Validation of a hierarchical algorithm to define chronic liver disease and cirrhosis etiology in administrative healthcare data.

Background And Aims: Chronic liver disease (CLD) and cirrhosis are leading causes of death globally with the burden of disease rising significantly over the past several decades. Defining the etiology of liver disease is important for understanding liver disease epidemiology, healthcare planning, and outcomes. The aim of this study was to validate a hierarchical algorithm for CLD and cirrhosis etiology in administrative healthcare data.

Acceptability and efficacy of naltrexone for criminal justice-involved individuals with opioid use disorder: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Background And Aims: Criminal justice-involved individuals carry a disproportionately higher burden of opioid use disorder (OUD) than those not involved with the criminal justice system, and are often unable to access opioid agonist therapies such as methadone and buprenorphine. The opioid receptor antagonist naltrexone (NTX) is effective for the prevention of relapse to OUD and may be more acceptable in criminal justice settings. The objectives of this review were to: (1) provide an overall summary effect across studies for the efficacy and acceptability of oral and injectable NTX for the treatment of OUD among criminal justice-involved individuals and (2) examine systematic variations in study results to explain heterogeneity among study-specific effects.

Identifying cirrhosis, decompensated cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma in health administrative data: A validation study.

Background: To evaluate screening and treatment strategies, large-scale real-world data on liver disease-related outcomes are needed. We sought to validate health administrative data for identification of cirrhosis, decompensated cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma among patients with known liver disease.

Methods: Primary patient data were abstracted from patients of the Toronto Center for Liver Disease with viral hepatitis (2006-2014), and all patients with liver disease from the Kingston Health Sciences Centre Hepatology Clinic (2013).