Internal and emergency medicine
-
Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) is a chronic and progressive fibrotic disease limited to the lung, with high variability in the course of disease from one patient to another. Patients with IPF may experience acute respiratory deteriorations; many of these acute declines are idiopathic and are termed acute exacerbations (AE) of IPF. In these cases, the exclusion of alternative causes of rapid deterioration, including heart failure, bilateral pneumonia or pulmonary embolism, is a challenging goal. ⋯ In conclusion, although significant progress in assessing disease severity in IPF has been made, AEs remain unpredictable and are associated with a high risk of death. Improvements in our understanding of the etiology, risk factors, clinical predictors and epidemiology are needed. It is the goal of clinical researchers in the field to provide respiratory physicians with evidence-based guidance to identify patients who may benefit from therapy for preventing or treating AE-IPF.
-
Hemostatic abnormalities frequently occur in critically ill patients and may vary from prolonged global clotting tests or isolated thrombocytopenia, to composite defects, such as consumption coagulopathies. There are many reasons for a disturbed coagulation in intensive care patients, and each of these underlying syndromes may require specific therapeutic intervention. Hence, an adequate differential diagnosis and initiation of proper (supportive) therapeutic strategies are critical to decrease morbidity and mortality in critically ill patients with hemostatic abnormalities.
-
Elderly abuse is still a hidden problem, often underestimated. It is much more common than the data available suggest. Unfortunately, the incidence is expected to grow with the progressive increase in the elderly population in the future. ⋯ Comparing the number of articles, the ratio child/elderly is equal to 1/0.04, underlying the poor interest of research on this phenomenon. Moreover, it was observed that elderly abuse in nursing homes is still underreported in both original articles and reviews. Despite the aging of the population, elderly abuse and neglect still remain hidden problems, overlooked and also underestimated in the literature.
-
Review Meta Analysis
Epidemiology of venous thromboembolism in patients with liver diseases: a systematic review and meta-analysis.
The risk of venous thromboembolism (VTE) may be increased in patients with liver diseases. A systematic review and meta-analysis were conducted to analyze the epidemiology of VTE in such patients. All relevant studies were searched via the PubMed, EMBASE, and Cochrane Library databases. ⋯ The heterogeneity was statistically significant in the main and subgroup meta-analyses. In conclusion, about 1 % of patients with liver diseases develop or are diagnosed with VTE during their hospitalizations. However, the epidemiological data are very heterogeneous among studies.
-
Review Meta Analysis
Epidemiology of venous thromboembolism in patients with liver diseases: a systematic review and meta-analysis.
The risk of venous thromboembolism (VTE) may be increased in patients with liver diseases. A systematic review and meta-analysis were conducted to analyze the epidemiology of VTE in such patients. All relevant studies were searched via the PubMed, EMBASE, and Cochrane Library databases. ⋯ The heterogeneity was statistically significant in the main and subgroup meta-analyses. In conclusion, about 1 % of patients with liver diseases develop or are diagnosed with VTE during their hospitalizations. However, the epidemiological data are very heterogeneous among studies.