nigeria and $83 per QALY in Pakistan. Li 2018 Go to paper on PubMed
• A systematic review concluded that screening for cardiovascular disease and diabetes was usually cost-effective, with ICERs below a willingness to pay threshold of £30,000/QALY, but screening for chronic kidney disease was less cost-effective. Hiligsmann 2017 Go to paper on PubMed
• Aboriginal patients with stroke in Australia had a mean age of 51 years versus 65 years for non-Aboriginal patients and had longer admissions and higher costs, but adjusted cost-effectiveness of stroke treatment was similar in both populations. Zhao 2017 Go to paper on PubMed
• Mammography screening for breast cancer is not cost-effective in Greenland; decentralised screening with hotel accommodation has a societal ICER of 0.5 million DKK/LYG, 4.1 million DKK/QALY. Christiansen 2017 Go to paper on PubMed
• Non-invasive prenatal screening for Down's syndrome using cell-free fetal DNA is not cost-effective in Turkey; current combined tests are the most cost-effective in women under 35 years, and amniocentesis is the most cost-effective for older women. Okem 2017 Go to paper on PubMed
• Opportunistic screening plus a national HPV vaccination program was cost-effective in Nigeria only if the unit cost of HPV vaccine was less than $5. Ekwunife 2017 Go to paper on PubMed
• An internet-based depression care program was cost-effective compared with supportive care and usual care in patients with type 2 diabetes and depression in the USA. Hay 2018 Go to paper on PubMed
• Electroacupuncture is more cost-effective than NSAIDs in chronic low back pain in Iran, with more QALYs and lower costs. Toroski 2018 Go to paper on PubMed
• Pharmacotherapy is cost-effective for premenstrual dysphoric disorder in women in Japan; escitalopram is more cost-effective than sertraline if the willingness to pay threshold is >4 million Yen/QALY, sertraline is more cost-effective at a WTP of Go to paper on PubMed
• Peanut oil immunotherapy may be cost-effective in children with peanut allergy, with an ICER of $2142/QALY gained, but with an increase in allergic reactions and anaphylaxis compared with avoidance. Shaker 2017 Go to paper on PubMed
• The most cost-effective screening program for melanoma in the UK is one-off full body skin exam for Williams score 15-21, quinquennial monitoring for Williams score 22-42, annual screening for score >43, with an ICER of £10,199/QALY gained. Wilson 2018 Go to paper on PubMed
• Levoodopa/carbidopa intestinal gel is cost-effective in advanced Parkinson's disease in Ireland compared with usual care, with an ICER of €26,944/QALY gained. Lowin 2018 Go to paper on PubMed
• Neither a physical environment intervention to encourage physical activity in the workplace or a social environmental intervention with group motivational interviewing were cost-effective at reducing time for recovery or increasing vitality and satisfaction in office workers in the Netherlands. van Dongen 2018 Go to paper on PubMed

Studies reporting mortality

• Infant mortality in Brazil decreased by 4.37% per year, from 26.99/1,000 live births in 1999 to 14.50/1,000 in 2015. Ramalho 2018 Go to paper on PubMed
• Mortality risk after lung transplant in the USA was not statistically different in patients with pulmonary arterial hypertension due to systemic autoimmune disease compared with other aetiologies. Bernstein 2018 Go to paper on PubMed
• After adjusting for propensity scores, patients admitted with acute coronary syndrome at weekends had similar mortality and resource use to weekday admissions in the UK, 2010-2016, but time to angiography was longer. Martin 2017 Go to paper on PubMed
• In Spanish adults with type 2 diabetes, mortality was 26.38 cases per 1000 patient-years overall; the mean mortality rate was 56.7 in those with a BMI of 39.4kg/m. Salinero-Fort 2017 Go to paper on PubMed
• Screening with CT scans and CEA 5 times over 36 months after surgery for stage II or III colorectal cancer did not decrease overall or cancer-specific mortality or recurrence rates compared with less frequent surveillance. Wille-Jorgensen 2018 Go to paper on PubMed
• Standardised mortality rates for diabetes mellitus fell by 25.3% in men and 41.4% in women in Spain between 1998 and 2013, with a fall in regional variation over time. Orozco-Beltran 2017 Go to paper on PubMed
• Mortality in the first year after diagnosis of psychosis in US adults aged 16 to 30 years in 2008-09 was 1968 to 7372 per 100,000 population, 24 to 89 times that of the aged-matched control population; 61% had no antipsychotics and 41% had no psychotherapy.  Schoenbaum 2017 Go to paper on PubMed
• Adults aged 65 years and older in China, India and Latin America who reported their health as poor had an adjusted 43% increased risk of dying within 4 years than those with good self-rated health. Falk 2017 Go to paper on PubMed
• 14-year survival in adults with type 2 diabetes in the Netherlands was 12% lower in men and 18% lower in women than expected for the general population, with 2.2 and 3.5 year decrease in median survival. Hendriks 2017 Go to paper on PubMed