Deutsche medizinische Wochenschrift
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Dtsch. Med. Wochenschr. · Aug 2022
[Acute and chronic cough - differential diagnosis and treatment].
Cough is a frequent reason for consultation in the general practitioner's office. Most of the time, the symptom is harmless and self-limiting, as in the case of a banal cold cough, for example - however, serious diseases such as malignancies can also be the cause. Evaluation is therefore not always easy. ⋯ If there are no defined warning signs (red flags), the history and clinical examination are sufficient to establish the diagnosis in the case of an acute cough; medication is not necessary. In the case of a chronic cough, a chest X-ray is usually ordered and then further investigations are carried out in accordance with the most probable suspected diagnosis; probationary therapies are an important part of the workup. Coughs that are refractory to treatment or unexplained require individualised treatment (pharmacological, including off-label, non-pharmacological) and regular re-evaluation.
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Dtsch. Med. Wochenschr. · Aug 2022
Review[Therapeutic options to reduce LDL-cholesterol beyond statins].
Current dyslipidemia guidelines emphasize statins as the cornerstone of pharmacological lipid-lowering therapy. The cholesterol absorption inhibitor ezetimibe, PCSK9-antibodies, as well as bempedoic acid and inclisiran are newly available options to further reduce LDL-cholesterol. Since modern lipid-lowering therapy is characterized by an individual, "treat-to-target" approach the aim of this review is to provide a better understanding of cholesterol metabolism to guide decision-making and the rational for using early individualized combination therapies.
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Dtsch. Med. Wochenschr. · Aug 2022
[Rehabilitation with coronavirus disease with SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19)].
The Coronavirus disease with SARS-CoV-2 viral infection (COVID-19) and its diverse courses of disease from mild to critical illness frequently is not only an acute disease, but will - in a proportion of those affected - lead to organ structure and body function deficits that still exist or become apparent after the acute stage of disease. When clinically relevant symptoms or functional deficits (impairments) are documented more than four weeks after COVID-19 onset, the syndrome is called "Long-COVID", from 12 weeks after onset onwards "Post-COVID". ⋯ An individual medical, frequently multi-professional diagnostic evaluation is mandatory in that situation: For adequate treatment, it is important to identify and objectify the individually underlying health conditions based on knowledge about the diverse potential consequences of COVID-19, to assess type and severity of functional consequences (impairments, activity limitations, and restrictions of participation) of Long-/Post-COVID individually, and then to decide on the treatment necessities and plans. With regard to rehabilitation, need and decision for either pulmonary, neurological, cardiac, or psychosomatic rehabilitation depends on the individual medical presentation.
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Dtsch. Med. Wochenschr. · Aug 2022
[Aortic valve disease: Diagnostics and choice of treatment modality].
Aortic valve disease, especially aortic valve stenosis, is one of the most common acquired valve diseases and is associated with increased mortality and morbidity. Due to the rising age of the population, the prevalence of aortic valve stenosis has increased sharply in recent years. For many years, surgical aortic valve replacement was the only available therapy beside the conservative approach. ⋯ While this therapy was initially limited to inoperable and high-risk patients, the indication has been increasingly extended to younger patients with lower surgical risk over the past years. However, choosing the optimal therapy modality and determining the ideal timing of treatment can often be challenging in clinical practice. The aim of this article is to provide an overview of the different therapy modalities, the decision-making process and current therapy guidelines.
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Cancer has become a leading cause of death among patients with metabolic syndrome (MetS). The more components of MetS a patient has, the higher his risk of cancer. ⋯ Intentional long-term weight loss reduces the excess cancer risk of obese MetS-patients. Both a low-risk lifestyle and cancer screening are effective and decrease the burden of cancer.