Israel Medical Association Journal

The potential influence of seasonal variations on vasculitis is unclear. Emerging evidence has suggested that seasonal factors may play a role in the onset of vasculitis. We extracted data from the electronic medical records at Clalit Health Services (CHS), Israel's largest health maintenance organization. We identified patients older than 18 years of age with new onset of giant cell arteritis (GCA), ANCA-associated vasculitis, immunoglobulin A (IgA) vasculitis, and Behçet's disease from 2007 to 2021. We constructed a time series of new vasculitis cases per month and explored the potential impact of seasonality on the disease onset. Our cohort included 4847 patients, including 2445 with GCA, 749 with ANCA-associated vasculitis (AAV), 547 with IgA vasculitis, and 1106 with Behçet's disease. We observed a decreased risk of GCA in September (relative risk [RR] 0.84, [95% confidence interval] 95%CI 0.72–0.98) and a significant reduction in AAV incidence in August (RR 0.68, 95%CI 0.48–0.96). For IgA vasculitis, an elevated risk was noted in February (RR 1.58, 95%CI 1.02–2.45), while Behçet's disease showed an increased risk in January (RR 1.25, 95%CI 1.02–1.55). No association was found between any specific season and the onset of vasculitis for any of the studied conditions. Our study results indicate that the onset of vasculitis conditions may be influenced by environmental factors associated with seasonality.

Background: Dyslipidemia remains underdiagnosed and undertreated in patients with coronary artery disease. The Computer-based Clinical Decision Support System provides an opportunity to close these gaps.

Objectives: To study the impact of computerized intervention on secondary prevention of CAD[1].

Methods: The CDSS[2] was programmed to automatically detect patients with CAD and to evaluate the availability of an updated lipoprotein profile and treatment with lipid-lowering drugs. The program produced automatic computer-generated monitoring and treatment recommendations. Adjusted primary clinics were randomly assigned to intervention (n=56) or standard care arms (n=56). Reminders were mailed to the primary medical teams in the intervention arm every 4 months updating them with current lipid levels and recommendations for further treatment. Compliance and lipid levels were monitored. The study group comprised all patients with CAD who were alive at least 3 months after hospitalization.

Results: Follow-up was available for 7448 patients with CAD (median 19.8 months, range 6–36 months). Overall, 51.7% of patients were adequately screened, and 55.7% of patients were compliant with treatment recommended to lower lipid level. A significant decrease in low density lipoprotein levels was observed in both arms, but was more pronounced in the intervention arm: 121.9 ± 34.2 vs. 124.3 ± 34.6 mg/dl (P < 0.02). A significantly lower rate of cardiac rehospitalizations was documented in patients who were adequately treated with lipid-lowering drugs, 37% vs. 40.9% (P < 0.001).

Conclusions: This initial assessment of our data represent a real-world snapshot where physicians and CAD patients often do not adhere to clinical guidelines, presenting a major obstacle to implementing effective secondary prevention. Our automatic computerized reminders system substantially facilitates adherence to guidelines and supports wide-range implementation.