National data on asthma characteristics and the factors associated with uncontrolled asthma seem to be necessary for every country. For this purpose, we developed the Turkish Adult Asthma Registry ...
17 December 2020 in TURKISH JOURNAL OF MEDICAL SCIENCES
Pneumonia is the most serious clinical presentation of COVID-19. This study aimed to determine the demographic, clinical, and laboratory findings that can properly predict COVID-19 pneumonia. This study was conducted in the Gazi University hospital. All hospitalized patients with confirmed and suspected SARS-CoV-2 infection between 16 March 2020 and 30 April 2020 were analyzed retrospectively. COVID-19 patients were separated into two groups, pneumonia and nonpneumonia, and then compared to determine predicting factors for COVID-19 pneumonia. Variables that had a P-value of less than 0.20 and were not correlated with each other were included in the logistic regression model. Of the 247 patients included in the study 58% were female, and the median age was 40. COVID-19 was confirmed in 70.9% of these patients. Among the confirmed COVID-19 cases, 21.4% had pneumonia. In the multivariate analysis male sex (P = 0.028), hypertension (P = 0.022), and shortness of breath on hospital admission (P = 0.025) were significant factors predicting COVID-19 pneumonia. Shortness of breath, male sex, and hypertension were significant for predicting COVID-19 pneumonia on admission. Patients with these factors should be evaluated more carefully for diagnostic procedures, such as thorax CT.
21 October 2021 in TURKISH JOURNAL OF MEDICAL SCIENCES
We aimed to report outcomes of pregnant patients with asthma under omalizumab treatment and their infants in our county. Patients with asthma who received omalizumab for at least 6 months and at least one dose during their pregnancy were retrospectively evaluated using a questionnaire regarding their disease and therapy, the health of their infants. 20 pregnant patients and their 23 infant?s data were analyzed. The mean delivery age was 31.8±7.4 years. They received omalizumab for 28.9±21.8 months. Eight (36.4%) patients showed exacerbation of the disease during pregnancy. Forced expiratory volume in 1 second (FEV1) and asthma control test (ACT) scores at the starting time of omalizumab administration, first month of the pregnancy, and after delivery were 71±18%, 83.4±10.5%, and 80.5±13% (FEV1), and 11.9±4.9, 20.2±2.6, and 20.4±2.2 (ACT), respectively. One patient gave birth to twin infants, two patients to two infants each in different years, and 17 to one infant each. Three (13%) infants had low birth weight and five (21.7%) were born prematurely. No congenital anomalies were detected. Seven (30.4%) infants presented atopic diseases during their life. Omalizumab treatment during pregnancy seems to be safe for both patients and their infants.
Though it has been 8 months since the beginning of COVID-19 pandemic, number of cases and deaths are still seriously increasing. We still don't have enough evidence about the prognosis of patients who had COVID-19 pneumonia. In long term follow up we wonder if they will have rapid FVC decline, widespread fibrosis in computed tomography, loss in quality of life or increased mortality that we experience in idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, chronic hypersensitivity pneumonia or autoimmune interstitial lung diseases. However, in elderly patients less severe dysfunction or non-progressive-fibrosis can cause morbidity and mortality. Therefore, if we consider millions of people who are affected by COVID-19, even a rare complication can cause serious health problem in social scale. Because of the importance of this issue randomized controlled trials should be rapidly planned on post-COVID fibrosis, COVID associated thrombosis, risk factors, prevention and treatment (1). In this review, the frequency, clinical importance, prevention and treatment of possible long-term sequels of COVID-19 pneumonia (pulmonary fibrosis, pulmonary embolism and pulmonary hypertension) will be discussed.