Current medical research and opinion
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Observational Study
Diabetes management, dietary supplements use and the effect of coronavirus pandemic on diabetes patients in Serbia: a cross-sectional study.
Diabetes mellitus (DM) is a significant public health challenge in Serbia, mirroring the situation in other European middle-income countries. The aims of this study were to examine the disease-related characteristics and management of diabetes, as well as the prevalence of use of dietary supplements (DS) among diabetes patients in Serbia, and to analyze the effects of the coronavirus pandemic on DM patients in Serbia. ⋯ Special caution is needed regarding the potential interactions of DS with chronic therapy. To enhance diabetes care, Serbia needs more accessible mental health support, improved diabetes education, expanded CGM availability, and carefully planned emergency healthcare measures for chronic patients.
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Mechanical and inflammatory factors were suggested as the causes of spine degeneration and low back pain (LBP). Previous studies partly reported the association of LBP with inflammation. However, none of them compared patients with LBP and asymptomatic subjects in terms of complete blood count and inflammatory markers in detail. We aimed to analyze the association of serum white blood cell (WBC) count, C-reactive protein (CRP), and erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) with chronic LBP by comparing the patients with chronic LBP and age- and gender-matched asymptomatic subjects. ⋯ Higher serum monocyte and basophil counts and serum ESR above new cut-off values should highlight the need to obtain early spinal imaging to prevent chronicity in patients with LBP.