CONTEXT Patients with chronic heart failure have impaired long-term survival, but their own expectations regarding prognosis have not been well studied. OBJECTIVES To quantify expectations for survival in patients with heart failure, to compare patient expectations to model predictions, and to identify factors associated with discrepancies between patient-predicted and model-predicted prognos...

OBJECTIVES We estimated the burden of disease in the United States attributable to obesity by gender, with life expectancy, quality-adjusted life expectancy, years of life lost annually, and quality-adjusted life years lost annually as outcome measures. METHODS We obtained burden of disease estimates for adults falling into the following body-mass index categories: normal weight (23 to <25), ...

BACKGROUND Although increases in obesity over the past 30 years have adversely affected the health of the U.S. population, there have been concomitant improvements in health because of reductions in smoking. Having a better understanding of the joint effects of these trends on longevity and quality of life will facilitate more efficient targeting of health care resources. METHODS For each yea...

The Health Utilities Index (HUI) system is a generic, preference-based measure of health status intended for use in clinical outcomes measurement, in health surveys, in program planning and resource allocation. The utility scores provide a summary index of health-related quality of life on a zero to 1.0 scale; they may be used in cost-utility analyses to calculate quality-adjusted life years an...

OBJECTIVE To study the effect of renal disease on the standardized mortality ratio (SMR) and life expectancy of patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). METHODS Patients whose diagnosis met ≥4 American College of Rheumatology criteria for SLE were longitudinally followed up from 1995 to 2011. The cumulative survival rate, SMR, and life expectancy were calculated, and the effect of re...

CONTEXT Multiple options are now available for prophylaxis of opportunistic infections related to the acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS). However, because of differences in incidence rates as well as drug efficacy, toxicity, and costs, the role of different types of prophylaxis remains uncertain. OBJECTIVE To determine the clinical impact, cost, and cost-effectiveness of strategies for...

BACKGROUND Over two thirds of women who need contraception in Uganda lack access to modern effective methods. This study was conducted to estimate the potential cost-effectiveness of achieving universal access to modern contraceptives in Uganda by implementing a hypothetical new contraceptive program (NCP) from both societal and governmental (Ministry of Health (MoH)) perspectives. METHODOLOG...