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Objective This study aimed to investigate the associations between total serum bilirubin levels and the incidence of venous thromboembolism (VTE) among patients with influenza infection. Methods A retrospective cohort study was conducted among outpatients with laboratory-confirmed influenza using data from the Veterans Affairs Informatics and Computing Infrastructure (VINCI). Propensity score weighting was applied to balance study groups across baseline covariates. Cox proportional hazards models assessed VTE risk by total bilirubin levels, adjusting for important covariates including age, sex, race, comorbidity index, BMI, and smoking status. Results A total of 487 patients with total bilirubin levels 1 mg/dL were included. Patients with bilirubin

Objectives: To evaluate the association between human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) patients and medical costs (inpatient, outpatient, pharmacy, total) using a national cohort of HIV-infected Veterans and non-HIV matched controls within the Veteran’s Affairs (VA) Administration system. Design: This study used claims (January 2000 to December 2016) extracted from the VA Informatics and Computing Infrastructure and VA Health Economics Resource Center. Cases included Veterans with an International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision/International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Revision for HIV with at least 1 prescription for a complete antiretroviral therapy regimen (January 2000 to September 2016). Two non-HIV controls were exact matched on race, sex, month, and year of birth. All patients were followed until the earliest of the following: last date of VA activity, death, or December 31, 2016. Results: A total of 79 578 patients (26 526 HIV and 53 052 non-HIV) met all study criteria. The average age was 49.3 years, 38% were black, 32% were white, and 97% were male for both the HIV and control cohorts. Adjusted multivariable logistic regression models demonstrated that HIV was associated with higher odds of incurring a pharmacy cost (odds ratio = 2286.45, 95% confidence interval: 322.79-16 195.82), 4-fold, and 2-fold higher odds of incurring both outpatient and inpatient costs compared to the matched controls, respectively. In adjusted multivariable gamma generalized linear models, HIV-positive patients had an almost 4-fold, 17-fold, and almost 2-fold higher cost than matched controls in total, pharmacy, and outpatient costs, respectively. Conclusions: This study found an association between HIV-positive patients having higher odds of incurring a medical cost as well as higher medical costs compared to non-HIV controls.

Objectives: To examine the risk of hypomagnesemia of HIV-positive patients adherent to proton pump inhibitors (PPIs). Methods: A cohort study utilizing the Veterans Affairs Informatics and Computing Infrastructure was conducted on patients with (1) a complete antiretroviral therapy, (2) a serum magnesium measure during the study period, and (3) adherent to PPIs. Statistical analyses evaluated baseline characteristics between cohorts and a Cox proportional hazards model evaluating the association of hypomagnesemia while adjusting for baseline covariates. Results: A total of 6047 patients met the study inclusion criteria, 329 patients in the PPI cohort and 5718 patients in the non-PPI cohort. The stratified Cox proportional hazards model results revealed that the risk of hypomagnesemia for the PPI cohort is 3.16 times higher compared to the non-PPI cohort (adjusted hazard ratio = 3.16, 95% confidence interval = 2.56-3.9). Conclusions: Proton pump inhibitors medication usage in HIV-positive patients is associated with a higher risk of hypomagnesemia compared to non-PPI patients.