Women's health
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Clinical factors associated with exclusion from recombinant tissue plasminogen activator in both men and women are not completely understood. The aim of this study is to determine whether there is a gender difference in clinical risk factors that excluded ischemic stroke patients with a history of smoking from recombinant tissue plasminogen activator. ⋯ In an ischemic stroke population with a history of smoking, female smokers are more likely to be excluded from thrombolysis therapy in comparison to men, even after adjustment for confounding variables.
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Lymphedema is one of the major treatment complications following breast cancer surgery and radiation. As the majority of women who develop breast cancer are at the age of employment, occupational functioning and employment are issues of concern. This study is novel in exploring the ways that lymphedema affects their work experience. ⋯ Both breast cancer-related lymphedema and its treatment have direct and indirect effects on work, with environmental and personal factors also shaping the work-return experience. This study suggests that breast cancer survivors with lymphedema who wish to return to work face potential barriers, and that gaps remain in the availability of supports.
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Evaluate all-cause and endometriosis-related health care resource utilization and costs among newly diagnosed endometriosis patients with high-risk versus low-risk opioid use or patients with chronic versus non-chronic opioid use. ⋯ This analysis demonstrates significantly higher all-cause and endometriosis-related health care resource utilization and total costs for high-risk opioid users compared to low-risk opioid users among newly diagnosed endometriosis patients over 1 year. Similar trends were observed for comparing chronic opioid users with non-chronic opioid users, except for endometriosis-related pharmacy fills and associated costs.
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Cervical cancer is the fourth most common cancer among women globally, with approximately 580,000 new diagnoses in 2018. Approximately, 90% of deaths from this disease occur in low- and middle-income countries, especially in areas of high HIV prevalence, and largely due to limited prevention and screening opportunities and scarce treatment options. In this overview, we describe the opportunities and challenges faced in many low- and middle-income countries in delivery of cervical cancer detection, treatment and complete pathways of care. ⋯ For larger lesions and cancers, complete clinical pathways (including loop excision, surgery, radiotherapy, chemotherapy and palliative care) are required for optimal care of women. However, provision of each of these components of cancer control is often limited due to limited infrastructure and lack of trained personnel. Hence, global initiatives to reduce cervical mortality need to adopt a holistic approach to health systems strengthening.
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Moderate-to-vigorous physical activity provides multiple benefits to women after childbirth. To achieve these benefits, the recommendation that adults obtain, 150 min of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity per week and reduce sedentary behaviors, also applies to women in the post-partum phase of the life span. However, research examining the moderate-to-vigorous physical activity and sedentary behaviors of women with young children (0-2 years) is limited. A greater understanding of these behaviors from a nationally representative sample is needed. Therefore, the primary objective of this study was to determine the levels of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity and sedentary behaviors of a nationally representative sample of women with young children within the United States. A secondary objective was to examine the influence of body mass index and sociodemographic factors on these behaviors. ⋯ Women with young children (n = 477) obtained 634 min in moderate-to-vigorous physical activity per week and this was positively associated with having a higher income (p < 0.001) and the number of children in the home (p < 0.001). In total, 62% of women were meeting the World Health Organization guidelines for aerobic activity. Lower odds of achieving guidelines was associated with being Black (p = 0.004), Mexican American (p = 0.009), or married (p = 0.042) compared with being White or not married. Finally, women accumulated ~5 h of sedentary activity per day, with higher levels associated with race (p = 0.005), education (p = 0.022), and number of children within the home (p < 0.001). Research efforts should continue to focus on strategies to help non-adhering women with young children achieve the physical activity recommendations and reduce time spent in sedentary behaviors.