Search

Little comprehensive literature exists to broadly examine risk factors for emergency department (ED) utilization or inpatient admission after obstetrical delivery.We conducted a retrospective cohort study of Medicaid-insured women from 2009 to 2012 who delivered at a regional perinatal center in the Mid-Atlantic. Women were included if Medicaid was the primary payer of record for the delivery and there was continuous 9-month predelivery Medicaid eligibility. Electronic obstetrical data were linked to Medicaid claims for 9-month prenatal and 6-month postpartum care following delivery. Negative binomial regression was used to examine factors associated with an ED visit; multivariable logistic regression was used to examine factors associated with hospital admission.Following 4484 births, 1564 (34.9%) mothers had an ED visit, and 298 (6.6%) a hospital admission, within 6 months of delivery. Mother's race was significantly associated with both ED visits and inpatient admissions, whereas age and marital status were associated with ED use. Medical comorbidities, tobacco and substance use, cesarean delivery, and severe obstetrical morbidity were associated with both ED visits and hospital admission. In addition, both prenatal opioid use and bipolar disorder increased the odds of ED use and hospital admission.Medical, social, and behavioral characteristics of women, as well as cesarean delivery, were associated with increased medical utilization in the postpartum.

Iron deficiency is often observed in obese individuals. The iron regulatory hormone hepcidin is regulated by iron and cytokines interleukin (IL) 6 and IL1β. We examine the relationship between obesity, circulating levels of hepcidin, and IL6 and IL1β, and other risk factors in patients with nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) with iron deficiency.We collected data on 675 adult subjects (18 years old) enrolled in the Nonalcoholic Steatohepatitis Clinical Research Network. Subjects with transferrin saturation20% were categorized as iron deficient, whereas those with transferrin saturation ≥20% were classified as iron normal. We assessed clinical, demographic, anthropometric, laboratory, dietary, and histologic data from patients, and serum levels of hepcidin and cytokines IL6 and IL1β. Univariate and multivariate analysis were used to identify risk factors for iron deficiency.One-third of patients (231 of 675; 34%) were iron deficient. Obesity, diabetes, and metabolic syndrome were more common in subjects with iron deficiency (P.01), compared with those that were iron normal. Serum levels of hepcidin were significantly lower in subjects with iron deficiency (61 ± 45 vs 81 ± 51 ng/mL; P.0001). Iron deficiency was significantly associated with female gender, obesity, increased body mass index and waist circumference, presence of diabetes, lower alcohol consumption, black or American Indian/Alaska Native race (P ≤ .018), and increased levels of IL6 and IL1β (6.6 vs 4.8 for iron normal, P ≤ .0001; and 0.45 vs 0.32 for iron normal, P ≤ .005).Iron deficiency is prevalent in patients with NAFLD and associated with female gender, increased body mass index, and nonwhite race. Serum levels of hepcidin were lower in iron-deficient subjects, reflecting an appropriate physiologic response to decreased circulating levels of iron, rather than a primary cause of iron deficiency in the setting of obesity and NAFLD.