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Background: A team approach is one of the most effective ways to lower blood pressure (BP) in uncontrolled hypertension, but different models for organizing team-based care have not been compared directly. Methods: A pragmatic, cluster-randomized trial compared 2 interventions in adult patients with moderately severe hypertension (BP≥150/95 mm Hg): (1) clinic-based care using best practices and face-to-face visits with physicians and medical assistants; and (2) telehealth care using best practices and adding home BP telemonitoring with home-based care coordinated by a clinical pharmacist or nurse practitioner. The primary outcome was change in systolic BP over 12 months. Secondary outcomes were change in patient-reported outcomes over 6 months. Results: Participants (N=3071 in 21 primary care clinics) were on average 60 years old, 47% male, and 19% Black. Protocol-specified follow-up within 6 weeks was 32% in clinic-based care and 27% in telehealth care. BP decreased significantly during 12 months of follow-up in both groups, from 157/92 to 139/82 mm Hg in clinic-based care patients (adjusted mean difference −18/−10 mm Hg) and 157/91 to 139/81 mm Hg in telehealth care patients (adjusted mean difference −19/−10 mm Hg), with no significant difference in systolic BP change between groups (−0.8 mm Hg [95% CI, −2.84 to 1.32]). Telehealth care patients were significantly more likely than clinic-based care patients to report frequent home BP measurement, rate their BP care highly, and report that BP care visits were convenient. Conclusions: Telehealth care that includes extended team care is an effective and safe alternative to clinic-based care for improving patient-centered care for hypertension. Registration: URL: https://www.clinicaltrials.gov ; Unique identifier: NCT02996565.

Background: Impaired cerebral blood flow has been associated with an increased risk of falls. Mean arterial pressure (MAP) and variability in MAP have been reported to affect cerebral blood flow but their relationships to the risk of falls have not previously been reported. Methods: Utilising data from the Aspirin in Reducing Events in the Elderly trial participants, we estimated MAP and variability in MAP, defined as within-individual SD of MAP from baseline and first 2 annual visits. The relationship with MAP was studied in 16 703 participants amongst whom 1539 falls were recorded over 7.3 years. Variability in MAP was studied in 14 818 of these participants who experienced 974 falls over 4.1 years. Falls were confined to those involving hospital presentation. Cox regression was used to calculate hazard ratio and 95% CI for associations with falls. Results: Long-term variability in MAP was not associated with falls except amongst frail or prefrail participants using antihypertensive medications. Within this group each 5 mm Hg increase in long-term variability in MAP increased the risk of falls by 16% (hazard ratio, 1.16 [95% CI, 1.02–1.33]). Amongst the antihypertensive drugs studied, beta-blocker monotherapy (hazard ratio, 1.93 [95% CI, 1.17–3.18]) was associated with an increased risk of falls compared with calcium channel blockers. Conclusions: Higher levels of long-term variability in MAP increase the risk of serious falls in older frail and prefrail individuals taking antihypertensive medications. The observation that the relationship was limited to frail and prefrail individuals might explain some of the variability of previous studies linking blood pressure indices and falls.

Table S1. Hazard ratios (HR) and 95% confidence intervals (95% CI) for the association between metabolic phenotype with varied definitions and colorectal/colon cancer among normal-weight women. Table S2. Hazard ratios (HR) and 95% confidence intervals (95% CI) for the association between metabolic phenotype and colorectal/colon cancer among normal-weight women without diabetes. Table S3. Hazard ratios (HR) and 95% confidence intervals (95% CI) for the association between metabolic phenotype and colorectal/colon cancer among WHI normal-weight women without NSAIDs use.

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Background: The prevalence of metabolically unhealthy phenotype in normal-weight adults is 30%, and few studies have explored the association between metabolic phenotype and colorectal cancer incidence in normal-weight individuals. Our aim was to compare the risk of colorectal cancer in normal-weight postmenopausal women who were characterized by either the metabolically healthy phenotype or the metabolically unhealthy phenotype.Methods: A large prospective cohort, the Women's Health Initiative, was used. The analytic sample included 5,068 postmenopausal women with BMI 18.5 to 2. Metabolic phenotype was defined using the Adult Treatment Panel-III definition, excluding waist circumference; therefore, women with one or none of the four components (elevated triglycerides, low high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, elevated blood pressure, and elevated fasting glucose) were classified as metabolically healthy. Multivariable Cox proportional hazards regression was used to estimate adjusted HRs for the association between metabolic phenotype and risk of colorectal cancer.Results: Among normal-weight women, those who were metabolically unhealthy had higher risks of colorectal cancer (HR, 1.49; 95% CI, 1.02–2.18) compared with those who were metabolically healthy.Conclusions: A metabolically unhealthy phenotype was associated with higher risk of colorectal cancer among normal-weight women.Impact: Normal-weight women should still be evaluated for metabolic health and appropriate steps taken to reduce their risk of colorectal cancer. Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev; 26(2); 155–61. ©2017 AACR.

Various subtypes of breast cancer defined by estrogen receptor (ER), progesterone receptor (PR), and HER2 exhibit etiologic differences in reproductive factors, but associations with other risk factors are inconsistent. To clarify etiologic heterogeneity, we pooled data from nine cohort studies. Multivariable, joint Cox proportional hazards regression models were used to estimate HRs and 95% confidence intervals (CI) for molecular subtypes. Of 606,025 women, 11,741 invasive breast cancers with complete tissue markers developed during follow-up: 8,700 luminal A–like (ER+ or PR+/HER2−), 1,368 luminal B–like (ER+ or PR+/HER2+), 521 HER2-enriched (ER−/PR−/HER2+), and 1,152 triple-negative (ER−/PR−/HER2−) disease. Ever parous compared with never was associated with lower risk of luminal A–like (HR, 0.78; 95% CI, 0.73–0.83) and luminal B–like (HR, 0.74; 95% CI, 0.64–0.87) as well as a higher risk of triple-negative disease (HR, 1.23; 95% CI, 1.02–1.50; P value for overall tumor heterogeneity < 0.001). Direct associations with luminal-like, but not HER2-enriched or triple-negative, tumors were found for age at first birth, years between menarche and first birth, and age at menopause (P value for overall tumor heterogeneity < 0.001). Age-specific associations with baseline body mass index differed for risk of luminal A–like and triple-negative breast cancer (P value for tumor heterogeneity = 0.02). These results provide the strongest evidence for etiologic heterogeneity of breast cancer to date from prospective studies.Significance: These findings comprise the largest study of prospective data to date and contribute to the accumulating evidence that etiological heterogeneity exists in breast carcinogenesis. Cancer Res; 78(20); 6011–21. ©2018 AACR.

Background The US Preventive Services Task Force recommends blood pressure (BP) measurements using 24-h ambulatory monitoring (ABPM) or home BP monitoring before making a new hypertension diagnosis. Objective Compare clinic-, home-, and kiosk-based BP measurement to ABPM for diagnosing hypertension. Design, Setting, and Participants Diagnostic study in 12 Washington State primary care centers, with participants aged 18–85 years without diagnosed hypertension or prescribed antihypertensive medications, with elevated BP in clinic. Interventions Randomization into one of three diagnostic regimens: (1) clinic (usual care follow-up BPs); (2) home (duplicate BPs twice daily for 5 days); or (3) kiosk (triplicate BPs on 3 days). All participants completed ABPM at 3 weeks. Main Measures Primary outcome was difference between ABPM daytime and clinic, home, and kiosk mean systolic BP. Differences in diastolic BP, sensitivity, and specificity were secondary outcomes. Key Results Five hundred ten participants (mean age 58.7 years, 80.2% white) with 434 (85.1%) included in primary analyses. Compared to daytime ABPM, adjusted mean differences in systolic BP were clinic (−4.7mmHg [95% confidence interval −7.3, −2.2]; PP=.92); and kiosk (9.5mmHg [7.5, 11.6];PPP=.52); and kiosk (5.0mmHg [3.8, 6.2]; P Limitations Single health care organization and limited race/ethnicity representation. Conclusions Compared to ABPM, mean BP was significantly lower for clinic, significantly higher for kiosk, and without significant differences for home. Clinic BP measurements had low sensitivity for detecting hypertension. Findings support utility of home BP monitoring for making a new diagnosis of hypertension. Trial Registration ClinicalTrials.gov NCT03130257 https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT03130257

Background Automated office blood pressure (AOBP) using 3–5 measurements taken with an oscillometric device with or without an attendant in the room may decrease “white coat” effect. We evaluated the impact of the presence or absence of the attendant and rest on BP and diagnosis of hypertension. Methods We randomly assigned 133 adults aged 18–85 with high BP at baseline (≥140/90 mm Hg), no hypertensive diagnosis and no antihypertensive medications to either attended AOBP first, unattended second, or unattended AOBP first, attended second. Outcomes included within-person BP difference for attended vs. unattended measurements; 5 vs. 15 minutes of rest; and the diagnostic performance of AOBP compared with daytime automated blood pressure measurement (ABPM). Results We found no significant differences between attended and unattended AOBP (mean difference attended − unattended [95% confidence interval, CI], systolic 0.14 mm Hg [−0.78, 1.06]; diastolic 0.16 mm Hg [−0.45, 0.78]) or by rest time (mean difference 15 − 5 minutes [95% CI], systolic −0.45 mm Hg [−1.36, 0.47]; diastolic 0.61 mm Hg [−1.23, 0.003]). AOBP was lower than mean daytime ABPM, regardless of attendance or rest (after 5 minutes rest systolic −3.6 and diastolic −2.55 mm Hg, P = 0.001 for both comparisons). Using daytime ABPM of ≥135/85 mm Hg as the diagnostic threshold, AOBP sensitivity and specificity after 5 minutes of rest were 71.0% and 54.1%, respectively. Conclusions The presence or absence of a clinic attendant during AOBP measurement and the amount of rest time before AOBP measurements had no effects on BP. AOBP measurements have low sensitivity and specificity for making a new diagnosis of hypertension.

Background Hypertension control has been decreasing recently. We compared the experience and attitudes toward care between patients with uncontrolled hypertension who are more and less satisfied with that care to identify ways to improve their care. Methods Baseline survey of 3072 patients with diagnosed hypertension and repeated blood pressure measurements at or above 150/95 mmHg during clinic appointments at 21 primary care clinics of a large Midwestern multi-specialty medical group. Survey questions were about previous hypertension care satisfaction, the degree to which that care was patient-centered, their feelings of self-confidence and treatment burden in managing hypertension, and medication side effects. Results A total of 1697 patients completed surveys (response rate = 55%). Of the 1697 patients, the 24% who were most dissatisfied (scored 0 to 5 on a 0 to 10 scale of satisfaction) significantly differed from those most satisfied (scored 9 to 10) on all demographic and clinical characteristics as well as on every measure of care experience and health status. After adjusting for those characteristics, reports of patient-centered care, self-confidence, stopping the medication because of side effects, and the burdensomeness of treatment were all significantly worse (P Conclusions Many patients with uncontrolled hypertension are dissatisfied with their care, but that is associated with different problems for different people. Identifying and attending to these problems may provide opportunities to help them achieve better control.

Background Whether long-term blood pressure variability (BPV) predicts kidney function decline in generally healthy older adults is unknown. We investigated this association in ASPirin in Reducing Events in the Elderly (ASPREE) trial participants. Methods Between 2010 and 2014, Australian and US individuals aged ≥70 years (≥65 if US minority) were recruited and followed with annual study visits for a median of 4.7 years. Time-to-event analyses and linear mixed effects models were used to examine associations between incident chronic kidney disease (CKD), and trajectories of estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) and log albumin–creatinine ratio (log ACR) with systolic BPV as a continuous measure, and, by tertile of SD of systolic blood pressure (BP). BPV was estimated using systolic BP measures from baseline through the second annual visit, and kidney outcomes were assessed following this period. Results Incident CKD occurred in 1,829 of 6,759 participants (27.2%), and more commonly in BPV tertiles 2 (27.4%) and 3 (28.3%) than tertile 1 (25.5%); however, the risk was not significantly increased after covariate adjustment (tertile 3 hazard ratio = 1.02; 95% confidence interval: 0.91–1.14). Analysis of eGFR (n = 16,193) and log ACR trajectories (n = 15,213) showed individuals in the highest BPV tertile having the lowest eGFR and highest log ACR, cross-sectionally. However, the trajectories of eGFR and log ACR did not differ across BPV tertiles. Conclusions CKD and markers of reduced kidney function occur more commonly in individuals with higher BPV; however, BPV does not influence trajectory of decline in kidney function over time in older adults who are in generally good health. Clinical trials registration Trial Number NCT01038583 and ISRCTN83772183.

Background: Little information is available as to whether undergoing hypertension diagnostic testing or receiving a new diagnosis of hypertension leads to psychological distress. Design, Setting, and Participants: BP CHECK was a randomized diagnostic study of 510 adults aged 18-85. Participants had elevated BP in clinic at baseline but no previously diagnosed hypertension. The trial was conducted from 2017 to 2019 in primary care centers of an integrated healthcare system. Participants were randomized to one of three diagnostic regimens: (1) Clinic BP, (2) Home BP, or (3) Kiosk BP. All participants completed 24-hour ambulatory blood pressure monitoring (ABPM) at 3 weeks. ABPM results were sent to participants and their primary care providers and uploaded into the electronic health record. This analysis includes a subset of participants (n=255) who completed psychological distress questionnaires at baseline, and at least one follow-up (after completing their diagnostic regimen and 6 months after randomization) Main Outcomes and Measures: The primary outcomes were within-person change in psychological distress (impact of events and state anxiety scales, BP worry Likert 5-point scale) comparing baseline to 3 weeks and 6 months post-enrollment. Results: Participants were half female (127/255), mostly > age 50 (78%), and White race (83%). Baseline mean BP was 150 mmHg systolic and 80 mmHg diastolic; 63.9% had hypertension on ABPM (daytime average > 135/85 mmHg). There was no significant change in impact of events or state anxiety at either follow-up. BP worry was significantly increased at 3 weeks (mean change 0.22 (0.13-0.30), but not at 6 months. Six month outcomes were not influenced by ABPM test results or receiving a hypertension diagnosis. Conclusion and Relevance: The hypertension diagnostic process increased hypertension worry short term, but not longer-term. It had little impact on other measures of psychologic distress. The risk of psychologic distress after hypertension diagnostic testing and receipt of a hypertension diagnosis appears to be low, reinforcing the importance of timely hypertension diagnoses. Additional studies with more diverse patient populations are needed.

Importance: Undiagnosed hypertension contributes to excess morbidity and mortality. Objective: To examine the effect of hypertension diagnostic testing on hypertension diagnoses and blood pressure (BP) control months at 6 months. Design, Setting, and Participants: BP CHECK was a randomized diagnostic study of 510 adults aged 18-85 without diagnosed hypertension with elevated BP in clinic and at baseline, conducted from 2017 to 2019 in primary care centers of an integrated healthcare system. Participants were randomization to one of three diagnostic regimens: (1) Clinic BP, (2) Home BP, or (3) Kiosk BP. All participants completed 24-hour ambulatory blood pressure monitoring (ABPM) at 3 weeks. ABPM results were sent to participants and their primary care providers and uploaded into the electronic health records (EHR). Main Outcomes and Measures: The primary outcomes were BP control and receipt of a new hypertension diagnosis at 6 months. We further examined whether changes in patient-reported outcomes relating to health behaviors or 6-month health attitudes were associated with BP control or a new hypertension diagnosis. Results: Mean baseline BP was 150/88 mmHg. Among 467 study participants completing ABPM, 335 (72%) were confirmed to have hypertension. At 6 months, 47% (156/335) of participants with hypertension achieved BP Conclusion and Relevance: Most participants with high BP on screening and ABPM diagnostic testing did not achieve adequate BP control or receive a hypertension diagnosis within 6 months. New strategies are needed to increase diagnosis of hypertension in clinical practice

Background The rate of decline in cardiovascular disease (CVD) mortality has lessened nationally. How these findings apply to specific states or causes of CVD deaths is not known. Examining these trends at the state level is important to plan local interventions. Methods We analyzed CVD mortality trends in Minnesota (MN) using the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Wide-ranging ONline Data for Epidemiologic Research (WONDER). Trends were analyzed by age, sex, type of CVD and location of death. Results CVD mortality rates in MN declined in 2000–2009 and then leveled off in 2010–2018, paralleling national rates. Age- and sex-adjusted CVD mortality decreased by 3.7% per year in 2000–2009 (average annual percent changes [AAPC]: -3.7; 95% CI: − 4.8, − 2.6) with no change observed in 2010–2018. Those aged 65–84 years had the most rapid early decline in CVD mortality (AAPC: -5.9, 95% CI: − 6.2, − 5.7) and had less improvement in 2010–2018 (AAPC: -1.8, 95% CI: − 2.2, − 1.5), and the younger age group (25–64 years) now experiences the most adverse trends (AAPC: 1.2, 95% CI: 0.7–1.8). Coronary heart disease (CHD) and cerebrovascular disease had the largest relative decreases in mortality in 2000–2009 (CHD AAPC: -5.2; 95% CI: − 6.5,-3.9; cerebrovascular disease AAPC: -4.4, 95% CI: − 5.2, − 3.6) with no change 2010–2018. Heart failure (HF)/cardiomyopathy followed similar trends with a 2.5% decrease (AAPC 95% CI: − 3.5, − 1.5) per year in 2000–2009 and no change in 2010–2018. Deaths from other CVD also decreased in the early time period (AAPC: -1.6, 95% CI: − 2.7, − 0.5) but increased in 2010–2018 (AAPC: 1.9, 95% CI: 0.5, 3.3). In- and out-of-hospital death rates improved in 2000–2009 with a slowing in improvement for in-hospital death and no further improvement for out-of-hospital death in 2010–2018. Conclusion Concerning CVD mortality trends occurred in MN. In the most recent decade (2010–2018) mortality from all CVD subtypes plateaued or even increased. CVD mortality among the younger age groups increased as well. These data are congruent with adverse national trends supporting their generalizability. These adverse trends underscore the urgent need for CVD prevention and treatment, as well as continued surveillance to assess progress at the state and national level.

Terminal digit preference has been shown to be associated with inaccurate blood pressure (BP) recording.To evaluate whether converting from manual BP measurement with aneroid sphygmomanometers to automated BP measurement was associated with terminal digit preference, mean levels of recorded BP, and the rate at which hypertension was diagnosed.This quality improvement study was conducted from May 9, 2021, to March 24, 2022, using interrupted time series analysis of medical record data from 11 primary care clinics in a single health care system from April 2008 to April 2015. The study population was patients aged 18 to 75 years who had their BP measured and recorded at least once during the study period.Manual BP measurement before April 2012 vs automated BP measurement with the Omron HEM-907XL monitor from May 2012 to April 2015.The main outcome was the distribution of terminal digits and mean systolic BP (SBP) values obtained during 4 years of manual measurement vs 3 years of automated measurement, assessed using a generalized linear mixed regression model with a random intercept for clinic and adjusted for seasonal fluctuations and patient demographic and clinical characteristics.The study included 1 541 227 BP measurements from 225 504 unique patients during the entire study period, with 849 978 BP measurements from 165 137 patients (mean [SD] age, 47.1 [15.2] years; 58.2% female) during the manual measurement period and 691 249 measurements from 149 080 patients (mean [SD] age, 48.4 [15.3] years; 56.3% female) during the automated measurement period. With manual measurement, 32.8% of SBP terminal digits were 0 (20% was the expected value because nursing staff was instructed to record BP to the nearest even digit). This proportion decreased to 12.4% during the automated measurement period (expected value, 10%) when both even and odd digits were to be recorded. After automated measurement was implemented, the mean SBP estimated with statistical modeling increased by 5.09 mm Hg (95% CI, 4.98-5.19 mm Hg). Fewer BP values recorded during the automated than the manual measurement period were below 140/90 mm Hg (69.9% vs 84.3%; difference, -14.5%; 95% CI, -14.6% to -14.3%) and below 130/80 mm Hg (42.1% vs 60.0%; difference, -17.9%; 95% CI, -18.0% to -17.7%). The proportion of patients with a diagnosis of hypertension was 4.3 percentage points higher (23.4% vs 19.1%) during the automated measurement period.In this quality improvement study, automated BP measurement was associated with decreased terminal digit preference and significantly higher mean BP levels. The method of BP measurement was also associated with the rate at which hypertension was diagnosed. These findings may have implications for pay-for-performance programs, which may create an incentive to record BP levels that meet a particular goal and a disincentive to adopt automated measurement of BP.

Steps per day were measured by accelerometer for 7 days among 5,545 women aged 63–97 years between 2012 and 2014. Incident falls were ascertained from daily fall calendars for 13 months. Median steps per day were 3,216. There were 5,473 falls recorded over 61,564 fall calendar-months. The adjusted incidence rate ratio comparing women in the highest versus lowest step quartiles was 0.71 (95% confidence interval [0.54, 0.95]; ptrend across quartiles = .01). After further adjustment for physical function using the Short Physical Performance Battery, the incidence rate ratio was 0.86 ([0.64, 1.16]; ptrend = .27). Mediation analysis estimated that 63.7% of the association may be mediated by physical function (p = .03). In conclusion, higher steps per day were related to lower incident falls primarily through their beneficial association with physical functioning. Interventions that improve physical function, including those that involve stepping, could reduce falls in older adults.

High office blood pressure variability (OBPV) in midlife increases the risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD), but the impact of OBPV in older adults without previous CVD is unknown. We conducted a post hoc analysis of ASPREE trial (Aspirin in Reducing Events in the Elderly) participants aged 70-years and older (65 for US minorities) without history of CVD events at baseline, to examine risk of incident CVD associated with long-term, visit-to-visit OBPV. CVD was a prespecified, adjudicated secondary end point in ASPREE. We estimated OBPV using within-individual SD of mean systolic BP from baseline and first 2 annual visits. Cox proportional hazards regression was used to calculate hazard ratios (HR) and 95% CI for associations with CVD events. In 16 475 participants who survived to year 2 without events, those in the highest tertile of OBPV had increased risk of CVD events after adjustment for multiple covariates, when compared with participants in the lowest tertile (HR, 1.36 [95% CI, 1.08–1.70]; P =0.01). Similar increased risk was observed for ischemic stroke (HR, 1.56 [95% CI, 1.04–2.33]; P =0.03), heart failure hospitalization, or death (HR, 1.73 [95% CI, 1.07–2.79]; P =0.02), and all-cause mortality (HR, 1.27 [95% CI, 1.04–1.54]; P =0.02). Findings were consistent when stratifying participants by use of antihypertensive drugs, while sensitivity analyses suggested the increased risk was especially for individuals whose BP was uncontrolled during the OBPV estimation period. Our findings support increased OBPV as a risk factor for CVD events in healthy older adults with, or without hypertension, who have not had such events previously. Registration— URL: https://www.clinicaltrials.gov ; Unique identifiers: NCT01038583; URL: https://www.isrctn.com ; Unique identifiers: ISRCTN83772183.

OBJECTIVES: The AHA/ACC-2017 hypertension guideline recommends an age-independent target blood pressure (BP) of less than 130/80 mmHg. In an elderly cohort without established cardiovascular disease (CVD) at baseline, we determined the impact of this guideline on the prevalence of hypertension and associated CVD risk. METHODS: Nineteen thousand, one hundred and fourteen participants aged at least 65 years from the ASPirin in Reducing Events in the Elderly (ASPREE) study were grouped by baseline BP: ‘pre-2017 hypertensive’ (BP ≥140/90 mmHg and/or on antihypertensive drugs); ‘reclassified hypertensive’ (normotensive by pre-2017 guidelines; hypertensive by AHA/ACC-2017 guideline), and ‘normotensive’ (BP

Objective: Robust disease and syndromic surveillance tools are underdeveloped in the United States, as evidenced by limitations and heterogeneity in sociodemographic data collection throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. To monitor the COVID-19 pandemic in Minnesota, we developed a federated data network in March 2020 using electronic health record (EHR) data from 8 multispecialty health systems. Materials and Methods: In this serial cross-sectional study, we examined patients of all ages who received a COVID-19 polymerase chain reaction test, had symptoms of a viral illness, or received an influenza test from January 3, 2016, through November 7, 2020. We evaluated COVID-19 testing rates among patients with symptoms of viral illness and percentage positivity among all patients tested, in aggregate and by zip code. We stratified results by patient and area-level characteristics. Results: Cumulative COVID-19 positivity rates were similar for people aged 12-64 years (range, 15.1%-17.6%) but lower for adults aged ≥65 years (range, 9.3%-10.7%). We found notable racial and ethnic disparities in positivity rates early in the pandemic, whereas COVID-19 positivity was similarly elevated across most racial and ethnic groups by the end of 2020. Positivity rates remained substantially higher among Hispanic patients compared with other racial and ethnic groups throughout the study period. We found similar trends across area-level income and rurality, with disparities early in the pandemic converging over time. Practice Implications: We rapidly developed a distributed data network across Minnesota to monitor the COVID-19 pandemic. Our findings highlight the utility of using EHR data to monitor the current pandemic as well as future public health priorities. Building partnerships with public health agencies can help ensure data streams are flexible and tailored to meet the changing needs of decision makers.

BACKGROUND Despite readily available treatments, control of blood pressure (BP) with population aging remains suboptimal. Further, there are gaps in the understanding of the management of high BP in the aged. We explored antihypertensive treatment and control among elderly hypertensive participants free from overt cardiovascular disease (CVD), and identified factors related to both “untreated” and “treated but uncontrolled” high BP. METHODS We analyzed baseline data from 19,114 individuals aged ≥65 years enrolled from Australia and United States (US) in the ASPirin in Reducing Events in the Elderly study. Hypertension was defined as an average systolic/diastolic BP ≥140/90 mm Hg and/or the use of any BP lowering medication. “Controlled hypertension” was defined if participants were receiving antihypertensive medication and BP RESULTS Overall, 74% (14,213/19,114) of participants were hypertensive; and of these 29% (4,151/14,213) were untreated. Among those treated participants, 53% (5,330/10,062) had BP ≥140/90 mm Hg. Participants who were untreated were more likely to be men, have higher educational status, and be in good physical health, and less likely to have significant comorbidities. The factors related to “treated but uncontrolled” BP included older age, male, Black race (vs. White), using antihypertensive monotherapy (vs. multiple) and residing in Australia (vs. US). CONCLUSIONS High levels of “untreated” and “treated but uncontrolled” BP occur in healthy elderly people without CVD, suggesting there are opportunities for better BP control in the primary prevention of CVD in this population. CLINICAL TRIALS REGISTRATION NCT01038583.

Using vaccine data combined with electronic health records, we report that mRNA boosters provide greater protection than a two-dose regimen against SARS-CoV-2 infection and related hospitalizations. The benefit of a booster was more evident in the elderly and those with comorbidities. These results support the case for COVID-19 boosters.

Using vaccine data combined with electronic health records, we report that mRNA boosters provide greater protection than a 2-dose regimen against SARS-CoV-2 infection and related hospitalizations. The benefit of a booster was more evident in the elderly and those with comorbidities.

Introduction: Despite recommendations to use out of office blood pressure (BP) to confirm diagnosis of hypertension, there is little robust evidence on the acceptability of different methods for confirming hypertension. Most evaluations have involved small observational studies and have not compared measurement methods. The Blood Pressure Checks for Diagnosing Hypertension trial (BP-CHECK) trial compared the acceptability and adherence of clinic, home, kiosk and 24-hour ambulatory monitoring (ABPM) among adults with elevated BP who had not been diagnosed with hypertension. Methods: Adults presenting to Kaiser Permanente Washington primary care clinics with elevated BP but who did not have a hypertension diagnosis, were randomized to one of three arms: office, home and kiosk. ABPM was also conducted on all participants. Acceptability of each method to patients was measured using a validated questionnaire to calculate an overall score. Differences in mean acceptability by randomization arms and ABPM were calculated using linear regression models and Generalized Estimating Equations. Adherence was calculated as the proportion of participants completing their BP testing protocols and compared using chi-square tests. Results: A total of 510 individuals were randomized, with mean age 59 years, 80% white, 51% male, with mean BP of 150/88. The overall acceptability score was highest (i.e. most acceptable) for home (mean 6.2, SD 0.7) and lowest (i.e. least acceptable) for ABPM (mean 5.0, SD 1.0). Scores were intermediate for clinic (5.5, SD 1.1) and kiosk (5.4, SD 1.0) groups. Acceptability was significantly higher for all three intervention arms compared to ABPM. Adherence to the minimum number of BP readings pre-specified in the study protocol was higher for home (90.6%) and clinic (87.2%) groups than for the kiosk group (67.9%). Conclusions: Home BP measurement was the most acceptable method for diagnosing hypertension followed by measurement in the clinic or at kiosks, with ABPM the least acceptable, due to its discomfort, disturbance to sleep and to everyday activities. Although ABPM is considered the gold standard for confirming elevated BP, patients find home BP more acceptable.

Background Limited budgets may often constrain the ability of health care delivery systems to adopt shared decision-making (SDM) systems designed to improve clinical encounters with patients and quality of care. Objective This study aimed to assess the impact of an SDM system shown to improve diabetes and cardiovascular patient outcomes on factors affecting revenue generation in primary care clinics. Methods As part of a large multisite clinic randomized controlled trial (RCT), we explored the differences in 1 care system between clinics randomized to use an SDM intervention (n=8) versus control clinics (n=9) regarding the (1) likelihood of diagnostic coding for cardiometabolic conditions using the 10th Revision of the International Classification of Diseases (ICD-10) and (2) current procedural terminology (CPT) billing codes. Results At all 24,138 encounters with care gaps targeted by the SDM system, the proportion assigned high-complexity CPT codes for level of service 5 was significantly higher at the intervention clinics (6.1%) compared to that in the control clinics (2.9%), with P8% (n=8463), 7.2% vs 3.4%, P30 kg/m2 (n=19,838), 6.2% vs 2.9%, P Conclusions In this randomized study, use of a clinically effective SDM system at encounters with care gaps significantly increased the proportion of encounters assigned high-complexity (level 5) CPT codes, and it was associated with a nonsignificant increase in assigning ICD-10 codes for observed cardiometabolic conditions. Trial Registration ClinicalTrials.gov NCT 02451670; https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT 02451670

Routine use of vitamin D supplements has increased substantially in the United States. However, the safety and tolerability of long-term use of high-dose vitamin D are not known. We assessed the safety and tolerability of high-dose, daily vitamin DIn total, 2423 overweight/obese persons with prediabetes were randomized in a double-blind manner to either 4000 IU of vitamin DA total of 8304 AEs occurred during 3 years of follow-up and were less frequent in the vitamin D group compared to placebo (Incidence Rate Ratio [IRR] = 0.94; 95% Confidence Interval (CI) 0.90, 0.98). The overall frequency of protocol-specified AEs of interest, which included nephrolithiasis, hypercalcemia, hypercalciuria, or low estimated glomerular filtration rate, was low and did not differ by group. There were no significant between-group differences in total SAEs (IRR = 0.96 (0.81, 1.14)).Vitamin DClinicalTrials.gov NCT01942694, prospectively registered September 16, 2013.

INTRODUCTION: The US Preventive Services Task Force recommends out-of-office blood pressure (BP) measurement before making a new hypertension diagnosis and initiating treatment, using 24-hour ambulatory (ABPM) or home BP monitoring. However, this approach is not common. METHODS: e-mail-linked surveys were sent to primary care team members (n = 421) from 10 clinics. The sample included medical assistants, licensed practical nurses, registered nurses, and advanced practice registered nurses (LPN/RN/APRNs), physician assistants (PAs), and physicians. Those licensed to diagnosis hypertension (physician/PA/APRNs) received additional questions. Data were collected from November 2017 to July 2019. RESULTS: 2-thirds of invitees responded (163 MA/LPN/RNs, 86 physicians, and 33 PA/APRNs). When making a new hypertension diagnosis, most respondents believed that BP measured manually with a stethoscope (78.6%) or ABPM (84.2%) were very or highly accurate. In contrast, most did not believe that automated clinic BPs, home BP, or kiosk BP measurements were very or highly accurate. Almost all reported always or almost always relying on clinic BP measurements in making a diagnosis (95.7%), but most physician/PA/APRNs (60.5%) would prefer ABPM if it was readily available. Very few physician/PA/APRNs used the guideline-concordant diagnostic threshold (135/85 mmHg) with home monitoring (14.0%) or ABPM (8.4%), with 140/90 mmHg the most commonly reported threshold for home (59.4%) and ABPM (49.6%). DISCUSSION: Our study found health care professional knowledge, beliefs, and practices gaps in diagnosing hypertension. These gaps could lead to clinical care that is not aligned with guidelines. CONCLUSION: System changes and interventions to increase use of evidence-based practices could improve hypertension diagnosis and outcomes.

Background Blood pressure variability (BPV) in midlife increases risk of late‐life dementia, but the impact of BPV on the cognition of adults who have already reached older ages free of major cognitive deficits is unknown. We examined the risk of incident dementia and cognitive decline associated with long‐term, visit‐to‐visit BPV in a post hoc analysis of the ASPREE (Aspirin in Reducing Events in the Elderly) trial. Methods and Results ASPREE participants (N=19 114) were free of dementia and significant cognitive impairment at enrollment. Measurement of BP and administration of a standardized cognitive battery evaluating global cognition, delayed episodic memory, verbal fluency, and processing speed and attention occurred at baseline and follow‐up visits. Time‐to‐event analysis using Cox proportional hazards regression models were used to calculate hazard ratios (HR) and corresponding 95% CI for incident dementia and cognitive decline, according to tertile of SD of systolic BPV. Individuals in the highest BPV tertile compared with the lowest had an increased risk of incident dementia and cognitive decline, independent of average BP and use of antihypertensive drugs. There was evidence that sex modified the association with incident dementia (interaction P =0.02), with increased risk in men (HR, 1.68; 95% CI, 1.19–2.39) but not women (HR, 1.01; 95% CI, 0.72–1.42). For cognitive decline, similar increased risks were observed for men and women (interaction P =0.15; men: HR, 1.36; 95% CI, 1.16–1.59; women: HR, 1.14; 95% CI, 0.98–1.32). Conclusions High BPV in older adults without major cognitive impairment, particularly men, is associated with increased risks of dementia and cognitive decline. Registration URL: https://www.clinicaltrials.gov ; Unique identifier: NCT01038583; isrctn.com . Identifier: ISRCTN83772183.

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES A lower risk of falls is commonly cited as a reason to treat hypertension conservatively in older individuals. We examined the effect of hypertension treatment and control status and measured blood pressure (BP) level on the risk of falls in older women. DESIGN/SETTING Prospective cohort study. PARTICIPANTS A total of 5971 women (mean age 79 years; 50.4% white, 33.1% black, 16.5% Hispanic/Latina) enrolled in the Women's Health Initiative and Objective Physical Activity and Cardiovascular Health study. MEASUREMENTS BP was measured by trained nurses, and hypertension treatment was assessed by medication inventory. Participants mailed in monthly calendars to self-report falls for 1 year. RESULTS Overall, 70% of women had hypertension at baseline (53% treated and controlled, 12% treated and uncontrolled, 5% untreated). There were 2582 women (43%) who reported falls in the 1 year of surveillance. Compared with nonhypertensive women, when adjusted for fall risk factors and lower limb physical function, the incidence rate ratio (IRR) for falls was 0.82 (confidence interval [CI] = 0.74-0.92) in women with treated controlled hypertension (p = .0008) and 0.73 (CI = 0.62-0.87) in women with treated uncontrolled hypertension (p = .0004). Neither measured systolic nor diastolic BP was associated with falls in the overall cohort. In women treated with antihypertensive medication, higher diastolic BP was associated with a lower risk of falls in a model adjusted for fall risk factors (IRR = 0.993 per mm Hg; 95% CI = 0.987-1.000; p = .04). The only class of antihypertensive medication associated with an increased risk of falls compared with all other types of antihypertensive drugs was β-blockers. CONCLUSION Women in this long-term research study with treated hypertension had a lower risk of falls compared with nonhypertensive women. Diastolic BP (but not systolic BP) is weakly associated with fall risk in women on antihypertensive treatment (

The accurate measurement of blood pressure (BP) is essential for the diagnosis and management of hypertension. Restricted use of mercury devices, increased use of oscillometric devices, discrepancies between clinic and out-of-clinic BP, and concerns about measurement error with manual BP measurement techniques have resulted in uncertainty for clinicians and researchers. The National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute of the U.S. National Institutes of Health convened a working group of clinicians and researchers in October 2017 to review data on BP assessment among adults in clinical practice and clinic-based research. In this report, the authors review the topics discussed during a 2-day meeting including the current state of knowledge on BP assessment in clinical practice and clinic-based research, knowledge gaps pertaining to current BP assessment methods, research and clinical needs to improve BP assessment, and the strengths and limitations of using BP obtained in clinical practice for research and quality improvement activities.

The relationship between smoking cessation, concurrent weight gain, and stroke events is not yet understood. Thus, we examined the association between smoking cessation and subsequent stroke risk and whether the association was modified by concurrent weight gain. In 2017, we analyzed data from 109,498 postmenopausal US women enrolled in the Women's Health Initiative from 1993 to 1998. Women with a history of cancer or cardiovascular disease events were excluded. The median length of follow-up time was 14.01 years. Variables of primary focus were smoking cessation, weight change, and clinically confirmed incident cases of hemorrhagic and ischemic stroke. Hazard ratios were estimated for stroke incidences (all, ischemic, and hemorrhagic) associated with smoking cessation using Cox regression. The exposure-outcome relationship of smoking cessation and risk of stroke was evaluated for effect modification by weight change. Recent quitters between baseline and year 3 had a significantly lower risk for all stroke and ischemic stroke, but not hemorrhagic stroke, when compared to the reference group of continuing smokers. In the multivariable-adjusted model for ischemic stroke, the hazard ratio for recent quitters was 0.66 (95% CI: 0.46, 0.95). In the model for hemorrhagic stroke, the hazard ratio for recent quitters was 0.76 (95% CI: 0.36, 1.61). The association between recent quitting and stroke risk was not significantly modified by weight change. Smoking cessation was associated with a significant reduction in stroke risk. The benefit of smoking cessation on the risk of stroke was not attenuated by concurrent weight gain.

The COVID‐19 pandemic is a public health crisis, having killed more than 514 000 US adults as of March 2, 2021. COVID‐19 mitigation strategies have unintended consequences on managing chronic conditions such as hypertension, a leading cause of cardiovascular disease and health disparities in the United States. During the first wave of the pandemic in the United States, the combination of observed racial/ethnic inequities in COVID‐19 deaths and social unrest reinvigorated a national conversation about systemic racism in health care and society. The 4th Annual University of Utah Translational Hypertension Symposium gathered frontline clinicians, researchers, and leaders from diverse backgrounds to discuss the intersection of these 2 critical social and public health phenomena and to highlight preexisting disparities in hypertension treatment and control exacerbated by COVID‐19. The discussion underscored environmental and socioeconomic factors that are deeply embedded in US health care and research that impact inequities in hypertension. Structural racism plays a central role at both the health system and individual levels. At the same time, virtual healthcare platforms are being accelerated into widespread use by COVID‐19, which may widen the divide in healthcare access across levels of wealth, geography, and education. Blood pressure control rates are declining, especially among communities of color and those without health insurance or access to health care. Hypertension awareness, therapeutic lifestyle changes, and evidence‐based pharmacotherapy are essential. There is a need to improve the implementation of community‐based interventions and blood pressure self‐monitoring, which can help build patient trust and increase healthcare engagement.

Background Health systems and providers across America are increasingly employing telehealth technologies to better serve medically underserved low-income, minority, and rural populations at the highest risk for health disparities. The Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI) has invested US $386 million in comparative effectiveness research in telehealth, yet little is known about the key early lessons garnered from this research regarding the best practices in using telehealth to address disparities. Objective This paper describes preliminary lessons from the body of research using study findings and case studies drawn from PCORI seminal patient-centered outcomes research (PCOR) initiatives. The primary purpose was to identify common barriers and facilitators to implementing telehealth technologies in populations at risk for disparities. Methods A systematic scoping review of telehealth studies addressing disparities was performed. It was guided by the Arksey and O’Malley Scoping Review Framework and focused on PCORI’s active portfolio of telehealth studies and key PCOR identified by study investigators. We drew on this broad literature using illustrative examples from early PCOR experience and published literature to assess barriers and facilitators to implementing telehealth in populations at risk for disparities, using the active implementation framework to extract data. Major themes regarding how telehealth interventions can overcome barriers to telehealth adoption and implementation were identified through this review using an iterative Delphi process to achieve consensus among the PCORI investigators participating in the study. Results PCORI has funded 89 comparative effectiveness studies in telehealth, of which 41 assessed the use of telehealth to improve outcomes for populations at risk for health disparities. These 41 studies employed various overlapping modalities including mobile devices (29/41, 71%), web-based interventions (30/41, 73%), real-time videoconferencing (15/41, 37%), remote patient monitoring (8/41, 20%), and store-and-forward (ie, asynchronous electronic transmission) interventions (4/41, 10%). The studies targeted one or more of PCORI’s priority populations, including racial and ethnic minorities (31/41, 41%), people living in rural areas, and those with low income/low socioeconomic status, low health literacy, or disabilities. Major themes identified across these studies included the importance of patient-centered design, cultural tailoring of telehealth solutions, delivering telehealth through trusted intermediaries, partnering with payers to expand telehealth reimbursement, and ensuring confidential sharing of private information. Conclusions Early PCOR evidence suggests that the most effective health system- and provider-level telehealth implementation solutions to address disparities employ patient-centered and culturally tailored telehealth solutions whose development is actively guided by the patients themselves to meet the needs of specific communities and populations. Further, this evidence shows that the best practices in telehealth implementation include delivery of telehealth through trusted intermediaries, close partnership with payers to facilitate reimbursement and sustainability, and safeguards to ensure patient-guided confidential sharing of personal health information.

BACKGROUND Health systems and providers across America are increasingly employing telehealth technologies to better serve medically underserved low-income, minority, and rural populations at the highest risk for health disparities. The Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI) has invested US $386 million in comparative effectiveness research in telehealth, yet little is known about the key early lessons garnered from this research regarding the best practices in using telehealth to address disparities. OBJECTIVE This paper describes preliminary lessons from the body of research using study findings and case studies drawn from PCORI seminal patient-centered outcomes research (PCOR) initiatives. The primary purpose was to identify common barriers and facilitators to implementing telehealth technologies in populations at risk for disparities. METHODS A systematic scoping review of telehealth studies addressing disparities was performed. It was guided by the Arksey and O’Malley Scoping Review Framework and focused on PCORI’s active portfolio of telehealth studies and key PCOR identified by study investigators. We drew on this broad literature using illustrative examples from early PCOR experience and published literature to assess barriers and facilitators to implementing telehealth in populations at risk for disparities, using the active implementation framework to extract data. Major themes regarding how telehealth interventions can overcome barriers to telehealth adoption and implementation were identified through this review using an iterative Delphi process to achieve consensus among the PCORI investigators participating in the study. RESULTS PCORI has funded 89 comparative effectiveness studies in telehealth, of which 41 assessed the use of telehealth to improve outcomes for populations at risk for health disparities. These 41 studies employed various overlapping modalities including mobile devices (29/41, 71%), web-based interventions (30/41, 73%), real-time videoconferencing (15/41, 37%), remote patient monitoring (8/41, 20%), and store-and-forward (ie, asynchronous electronic transmission) interventions (4/41, 10%). The studies targeted one or more of PCORI’s priority populations, including racial and ethnic minorities (31/41, 41%), people living in rural areas, and those with low income/low socioeconomic status, low health literacy, or disabilities. Major themes identified across these studies included the importance of patient-centered design, cultural tailoring of telehealth solutions, delivering telehealth through trusted intermediaries, partnering with payers to expand telehealth reimbursement, and ensuring confidential sharing of private information. CONCLUSIONS Early PCOR evidence suggests that the most effective health system- and provider-level telehealth implementation solutions to address disparities employ patient-centered and culturally tailored telehealth solutions whose development is actively guided by the patients themselves to meet the needs of specific communities and populations. Further, this evidence shows that the best practices in telehealth implementation include delivery of telehealth through trusted intermediaries, close partnership with payers to facilitate reimbursement and sustainability, and safeguards to ensure patient-guided confidential sharing of personal health information.

Objective To evaluate the cost-effectiveness of screening for depression in patients with acute coronary syndrome (ACS) and no history of depression. Methods Cost-effectiveness analysis of a randomized trial enrolling 1500 patients with ACS between 2013 and 2017. Patients were randomized to no screening, screening and notifying the primary care provider (PCP), and screening, notifying the PCP, and providing enhanced depression treatment. Outcomes measured were Healthcare utilization, costs, and incremental cost-effectiveness ratios. Results 7.1% of patients screened positive for depressive symptoms. There was no significant difference in usage of mental health services, cardiovascular tests and procedures, and medications. Mean total costs in No Screen group ($7440), in Screen, Notify, and Treat group ($6745), and in Screen and Notify group ($6204). The difference was only significant in the Screen and Notify group versus the No Screen group (−$1236, 95% confidence interval -$2388 to -$96). Because mean QALYs were higher (+0.003 QALY in Screen and Notify; +0.004 QALYs in Screen, Notify, and Treat) and mean total costs were lower in both intervention groups, these interventions were cost-effective. There was substantial uncertainty because confidence intervals around cost differences were wide and QALY effects were small. Conclusion Depression screening strategies for patients with ACS may be modestly cost-effective.