The evaluation of disease awareness, caregiver burden, and workday loss in caregivers of COPD patients.

BACKGROUND: Our aim is to determine the caregiver burden of chronic obstructive lung disease (COPD) patient's caregivers, and to determine whether there is a workday loss. METHODS: 252 COPD patients and their caregivers were included. Disease information of the patients were recorded and a questionnaire was applied. Socio-demographic characteristics of the caregivers were recorded and a questionnaire consisting of 24 questions including COPD disease, treatment and loss of working days, and the Zarit Scale were used. RESULTS: 128(50.8%) of the patients according to GOLD were group-D, 97(38.5%) of the patient's relatives were working, 62(24.7%) were not able to go to work for 1-14 days, and 125(57.1%) spent outside the home from 1-14 nights, because those accompanied to patients. In univariate analysis were detected modified medical research council (mMRC) (p < 0.001), CAT (p < 0.001), the number of comorbidities of patients (p = 0.027), forced expiratory volume in 1 FEV1cc (p = 0.009), FEV1% (p < 0.001), the presence of long term oxygen therapy (LTOT), and the number of comorbidities of the patient's relatives (p = 0.06) increased the care load. In multiple linear regression analysis, age (p = 0.03), COPD assessment test (CAT) score (p = 0.001), FEV1% (<0.068) and the number of comorbidities of patients (p = 0.01) and the number of comorbidities of caregivers (p = 0.003) increased the caregiving burden. DISCUSSION: In COPD increases caregiving burden. This burden is greater in symptomatic patients and when comorbidities are present. Psychosocial and legal regulations should be investigated and solutions should be produced for the caregivers of COPD patients.

The Role of Pneumococcal Pneumonia among Community-Acquired Pneumonia in Adult Turkish Population: TurkCAP Study.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the rate of pneumococcal pneumonia (PP) among patients with community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) in Turkey and to investigate and compare features of PP and non-PP CAP patients. MATERIAL AND METHODS: This multicenter, non-interventional, prospective, observational study included adult CAP patients (age ≥ 18 years). Diagnosis of PP was based on the presence of at least 1 positive laboratory test result for Streptococcus pneumoniae (blood culture or sputum culture or urinary antigen test [UAT]) in patients with radiographic findings of pneumonia. RESULTS: Four hundred sixty-five patients were diagnosed with CAP, of whom 59 (12.7%) had PP. The most common comorbidity was chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (30.1%). The mean age, smoking history, presence of chronic neurological disease, and CURB-65 score were significantly higher in PP patients, when compared to non-PP patients. In PP patients, 84.8% were diagnosed based ony on the UAT. The overall rate of PP patients among CAP was calculated as 22.8% considering the UAT sensitivity ratio of 63% (95% confidence interval: 45-81). The rate of intensive care treatment was higher in PP patients (P = .007). While no PP patients were vaccinated for pneumococcus, 3.8% of the non-PP patients were vaccinated (P = .235). Antibiotic use in the preceding 48 hours was higher in the non-PP group than in the PP group (31.8% vs. 11.1%, P = .002). The CURB-65 score and the rate of patients requiring inpatient treatment according to this score were higher in the PP group. CONCLUSION: The facts that PP patients were older and required intensive care treatment more frequently as compared to non-PP patients underline the burden of PP.