American journal of preventive medicine
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Comparative Study
Age-specific Cost Effectiveness of Using Intravenous Recombinant Tissue Plasminogen Activator for Treating Acute Ischemic Stroke.
Studies have demonstrated that intravenous recombinant tissue plasminogen activator (IV rtPA) is a cost-effective treatment for acute ischemic stroke. Age-specific cost effectiveness has not been well examined. This study estimated age-specific incremental cost-effectiveness ratios (ICERs) of IV rtPA treatment versus no IV rtPA. ⋯ IV rtPA saved costs and improved health outcomes for patients aged 18-64 years and was cost effective for those aged ≥65 years. These findings support the use of IV rtPA.
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This study assessed the prevalence of current high-intensity drinking (i.e., having ten or more drinks in a row in the past 2 weeks) among national samples of U.S. eighth and tenth grade students (at modal ages 14 and 16 years, respectively). ⋯ A meaningful percentage of young adolescents in the U.S. engage in high-intensity drinking.
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High sodium intake is a major risk factor for hypertension, but evidence is limited on which interventions are effective in reducing sodium consumption. This study examined the associations between frequent use of nutrition labels and daily sodium intake and the consumption of high-sodium foods in the U.S. ⋯ Frequent use of nutrition labels appears to be associated with lower consumption of sodium and high-sodium foods in the U.S. Given this small reduction, interventions such as enhancing nutrition label use could be less effective if implemented without other strategies.
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Hypertension and diabetes, both independent risk factors for cardiovascular disease, often coexist. The hypertension-increased medical expenditures by diabetes status is unclear, however. This study estimated annual total medical expenditures in U.S. adults by hypertension and diabetes status. ⋯ Hypertension-increased medical expenditures were substantial and varied by medical service type and payment sources. These findings may be useful as inputs for cost- effectiveness evaluations of hypertension interventions by diabetes status.
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Recommendations for prostate-specific antigen-based screening for prostate cancer are placing increasing emphasis on men aged 55-69 years. The goal of the current study is to describe patterns of population-based prostate-specific antigen testing with details about that age group. ⋯ Despite decreases, the absolute change in prostate-specific antigen testing for men aged 55-69 years was small (9.3%) over the study period. Men aged ≥70 years, for whom the benefits are unlikely to exceed the harms, continue to have consistently high testing prevalence.