The Netherlands journal of medicine
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Anaemia is a common diagnosis for clinicians. This mini-review summarises criteria for diagnosing the cause of anaemia. Within the microcytic anaemias, iron-deficient anaemia is most common. ⋯ A normocytic anaemia, such as anaemia of chronic disease, is a diagnosis of exclusion. A macrocytic anaemia scheme is provided and differentiates based on reticulocyte count. We aim to provide the readers a clear overview of anaemia and when to refer to haematologists.
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Decision-making in older persons with end-stagebkidney disease (ESKD) regarding dialysis initiation is highly complex. While some older persons improve with dialysis and maintain a good quality of life, others experience less benefit and multiple complications due to a high morbidity burden and (early) mortality. ⋯ Therefore, the aim of this review is to give healthcare providers an insight into the existing literature on geriatric impairments in older persons with ESKD. Furthermore, specific areas of concern will be discussed, in combination with some practical advice.
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Hyponatraemia due to the syndrome of inappropriate antidiuretic hormone secretion (SIADH) can pose a therapeutic challenge. After fluid restriction, urea is recommended as a second-line treatment by Dutch and European treatment guidelines. Data on this practice are still scarce. We introduced urea for the treatment of SIADH in our hospital and prospectively collected data on its effectiveness and tolerability. ⋯ Our data show that urea is an effective treatment for hospitalised patients with SIADH. Distaste was a frequent side effect, but usually did not lead to early treatment discontinuation.
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The current Covid-19 outbreak poses many challenges on hospital organisation and patient care. Our hospital lies at the epicentre of the Belgian epidemic. ⋯ This demanded an unprecedented adaptation of our hospital organisation, and we have met many clinical issues in the care for Covid-19 patients. In this article, we share our experience in the handling of some of the practical and organisational issues in the care for Covid-19 patients.
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We present a case with five auto-immune phenomena, including Sjögren's syndrome, for which we also diagnosed a tip lesion of focal segmental glomerulosclerosis (FSGS).v About one-third of Sjögren's syndrome patients have renal involvement, but FSGS is rarely reported. FSGS is thought to involve T-cell dysfunction and in this patient with multiple auto-immune phenomena, it may reflect a severe dysregulation of cellular immunity.