PRESS-NEWS.org - Press Release Distribution
PRESS RELEASES DISTRIBUTION

Specific long term condition combinations have major role in NHS ‘winter pressures’

Cardiovascular disease, cancer, kidney disease, diabetes quartet linked to 11-fold higher hospital admission risk. Kidney disease + cardiovascular disease + dementia + osteoarthritis linked to 24-fold higher death risk

2024-11-13
(Press-News.org) Specific combinations of long term conditions have a major role in the additional pressures the NHS faces every winter, because they are associated with significantly higher risks of  hospital admissions and death, finds research published in the open access journal BMJ Medicine.

 

The risk of hospital admission was 11 times higher among those with the quartet of cancer, kidney disease, cardiovascular disease, and type 2 diabetes than it was among those without any of these long term conditions, the findings show.

And people with kidney disease, cardiovascular disease, dementia, and osteoarthritis were 24 times more likely to die as those who didn’t have these conditions.

Winter pressures are prompted by the worsening of health issues as a result of colder weather, seasonal viruses, increased isolation and loneliness, plus systems level difficulties caused by higher bed occupancy and staff absences, explain the researchers. These additional pressures usually cover the period from December 1 to March 31.

The number of people in England with 2 or more long term conditions is projected to include almost 70% of the population by 2035. And while previously published research has established the increased health service demand related to multiple long term conditions during the winter, it’s not clear exactly which combinations might be the most critical, say the researchers. 

To try and find out, they reviewed routinely collected and linked primary and secondary care health data for adults in England, during the winter pressures period of 2021-22, to identify the reasons for hospital admission. This period coincided with the COVID-19 pandemic when health and social care services were substantially disrupted.

Complete data were available for 48.3 million people, just over half of whom were women (51%). Their average age was 49, and 81% of them were White.

The researchers selected 59 long term conditions which were categorised into 19 groups, based on feedback from clinicians, patients, and policy-makers.

During the study period, 4,710,675 hospital admissions and 176,895 deaths were recorded. Overall, nearly 20 million people (40.5%) had no long term conditions; 13.5 million (28%)  had one; and nearly a third (15 million; 31%) had 2 or more.

Analysis of the data showed that particular combinations of long term conditions were associated with heightened risks of hospital admission and death.

After factoring in age, sex, ethnicity, and area based socioeconomic deprivation, people with cancer, kidney disease, cardiovascular disease, and type 2 diabetes were 11 times more likely to be admitted to hospital during the winter than those who didn’t have this combination.

Similarly, this risk was nearly 10 times higher for those with cancer, chronic kidney disease, cardiovascular disease, and osteoarthritis, and those with cancer, chronic kidney disease, and cardiovascular disease.

Among the 10 combinations that contributed to the highest rates of hospital admissions, cardiovascular disease featured in all but 1, chronic kidney disease in 8, and cancer in 6.

Analysis of the deaths linked to particular combinations of long term conditions showed that people with cardiovascular disease and dementia were nearly 15 times more likely to die than those with neither of these conditions.

And those with the combination of kidney disease, cardiovascular disease, dementia, and osteoarthritis were more than 24 times more likely to do so.

Cardiovascular disease featured in all 10 of the riskiest combinations, while chronic kidney disease featured in 7 of them. 

Cardiovascular disease plus dementia also featured in all of the top 5 riskiest combinations, and this duo was associated with a substantially higher rate of death than many 3, 4, and 5 long term condition combinations.

This is an observational study, precluding firm conclusions to be drawn about causal factors. And the researchers acknowledge various limitations to their findings, including the lack of information about the length or severity of illness or frailty among those with long term conditions. 

But they point out: “Current policy and clinical guidance consider the risk of hospital admission and death for multiple long term conditions during the winter season as one homogenous condition,” when this is clearly not the case. 

And they suggest that the findings could help inform more targeted planning for winter pressures, enabling resources to be allocated where they are needed the most. 

“Multimorbidity patterns are a major determinant of hospital admission and mortality during winter,” agree Dr Jonathan Batty and colleagues of the University of Leeds, in a linked editorial.

“In the broader context of winter pressures and increasing multimorbidity, [the study] underscores the need for methods that can identify individuals at high risk of preventable hospital admission and mortality, and strategies to mitigate the risk observed for those people with the most adverse combinations of long term conditions,” they conclude.

 

END


ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:

Men often struggle with transition to fatherhood amid lack of targeted information and support

2024-11-13
Men often struggle with the transition to fatherhood amid a lack of information and emotional support targeted to their needs, suggests a review of the available qualitative evidence, published in the open access journal BMJ Open.   Greater focus is needed in clinical practice, antenatal services, and research on men’s unique experiences of the perinatal period, which encompasses pregnancy and the first 12 months after the birth, say the researchers. Pregnancy and childbirth can be an anxious time for new parents, and the transition to fatherhood—defined ...

More green space linked to fewer preventable deaths in most deprived areas of UK

2024-11-13
The provision of just 1% more green space in the most deprived urban neighbourhoods in 3 out of the 4 UK nations may be linked to around 40% fewer preventable deaths in these areas, finds research published online in the Journal of Epidemiology & Community Health. Green space is unequally distributed in England, Scotland, and Northern Ireland, with the lowest amounts in the most deprived areas, the findings show, prompting the researchers to suggest that green space investment might be an important public health strategy for tackling health inequalities. Spending time ...

Immunotherapy drug pembrolizumab improves outcomes for patients with soft tissue sarcoma

Immunotherapy drug pembrolizumab improves outcomes for patients with soft tissue sarcoma
2024-11-13
Addition of the immunotherapy drug pembrolizumab to standard of care for patients with advanced soft tissue sarcoma of the limb significantly improved disease-free survival, according to the results of the SU2C-SARC032 clinical trial led by researchers from the University of Pittsburgh, UPMC, Duke University and Princess Margaret Cancer Centre, University Health Network. The findings, published today in The Lancet, establish pembrolizumab as a new option for patients with this disease. “Soft tissue sarcoma is a rare and complex disease with over 50 different subtypes, which makes it hard to study in large clinical trials,” said lead author ...

A formula for life? New model calculates chances of intelligent beings in our Universe and beyond

A formula for life? New model calculates chances of intelligent beings in our Universe and beyond
2024-11-13
The chances of intelligent life emerging in our Universe – and in any hypothetical ones beyond it – can be estimated by a new theoretical model which has echoes of the famous Drake Equation. This was the formula that American astronomer Dr Frank Drake came up with in the 1960s to calculate the number of detectable extraterrestrial civilisations in our Milky Way galaxy. More than 60 years on, astrophysicists led by Durham University have produced a different model which instead focuses on the conditions created by the acceleration of the Universe's expansion and the amount ...

Could a genetic flaw be the key to stopping people craving sugary treats?

2024-11-13
The work provides novel genetic insights into dietary preferences and opens the possibility of targeting SI to selectively reduce sucrose intake at the population level. The study was led by Dr. Peter Aldiss, now a group leader in the School of Medicine at the University of Nottingham, alongside Assistant Professor  Mette K Andersen, at the Novo Nordisk Foundation Centre for Basic Metabolic Research in Copenhagen and Professor Mauro D’Amato at CIC bioGUNE in Spain and LUM University in Italy. It also involves scientists internationally from Copenhagen, Greenland, Italy and Spain as part of the ‘Sucrase-isomaltase working group’. Dr Aldiss said: “Excess ...

Experts urge complex systems approach to assess A.I. risks

Experts urge complex systems approach to assess A.I. risks
2024-11-13
[Vienna, November 13, 2024] — With artificial intelligence increasingly permeating every aspect of our lives, experts are becoming more and more concerned about its dangers. In some cases, the risks are pressing, in others they won't emerge until many months or even years from now. Scientists point out in The Royal Society’s journal that a coherent approach to understanding these threats is still elusive. They call for a complex systems perspective to better assess and mitigate these risks, particularly in light of long-term uncertainties and complex interactions between A.I. and society. "Understanding the risks of A.I. requires recognizing the intricate interplay ...

Fossil fuel CO2 emissions increase again in 2024

2024-11-13
Global carbon emissions from fossil fuels have reached a record high in 2024, according to new research by the Global Carbon Project science team. The 2024 Global Carbon Budget projects fossil carbon dioxide (CO 2) emissions of 37.4 billion tonnes, up 0.8% from 2023. Despite the urgent need to cut emissions to slow climate change, the researchers say there is still “no sign” that the world has reached a peak in fossil CO2 emissions. With projected emissions from land-use change (such as deforestation) of 4.2 billion tonnes, total CO2 emissions are projected to be 41.6 billion tonnes in 2024, up from 40.6 billion tonnes last year. Over the last 10 years, fossil ...

Winners of Applied Microbiology International Horizon Awards 2024 announced

2024-11-13
The winners of the Applied Microbiology International Horizon Awards 2024 have been announced. The prizes, awarded by the learned society Applied Microbiology International (AMI), celebrate the brightest minds in the field and promote the research, group, projects, products and individuals who continue to help shape the future of applied microbiology. The One Health Microbiome Center at Penn State has been named as this year’s winner of the WH Pierce Global Impact in Microbiology Prize 2024. This award acknowledges and celebrates individuals, teams, or organisations that have made groundbreaking contributions to global challenges through applied microbiology. The One Health Microbiome ...

A toolkit for unraveling the links between intimate partner violence, trauma and substance misuse

A toolkit for unraveling the links between intimate partner violence, trauma and substance misuse
2024-11-12
The opioid crisis has left an estimated 2.5 million people 18 and older in the U.S. with opioid use disorder, or OUD. Despite increased attention to the heavy toll taken by OUD, key risk factors such as intimate partner violence (IPV) and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) are often overlooked. Both increase the risk of OUD and complicate recovery efforts. A team of MUSC researchers led by clinical psychologists Amber Jarnecke, Ph.D., and Tanya Saraiya, Ph.D., both of the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral ...

Can everyday physical activity improve cognitive health in middle age?

2024-11-12
HERSHEY, Pa — Exercise has been shown to improve brain health and reduce the risk of cognitive decline and dementia over the long-term. But engaging in everyday physical activity has immediate benefits for brain health, according to a new study from researchers in the Penn State College of Medicine. The team found that middle-aged people who participated in everyday movement showed improvement in cognitive processing speed equivalent to being four years younger, regardless of whether the activity was lower intensity, like walking the dog or doing household chores, or higher intensity, like jogging. The findings were published ...

LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES:

​​​​​​​Urgent need to enable more farmers and contractors to revive England’s network of hedgerows

ASH inclusion program retained and engaged hematologists underrepresented in field, 20-year analysis shows

How anti-obesity drugs are linked to food waste

Discovery explains kidney damage caused by blood pressure drugs

NYU Langone performs world’s first fully robotic double lung transplant

APSS accepting sleep and circadian research abstracts and session proposals for SLEEP 2025 in Seattle

DNA repair: A look inside the cell’s ‘repair café’

Astronomers take the first close-up picture of a star outside our galaxy

Here’s something Americans agree on: Sports build character

Engineering nature’s blueprint: Dendron-based assemblies for chlorophyll’s materials

Study reveals how cell types shape human brain networks

New genetic explanation for heart condition revealed

Poor mental health linked to browsing negative content online

People with migraine at high risk of depression during pandemic

Climate-driven hazards increases risk for millions of coastal residents, study finds

Females sleep less, awaken more frequently than males

Most Americans want primary care providers to address mental health

Millions of Americans hurt by others’ drinking, drug use: study

Plasma-derived atomic hydrogen advances low-temperature CO2 methanation at high yield

Photon qubits challenge AI, enabling more accurate quantum computing without error-correction techniques

Single gene causes embryo notochord deformity in zebrafish

Sylvester Cancer Tip Sheet - Nov 2024

AI speaks volumes when it comes to detecting Parkinson’s disease

Signals of inflammation during pregnancy linked to aging and memory changes 50 years later

Two million ex-smokers currently vape in England

When trees 'talk:' Researchers probe ancient wood for clues about massive solar storms

High nurse and doctor turnover linked to increased patient deaths in NHS hospitals

History of endometriosis and fibroids linked to heightened risk of early death

High nurse and doctor turnover rates linked to increased patient deaths in NHS hospitals

Research highlights the pressures human activities place on tropical marine ecosystems

[Press-News.org] Specific long term condition combinations have major role in NHS ‘winter pressures’
Cardiovascular disease, cancer, kidney disease, diabetes quartet linked to 11-fold higher hospital admission risk. Kidney disease + cardiovascular disease + dementia + osteoarthritis linked to 24-fold higher death risk