Gynecologic care utilization in asylum-seeking women in New York City.

Introduction: Over 25,000 individuals are granted asylum status in the United States annually. Gender-based violence (GBV) has historically been supported as a claim for persecution to apply for asylum. In women, GBV is a known risk factor for sexually transmitted infections, poor mental health, and worse perinatal outcomes. Less is known about the links between GBV, asylum seekers, and gynecologic outcomes or care utilization. Reported rates of gynecologic care-seeking are low in asylum-seeking women and women with histories of GBV often experience barriers to care. We hypothesized that asylum-seeking women with a history of GBV at the Libertas Center, a comprehensive center for survivors of torture in New York City, would receive low rates of recommended gynecologic screening and infrequent gynecologic care. Materials and methods: This retrospective cross-sectional study included adult self-identified female patients who had completed intake at the Libertas Center from 2005-2020. In order to examine the relationship between GBV and gynecologic care use, patients were included if they had an electronic medical record (EMR) at Elmhurst Hospital, were female, 18 years of age and older, and had ever experienced GBV in their lifetime. EMRs were reviewed for medical and psychiatric diagnoses as well as routine components of gynecologic care and were linked to intake data from the Libertas Center characterizing patients' torture history. The primary outcome of this study was whether or not patients attended a gynecology visit. Demographic characteristics, medical histories, adequacy of gynecologic care, and gynecologic care-seeking behavior were compared between the gynecologic care group and the no gynecologic care group. Results: A total of 249 female patients were seen at the Libertas Center from December 2005 until January 2020 at the time of data collection. The prevalence of GBV in this population was 48%. Among women who suffered GBV, 81 received medical care at Elmhurst Hospital and 44 (54%) received gynecologic care. Nearly 50% of those patients who sought care at Elmhurst carried a diagnosis of post-traumatic stress disorder or depression. Women who received gynecologic care were significantly more likely than those who did not receive gynecologic care to have had an Emergency Room visit (68% vs. 41%), an obstetric visit (32% vs 3%), and/or have been seen by a social worker (46% vs 24%; all p < 0.05). Women who saw a gynecologist were significantly more likely to have completed four basic gynecologic care measures (Pap smear, gonorrhea/chlamydia screen, pelvic exam, and mammogram if applicable) compared to women who did not (77% vs 8%, p < 0.05). Conclusion: This study characterizes the gynecologic care utilization of female patients within a comprehensive care center for survivors of torture. We found a high lifetime rate of gender-based violence of 48% in this population. Adequate gynecologic care was uncommon among those who experienced GBV. However, gynecologic care was significantly more likely in patients receiving gynecologic specialty care, which frequently occurred after initial interaction with another provider (i.e. Emergency Department providers). These findings highlight the importance of trauma-informed care and establishing pathways to help asylum seeking and refugee women receive adequate gynecologic care. Further research is needed to explore specific barriers to gynecologic care in this population, how programs for asylum-seekers can integrate gynecologic care into existing structures for medical and mental healthcare, and how to increase awareness amongst providers on the prevalence of GBV and the gynecologic needs of these patients.

Beyond Burnout: Responding to the COVID-19 Pandemic Challenges to Self-care.

PURPOSE OF REVIEW: This paper is a review of the self-care challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic on the physical and emotional health and well-being of healthcare providers. New self-care practices are presented. RECENT FINDINGS: Globally, thousands of health care practitioners and staff have been infected; many have died. Research studies reveal that this pandemic has threatened the health of healthcare staff, their families, and communities in many unique ways, such as fear of infecting family (lack of safety at home), moral injury, witnessing the suffering of the "innocent," coping with a problem too big to solve (the enormity problem), and racial trauma. The COVID-19 pandemic has impacted the global population in ways not seen in a century. The unique self-care challenges of COVID-19 while enhancing the symptoms of burnout, i.e., physical, and mental exhaustion, despair, helplessness, and suicidal thinking, need to be addressed directly. This paper offers a new COVID-19 self-care model and approach.

Development and Progression of Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease: The Role of Advanced Glycation End Products.

Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) affects up to 30% of the adult population and is now a major cause of liver disease-related premature illness and deaths in the world. Treatment is largely based on lifestyle modification, which is difficult to achieve in most patients. Progression of simple fatty liver or steatosis to its severe form non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) and liver fibrosis has been explained by a 'two-hit hypothesis'. Whilst simple steatosis is considered the first hit, its transformation to NASH may be driven by a second hit. Of several factors that constitute the second hit, advanced glycation end products (AGEs), which are formed when reducing-sugars react with proteins or lipids, have been implicated as major candidates that drive steatosis to NASH via the receptor for AGEs (RAGE). Both endogenous and processed food-derived (exogenous) AGEs can activate RAGE, mainly present on Kupffer cells and hepatic stellate cells, thus propagating NAFLD progression. This review focuses on the pathophysiology of NAFLD with special emphasis on the role of food-derived AGEs in NAFLD progression to NASH and liver fibrosis. Moreover, the effect of dietary manipulation to reduce AGE content in food or the therapies targeting AGE/RAGE pathway on disease progression is also discussed.

Exertional Rhabdomyolysis in a Long-Distance Migrant.

BACKGROUND: Exertional rhabdomyolysis is a common condition with potentially life-threatening consequences; early recognition can prevent severe downstream complications. Some migrants and undocumented immigrants who have travelled to the United States have encountered extreme heat or other austere conditions during their journey, many of which have involved long stretches of travel on foot. These factors can combine to put these migrants at risk for rhabdomyolysis. Hospitals near the border of Mexico and the United States commonly encounter patients with adverse medical complications related to the process of border crossing. CASE REPORT: We report a patient with exertional rhabdomyolysis complicated by acute kidney injury who presented to a hospital located thousands of miles from the United States-Mexico border. WHY SHOULD AN EMERGENCY PHYSICIAN BE AWARE OF THIS?: Undocumented immigrants frequently disperse to disparate metropolitan areas after crossing the border, and therefore medical providers should remain vigilant for the medical complications of this dangerous journey.

Fatal streptococcal toxic shock syndrome from an intrauterine device.

BACKGROUND: The occurrence of toxic shock syndrome from an intrauterine device (IUD) is very rare. OBJECTIVES: To raise awareness of the risk of toxic shock syndrome caused by an IUD, to educate others about when to suspect this complication, and to provide treatment recommendations. CASE REPORT: A 49-year-old woman presented to the Emergency Department in septic shock after complaining of 5 days of nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea. Physical examination findings included a diffusely tender and rigid abdomen with free fluid on bedside sonogram. She was found, on computed tomography of her abdomen and pelvis, to have an IUD with moderate ascites. The IUD was removed, and both her IUD and her blood cultures grew out group A Streptococcus. Despite aggressive medical management, which included multiple vasopressors and broad-spectrum antibiotics, she died from group A streptococcal sepsis, with the IUD as her most likely source. Her clinical presentation and laboratory findings meet the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention diagnostic criteria for streptococcal toxic shock syndrome. Her diagnosis was confirmed by autopsy. CONCLUSION: IUDs should be considered as a possible source of infection in patients with an IUD who present with symptoms consistent with toxic shock syndrome. These patients need to be aggressively managed with early surgical intervention.

Survivors of torture: prevalence in an urban emergency department.

OBJECTIVES: Torture has been documented in 132 countries, and approximately 400,000 survivors of torture reside in the United States. It is unknown if torture survivors seek medical care in emergency departments (EDs). The authors set out to estimate the prevalence of survivors of torture presenting to an urban ED. METHODS: A cross-sectional survey of ED patients was performed by convenience sampling from October 2008 to September 2009 in a large urban teaching hospital in New York City. ED patients not of a vulnerable population were consented and entered into the study. Participants were asked two screening questions to ascertain if they were self-reported survivors of torture. For exploratory purposes only, these individuals were further queried about their experiences. The detailed responses of these self-reported survivors of torture were compared to the United Nations Convention Against Torture (UNCAT) definition by a blinded, independent panel. RESULTS: Of 470 study participants, 54 individuals (11.5%, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 8.6% to 14.4%) self-reported torture. Nine (16.7%) had ongoing physical disabilities, 30 (55.6%) had recurrent intrusive and distressing memories, 42 (77.8%) never had a physician inquire about torture, and only eight (14.8%) had requested political asylum. Of these self-reported survivors of torture, 29 (53.7%) met the UNCAT definition, for an adjudicated prevalence of 6.2% (95% CI = 4.3% to 8.7%). CONCLUSIONS: Self-reported survivors of torture presented to this urban ED, and a significant proportion of them met the UNCAT definition of a torture survivor. Continuing torture-related medical and psychological sequelae were identified, yet there was a low rate of asylum-seeking. Only a minority were previously identified by a physician. These data suggest an unrecognized public health concern and an opportunity for emergency physicians to intervene and refer survivors of torture to existing community resources.