European journal of internal medicine
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Eur. J. Intern. Med. · Dec 2017
Sodium levels on admission are associated with mortality risk in hospitalized patients.
Abnormal sodium values are common among hospitalized patients. We aimed to investigate the association of admission sodium values and mortality. ⋯ Abnormal sodium values on admission were associated with longer hospitalization and increased short- and long-term mortality. Mortality risk was higher with hypernatremia, compared to hyponatremia.
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Eur. J. Intern. Med. · Dec 2017
Multicenter StudyRepetitive 18F-FDG-PET/CT in patients with large-vessel giant-cell arteritis and controlled disease.
18F-FDG PET/CT can detect large-vessel involvement in giant-cell arteritis (GCA) with a good sensitivity. In patients with clinically and biologically controlled disease, we aimed to assess how vascular uptakes evolve on repetitive FDG-PET/CT. ⋯ Our study revealed long-term persistent vascular uptake on repeated FDG-PET/CT in >80% of our GCA patients with large-vessel inflammation and clinical-biological controlled disease. Prospective studies are required to confirm these findings.
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Eur. J. Intern. Med. · Dec 2017
Lung ultrasound in internal medicine: A bedside help to increase accuracy in the diagnosis of dyspnea.
Dyspnea is one of the most frequent causes of admission in Internal Medicine wards, leading to a sizeable utilization of medical resources. ⋯ Bedside LUS evaluation contributes with high sensitivity and specificity to the differential diagnosis of Dyspnea. This holds true not only in the emergency setting, but also in the sub-acute Internal Medicine arena. A wider use of this portable technique in our wards is warranted.
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Eur. J. Intern. Med. · Dec 2017
Anaemia, but not iron deficiency, is associated with clinical symptoms and quality of life in patients with severe heart failure and palliative home care: A substudy of the PREFER trial.
To explore the relationships between anaemia or iron deficiency (ID) and symptoms, quality of life (QoL), morbidity, and mortality. ⋯ Anaemia, but not ID, was associated although weakly with symptoms and QoL in patients with advanced HF and palliative home care.
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Eur. J. Intern. Med. · Dec 2017
Impact of periodontal treatment on hospitalization for adverse respiratory events in asthmatic adults: A propensity-matched cohort study.
Periodontal disease is prevalent in asthmatics, but it is unclear whether periodontal treatment plays a role in adverse respiratory events in these patients. We evaluated risk of hospitalization for adverse respiratory events (acute exacerbation, pneumonia, and acute respiratory failure) and mortality in asthmatic adults with and without periodontal treatment. ⋯ Asthmatic adults who underwent periodontal treatment were at lower risk of hospitalization for adverse respiratory events and mortality than those without periodontal disease. Asthmatic adults should adopt more precautionary oral hygiene and ensure that they undergo regular periodontal health checkups.