Acta Medica Port
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Case Reports
Spinal Cord Stimulation in Refractory Postherpetic Neuralgia in Portugal: A Case Report.
Postherpetic neuralgia is one of the most severe complications after herpes zoster infection. Patients who experience persistent pain despite conservative treatment may benefit from interventional therapies, such as spinal cord stimulation. ⋯ After its implantation, the patient had improvements in pain intensity, pain-related interference, quality of life, and satisfaction, with a simultaneous reduction of previous medications. This case report highlights the role of spinal cord stimulation in refractory neuropathic pain secondary to herpes zoster.
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Acute iron poisoning is an exceedingly rare occurrence, mainly when resulting from intentional ingestion in adults. It can lead to multi-organ toxicity and, in severe cases, may evolve into acute liver failure and cardiovascular collapse, which are the main causes of death. ⋯ Despite timely intervention, acute liver failure can be life-threatening, with liver transplantation being the only potentially life-saving measure. In this case report, we describe a case of severe acute iron poisoning due to intentional ingestion that led to fulminant liver failure, which was successfully managed with liver transplantation.
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Neurological involvement in immunoglobulin G4-related disease (IgG4-RD) is increasingly recognized. Its diagnosis can be challenging due to clinical mimics and difficulty in obtaining nervous system biopsies. The aim of this study was to describe a cohort of neurological IgG4-RD patients. ⋯ This study highlights the phenotypical variability of the neurological IgG4-RD. Biopsy inaccessibility reinforces the importance of new criteria for the diagnosis of this subset of patients.
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Human resources in ophthalmology have recently received particular attention, and it has been questioned whether there is a sufficient number of workers. The aim of this study was to analyze and characterize Portugal's ophthalmologist population. ⋯ While the number of ophthalmologists in Portugal meets the international recommendations, there is a shortage in the public sector and most ophthalmologists work in large urban centres. The number of ophthalmologists in Portugal is expected to be stable for the next five years.
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Observational Study
Psychiatric Comorbidities in Neurologic Hospitalizations in Portugal: A Nationwide Retrospective Observational Study.
Psychiatric comorbidities have a significant impact on patients' quality of life and often go undetected in neurologic practice. The aim of this study was to describe and characterize psychiatric comorbidities among patients hospitalized due to a neurologic disorder in mainland Portugal. ⋯ Psychiatric comorbidities were recorded in more than a quarter of the hospitalizations with a primary diagnosis of a Neurologic disorder. Psychiatric comorbidities varied among neurological disorders and were associated with different demographic and clinical features.