To determine the prevalence of obstructive sleep apnea in female patients with fibromyalgia (FM) presenting to physical therapy outpatient clinics. The 36-item short form health survey (SF-36) questionnaire, Berlin test, and epworth sleepiness scale were administered, along with a polysomnography to 38 female patients. This cross-sectional study comprised diagnosed with FM according to the diagnostic criteria of the American College of Rheumatology, between March 2017 and August 2019, at the Faculty of Medicine Hospital, Çanakkale Onsekiz Mart University, Çanakkale, Turkey. Of the participants, 65.9% were found to have obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). Patients with OSA were older and had a higher disease activity score for FM. A strong positive correlation was identified between the apnea-hypopnea index (AHI) and the FA disease activity score. A negative correlation was found between AHI and the subscales of SF-36. A clinical assessment of female patients with FM requires a multidisciplinary approach, and patients with excessive daytime sleepiness in particular are recommended to undergo polysomnography. The authors believe that the early detection and treatment of accompanying OSA will contribute not only to the quality of life, but also to the survival of patients with FM.
Background: This study aims to reveal the demographic and clinical data of patients receiving TNF-α blockers, to compare the characteristics of those who received latent tuberculosis infection (LTBI) treatment and those who did not, and to evaluate and determine potential risk factors for developing active TB disease. Methods: A systematic retrospective study was conducted in a tertiary university hospital examining all patients receiving at least one TNF-α blocker between January 2019 and October 2024. The incidence of tuberculosis (TB) was analyzed across various TNF-α blocker medications in patients, both with and without LTBI treatment. Results: A total of 519 patients had TNF-α blockers: 452 (87.09%) underwent TST, 193 (37.1%) underwent booster TST, and 33 (6.3%) underwent IGRA/TST; 362 (69.7%) were treated for LTBI, and 7 (1.3%) developed TB. Comparing all TNF-α blockers, adalimumab showed a higher risk of TB. Patients with and without LTBI treatment did not significantly differ in TB incidence after biologic therapy. Conclusions: The incidence of TB in people taking TNF-α blockers was higher compared to the incidence in the general population. LTBI screening, including both TST and IGRA, should be performed with TST and IGRA tests, and LTBI-positive individuals should be started on preventive treatment. However, it should not be forgotten that active TB disease may also develop in LTBI-negative individuals.
15 March 2022 in Journal of Health Sciences and Medicine
Aim: The coronavirus disease (COVID-19) has led to over 200,000,000 confirmed cases and over 4,250,000 confirmed deaths worldwide. The present study aimed to explore the links between epidemiological, clinical, biochemical, microbiological, and radiological data and treatment responses of inpatients with COVID-19 pneumonia. Material and Method: The study included 131 patients hospitalized for COVID-19 pneumonia. Laboratory values such as complete blood count, coagulation profile, AST, LDH, sedimentation, CRP, BUN, creatinine, and D-dimer of the patients were analyzed. The diagnosis of COVID-19 was established by RT-PCR testing of respiratory tract samples. Thoracic CT images were used to determine the severity of involvement in patients. Statistical analyses were performed to establish the differences between the groups and the relationships between the variables. Results: The most common comorbidities of the patients were hypertension (35.1%) and diabetes mellitus (24.5%). The patients with fever, cough, and dyspnea and who were PCR positive had the highest radiological involvement severity score. The involvement severity scores were negatively correlated with the lymphocyte count, lymphocyte percentage, and albumin levels (p