The Impact of COVID-19 Lockdown on Patients with Obesity after Intensive Cognitive Behavioral Therapy-A Case-Control Study.

BACKGROUND: The COVID-19 lockdown may have negatively impacted the treatment of obesity. This study aimed to assess the effect of COVID-19 lockdown in patients with obesity treated with intensive residential cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT-OB). METHODS: This retrospective case-control study analyzed 129 patients with severe obesity who experienced COVID-19 lockdown in the 6 months after discharge from intensive residential CBT-OB, comparing their outcomes on weight loss, binge-eating episodes, and general health status with those in a sample of patients matched by gender, age, and body mass index given the same treatment before the COVID-19 outbreak as control. Patients were assessed at baseline and by phone interview 6-month follow-up. RESULTS: Both groups had lost more than 9% of their baseline bodyweight and reported a significant decrease in binge-eating episodes and similar general health status at 6-month follow-up. However, control patients achieved a significantly greater weight loss than those who experienced lockdown, although half of lockdown patients reported persisting with CBT-OB procedures after their discharge. CONCLUSION: Patients with obesity treated with CBT-OB and exposed to COVID-19 lockdown, despite achieving lower weight loss than non-exposed patients, had a healthy weight loss at 6-month follow-up and comparable reduction in binge-eating behaviors.

A Pilot Study of Prospective Data Collection by Italian Homeopathic Doctors.

OBJECTIVE: The main purpose of this article is to report the systematic data collection pertaining to the consultations of a group of qualified homeopathic physicians. Studies have been performed concerning: (1) the most frequently treated pathologies; (2) the symptoms reported by patients, with a particular focus on "fear" symptoms; and (3) the evaluation of the outcomes of the treatment, including likelihood ratio (LR) for fear symptoms of mostly prescribed remedies. DESIGN: Prospective observational study. SETTING: Individualized homeopathic treatment at private homeopathic surgeries in Italy. PARTICIPANTS: Adult patients asking for homeopathic therapy for a series of common ailments. OUTCOME MEASURES: Types of diseases and remedies used and clinical parameters (frequency of acute attacks, and their intensity and duration); the overall outcome of the cure was registered using the Outcome Related to Impact on Daily Living (ORIDL) scale. RESULTS: Only 94 patients could be enrolled by eight homeopathic doctors in a 2-year period between 2015 and 2017. Ninety (72 females, 18 males) patients completed the observation period. The most represented pathologies belonged to the group "Anxiety and anxiety disorders" followed by gastrointestinal ailments. The most prescribed remedy was Phosphorus (9 cases), followed by Natrum muriaticum (4 cases) and Ignatia (4 cases). The intensity of the symptoms and the frequency of the attacks decreased during the course of the study. Most patients reported a positive outcome (ORIDL scale). In the "Phosphorus" group, LR values were calculated for fear symptoms: LR+ for fear of dark = 2.25 (95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.56 to 9.02), LR- for fear of crowds = 1.27 (95% CI = 1.13 to 1.42), and LR- for fear of ghosts = 1.12 (95% CI = 1.04 to 1.22). CONCLUSION: The recruited group was smaller than expected, but data from most participants could be collected. Positive clinical outcomes were recorded and LR of a few specific fears contributed to distinguish Phosphorus patients from the remaining population.