Dravet Syndrome-The Polish Family's Perspective Study.

AIM: The aim of the paper is to study the prevalence of Dravet Syndrome (DS) in the Polish population and indicate different factors other than seizures reducing the quality of life in such patients. METHOD: A survey was conducted among caregivers of patients with DS by the members of the Polish support group of the Association for People with Severe Refractory Epilepsy DRAVET.PL. It included their experience of the diagnosis, seizures, and treatment-related adverse effects. The caregivers also completed the PedsQL survey, which showed the most important problems. The survey received 55 responses from caregivers of patients with DS (aged 2-25 years). RESULTS: Prior to the diagnosis of DS, 85% of patients presented with status epilepticus lasting more than 30 min, and the frequency of seizures (mostly tonic-clonic or hemiconvulsions) ranged from 2 per week to hundreds per day. After the diagnosis of DS, patients remained on polytherapy (drugs recommended in DS). Before diagnosis, some of them had been on sodium channel blockers. Most patients experienced many adverse effects, including aggression and loss of appetite. The frequency of adverse effects was related to the number of drugs used in this therapy, which had an impact on the results of the PedsQL form, particularly in terms of the physical and social spheres. Intensive care unit stays due to severe status epilepticus also had an influence on the results of the PedsQL form. CONCLUSIONS: Families must be counseled on non-pharmacologic strategies to reduce seizure risk, including avoidance of triggers that commonly induce seizures (including hyperthermia, flashing lights and patterns, sleep abnormalities). In addition to addressing seizures, holistic care for a patient with Dravet syndrome must involve a multidisciplinary team that includes specialists in physical, occupational and speech therapy, neuropsychology, social work.

Does pop-culture affect perception of medical procedures? Report on knowledge and attitude towards electroconvulsive therapy among Polish students. / Czy popkultura wplywa na postrzeganie procedur medycznych? Raport o stanie wiedzy i nastawieniu polskich studentów do terapii elektrowstrzasowej.

OBJECTIVES: The aim of the study was to investigate the general knowledge and attitudes towards ECT among Polish students, including students of medical faculties. Furthermore, the influence of pop-culture on society's opinion about ECT was investigated. METHODS: For this purpose, 1,370 students have been examined with the usage of the author's questionnaire, which consisted of questions about socio-demographic data, detailed questions about ECT as well as questions about their opinion about influence of pop-culture on the reception of this procedure. The respondents were divided into four subgroups depending on the faculty of their studies: human sciences, technical, medical and health sciences. RESULTS: The results show that the knowledge about ECT among Polish students is on avery low level, as in many cases the therapy is considered as painful, ineffective or even illegal. CONCLUSIONS: The influence of the media, especially film industry, on creating a negative opinion on the subject of ECT is significant. Furthermore, many respondents obtain their knowledge about this procedure from television or from the Internet, where the information is often incorrect.

The prevalence of seasonal affective disorder among the blind and patients with serious visual impairment.

BACKGROUND: Seasonal affective disorder (SAD) is an interesting disorder in which depression should occur at a particular time of a year, each year and it should disappear at a specific time of the year. While the prevalence of SAD among generally healthy individuals is well known, the information about the prevalence of this disorder among the blind and visually impaired patients is very limited. The aim of the study was to investigate the prevalence of SAD among the blind and people with serious visual impairment in polish population. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: 250 blind or seriously visually impaired individuals and 258 healthy controls were assessed with the usage of Seasonal Pattern Assessment Questionnaire (SPAQ). In research group survey was conducted with the Computer Assisted Telephone Interview (CATI) technique. In control group the questionnaire was distributed via Internet. The results were analysed with the usage statistical package - Statistica 13.1. RESULTS: The results revealed that among people suffering from SAD there is statistically significant difference in SPAQ scores between completely blind and seriously visually impaired people. The study shows that is the control group age is negatively correlated with score in SPAQ score, while in the study group age is positively correlated with SPAQ score. The data show that there is a difference in occurrence of SAD between men and women. CONCLUSION: The study has shown a significant difference in occurrence of SAD between study and control groups. What is more the analysis has indicated major difference in the occurrence of SAD between men and women from the study group. Taking into consideration the fact that this is the second analysis of this type in Europe further investigations are needed.

Association between depression and hemodialysis in patients with chronic kidney disease.

Depression is the most common and serious psychiatric disorder that affects patients with chronic kidney disease and end-stage renal disease, and, has a significant impact on their quality of life. The aim of this study was to investigate and compare prevalence rates of depression among hemodialyzed patients, and non-dialyzed patients with a glomerular filtration rate<30 ml/min/1.73m2 receiving conservative treatment or following kidney transplantation. A total of 50 hemodialyzed and 50 non-dialyzed patients with stage 4/5 of CKD was assessed using the following questionnaires: Hamilton Anxiety Rating Scale (HAM-A), Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HAM-D), The Satisfaction with Life Scale (SWLS), The Acceptance of Illness Scale (AIS), and The Life Orientation Test-Revised (LOT-R). The use of steroids and immunosuppressant drugs was also investigated. Symptoms of depression and anxiety were present in both groups, however the proportion of persons with mild or severe depression was higher among dialyzed patients. The AIS, LOT-R and SWLS scores were very similar in both the groups. The patients using steroids and/or immunosuppressant drugs were more prone to develop mild or severe depression according to the HAM-D scores. The results indicated a high prevalence of depression and anxiety among patients with CKD. Furthermore, the fraction of patients with depression is greater among hemodialyzed patients. This indicates the importance of monitoring the mental state of the patients as well as the necessity of providing timely psychological care for patients with CKD.

Association between affective disorders and the usage of low and medium doses of corticosteroids.

It is well known that high doses of corticosteroids can induce psychiatric disorders, especially the maniacal states. However there are only a few studies that investigate the effects of low and medium doses of such drugs used for a long period of time on the patient's mental health. The aim of the study was to investigate the prevalence and severity of affective disorders among the patients using up to 40 mg of corticosteroids (prednisone or equivalent). 54 patients during the corticosteroid therapy and 51 healthy controls were assessed with the use of the following questionnaires: Hypomania Checklist 16 (HCL-16), Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) and authors' questionnaire. The results were analysed using SPSS Statistics version 12.5. The results indicated statistically significant differences in the prevalence of hypomania and depression between controls and study group. There were no evident correlations between either the dose or the length of the therapy and the severity of affective disorders. The study has shown that the usage of corticosteroids doses below 40 mg does have an effect on the prevalence of affective disorders. The occurrence of hypomania and depression was more common among the study group. To assess correlations further studies are needed.