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There is a lack of agreement about which routine invitation strategy should be adopted in colorectal cancer screening. We conducted an observational study to assess the impact of three invitation strategies on participation. Invitation records for the years 2005–2009 were evaluated. There were 2,234,276 invitations from 1,230,683 individuals. Among first invitations, participation associated with direct mailing of the faecal occult blood test kits was slightly lower (relative risk, RR 0.985; 95% confidence interval 0.979–0.990) than that of the reference invitation strategy, that is, the distribution of the test kits by pharmacies. In repeated invitations/previous non‐responders, the participation associated with the direct mailing of the test kits was even lower (RR 0.914; 95% confidence interval 0.895–0.933) and this was also the case for the distribution of the test kits by primary care centres (RR 0.983; 95% confidence interval 0.971–0.995). In contrast, in repeated invitations/previous responders, the impact of primary care centres and direct mailing of the test kits was greater than the use of pharmacies, showing only modest RRs: 1.021 (95% confidence interval 1.019‐1.023) and 1.029 (95% confidence interval 1.025–1.033) respectively. The faecal occult blood test mailing strategy modestly increased participation in previous responders. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The Italian register of cardiovascular diseases is a surveillance system of fatal and nonfatal cardiovascular events in the general population aged 35–74 years. It was launched in Italy at the end of the 1990s with the aim of estimating periodically the occurrence and case fatality rate of coronary and cerebrovascular events in the different geographical areas of the country. This paper presents data for cerebrovascular events. Methods: Currentevents were assessed through record linkage between two sources of information: death certificates and hospital discharge diagnosis records. Events were identified through the ICD codes and duration. To calculate the number of estimated events, current events were multiplied by the positive predictive value of each specific mortality or discharge code derived from the validation of a sample of suspected events. Attack rates were calculated by dividing estimatedevents by resident population, and case fatality rate at 28 days was determined from the ratio of estimated fatal to total events. Results: Attack rates were found to be higher in men than in women: mean age-standardized attack rate was 21.9/10,000 in men and 12.5/10,000 in women; age-standardized 28-day case fatality rate was higher in women (17.1%) than in men (14.5%). Significant geographical differences were found in attack rates of both men and women. Case fatality was significantly heterogeneous in both men and women. Conclusions: Differences still exist in the geographical distribution of attack and case fatality rates of cerebrovascular events, regardless of the north-south gradient. These data show the feasibility of implementing a population-based register using a validated routine database, necessary for monitoring cardiovascular diseases. Copyright © 2007 S. Karger AG, Basel [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The objective was to compare survival in a population-based cohort of elderly demented patients with behavioural and psychological symptoms (BPSD) dispensed an atypical antipsychotic (AA) with that of a sample of demented patients not treated with AAs. An observational cohort study was carried out in the province of Modena, Italy (644,000 inhabitants) on a cohort of 294 patients with BPSD diagnosed by a dementia specialist and treated with an AA, and a cohort of 2020 demented adults not dispensed AAs. All patients were 65 years of age or older. Measured outcomes were death by any cause and death by cerebrovascular accident at the end of the study. After a median follow-up of one year, survival was not significantly different between patients treated and not treated with AAs (overall mortality rates: 0.52 vs. 0.55/1000 years/person, respectively; relative risk reduction 0.047, 95% confidence interval –0.251 to 0.286). Multivariate survival analysis showed that older age at entry, male gender, severe dementia and functional impairment were associated with a higher risk of death. Although our sample size does not allow the exclusion of small differences in the short term, age, gender and dementia severity but not treatment with AAs seem to influence survival among elderly demented patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In Italy, data on shared-care programs for diabetes are lacking. We described the characteristics of type 2 diabetic population assisted in general practice and evaluated 3 years of follow-up outcomes and performance indicators in a shared-care program in Modena, Italy (1998–2001); only well-controlled diabetic patients were considered. Forty-nine percent of territorial GPs adhered to the project (257 out of 521) and 77% of them sent 6409 paired baseline and follow-up datasheets. Altogether, 97.8% patients had type 2 diabetes, mean age 68.6±11.7 years, disease duration 9.6±7.5 years, BMI 28.6±4.8 kg/m2, HbA1c 7.6%±1.6%, 16.1% of them were disabled. Among the non-disabled patients, 23.6% had optimal glycemic control (HbA1c≤6.5%); at baseline the prevalence of micro- and macrovascular diabetic complications was: 8.2% microalbuminuria and 2.4% macroalbuminuria plus nephropathy, 11.0% nonproliferative and 3.0% preproliferative retinopathy, 7.0% neuropathy, 1.8% diabetic foot; 8.5% angina, 6.9% TIA or stroke, 6.3% infarction, 5.2% intermittent claudication, 4.1% heart failure. Among the disabled patients 27.9% had optimal glycemic control, but they had more diabetic complications. The performance indicators significantly improved over the 3-year study period: glycemic control indicators increased from 66%­75% to 83%­90% and micro- and macrovascular indicators from 59%­65% to 75%­81%. The outcome indicators also improved: mean HbA1c value changed from 7.6%±1.6% to 7.3%±.3% and the percentage of people with HbA1c≤6.5% significantly improved over time. Similar trends were observed in both disabled and non-disabled diabetic patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]