Frailty Is Associated with Impaired Diabetic Foot Ulcer Healing and All-Cause Re-Hospitalization.

BACKGROUND: Diabetic Foot Ulcers (DFUs) are a common and feared complication of type 1 and type 2 diabetes. People with DFUs often present a significant clinical complexity due to multimorbidity, frailty, polypharmacy, and disabling conditions. Frailty, defined using the accumulation of health deficits model, has shown to predict worsening health status, hospitalizations, and death in older persons. There are no clinical studies, to date, that have examined the prevalence and effect of frailty on DFUs outcomes. The aim of our study was to explore the impact of frailty on DFUs healing and re-hospitalization in a cohort of patients hospitalized with DFUs. DESIGN: prospective cohort study. SETTING AND PARTICIPANTS: The frailty status of 76 consecutive hospitalized patients with DFUs was assessed by using the Frailty Index (FI). MEASUREMENTS: The primary outcome was the non-healing of the DFU. Secondary outcome was re-hospitalization events (for any cause) within 6 months from hospital discharge. Frailty was defined as FI>0.25. RESULTS: Out of 76 patients (median age 65 years, range 31-84), 56 (74%) were frail. At six months, 81.5% of frail patients had non-healing of the DFU compared to 55% in non-frail patients (p=0.02). The rate of of re-hospitalization was also higher in frail compared to non-frail (90.3% vs 54%, respectively; p=0.01) patients. In multivariable analyses, frailty was significantly associated with a more than fivefold increased risk of DFU non-healing [odds ratio 5.54 (95% confidence interval 1.28-23.91), p=0.02]. Similarly, re-hospitalization was also significantly higher in frail patients compared to the non-frail ones. CONCLUSIONS: In hospitalized patients with DFUs, frailty was highly prevalent. Frailty emerged as an independent risk factor for DFU non-healing and re-hospitalization events. Patients with DFUs require a comprehensive assessment of their frailty status which would enable personalization of their management and interventions.

Overall mortality trends in Greece during the first period of austerity and the economic crisis (2009-2015).

OBJECTIVES: The economic crisis and the resulting austerity in Greece led to a drastic reduction in healthcare spending, which has been assumed to have impacted people's health. This paper discusses official standardized mortality rates in Greece between 2000 and 2015. METHODS: This study was designed to analyze population-level data and collected data from the World Bank, the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, Eurostat, and the Hellenic Statistics Authority. Separate linear regression models were developed for the periods before and after the crisis and were compared. RESULTS: Standardized mortality rates do not support a previously reported assumption of a specific and direct negative effect of austerity on global mortality. Standardized rates continued to decrease linearly, and their correlation to economic variables changed after 2009. Total infant mortality rates show an overall rising trend since 2009, but the interpretation is unclear because of the reduction in the absolute number of deliveries. CONCLUSIONS: The mortality data from the first six years of the financial crisis in Greece and the decade that preceded do not support the assumption that budget cuts in health are related to the dramatic worsening of the overall health of the Greek people. Still, data suggest an increase in specific causes of death and the burden on a dysfunctional and unprepared health system that is working in an overstretched manner trying to meet needs. The dramatic acceleration of the aging of the population constitutes a specific challenge for the health system. HIPPOKRATIA 2022, 26 (3):98-104.

Cannabis use in a sample of Aristotle University of Thessaloniki students: a pilot cross-sectional study.

BACKGROUND: Cannabis is the most widespread illicit drug among young adults globally. This study aimed to detect the extent of cannabis use in the study population and its impact on users' lives. We hypothesized that early cannabis use would significantly predict later high-risk use. METHODS: An online cross-sectional study using a self-administered questionnaire was conducted in December 2021, aiming to explore the extent of cannabis use among students and detect changes in behavior and impact on their lives. The results were analyzed statistically and correlated. RESULTS: Out of the 297 enrolled participants with a mean age of 21.0 ± 2.1 years, 101 (33.9 %) had used cannabis at least once (50 males). The mean age at first cannabis use was 18.5 ± 2.11 years. Over 90 % reported easy access to it. Behavioral changes following use were reported by 41.6 %, but none except one sought help. Age at first cannabis use was negatively correlated with past-month and past-year use. Cannabis use before midday was positively correlated with age on the first try. DISCUSSION: The prevalence of cannabis use was higher than the European average. Confirming the study's hypothesis, the younger the age at first use, the heavier the past-year and past-month use, which also agrees with previous studies. Cannabis consumption before noon was linked to increased use, and alarmingly, there was reluctance to seek help despite a high proportion of behavioral changes after use. CONCLUSION: As the legislation on the use of cannabis changes rapidly, and given the increasing popularity of cannabis, there is a need for continued research on how various factors differentially impact its use. HIPPOKRATIA 2021, 25 (4):162-168.

Elevated obstructive sleep apnoea risk score is associated with poor healing of diabetic foot ulcers: a prospective cohort study.

AIMS: To assess the prevalence of risk factors for obstructive sleep apnoea in people with diabetic foot ulcers and to determine whether this risk predicts diabetic foot ulcer healing. METHODS: We studied 94 consecutive people (69% men) with diabetic foot ulcers (Type 2 diabetes, n=66, Type 1 diabetes, n=28) attending a university hospital foot unit. All participants were screened for obstructive sleep apnoea using the STOP-BANG questionnaire, with a score ≥4 identifying high risk of obstructive sleep apnoea. The primary outcome was poor diabetic foot ulcer healing, defined as diabetic foot ulcer recurrence (diabetic foot ulcers which healed and re-ulcerated in same anatomical position) and/or diabetic foot ulcer persistence (no evidence of healing on clinical examination). All participants were evaluated at 12 months. RESULTS: Of the 94 participants, 60 (64%) had a STOP-BANG score ≥4. Over 12 months, 27 participants with a score ≥4 had poor diabetic foot ulcer healing as compared to seven with a score <4 (45% vs 20.5%; P=0.025). A STOP-BANG score ≥4 significantly increased the relative risk of poor healing more than twofold, independently of other risk factors in multivariable analyses. CONCLUSIONS: There is a high prevalence of features and risk of obstructive sleep apnoea in people with diabetic foot ulcers. A STOP-BANG score ≥4 predicts poor diabetic foot ulcer healing. Obstructive sleep apnoea may be a potential, modifiable risk factor/treatment target to improve diabetic foot ulcer outcomes.

Successful management of refractory diabetic gastroparesis with long-term Aprepitant treatment.

BACKGROUND: People with gastroparesis who develop treatment-resistant (refractory) disease pose a difficult challenge, especially in the setting of end-stage renal disease (ESRD) or post pancreas transplant. Aprepitant (a neurokinin-receptor antagonist) is licensed for the short-term treatment of chemotherapy-induced nausea. There is lack of information on its long-term efficacy and safety in people with diabetic gastroparesis. CASE REPORT: Case 1 was 73-year-old man with Type 2 diabetes of 25 years' duration and ESRD requiring dialysis. He was referred to our unit as his severe symptoms of gastroparesis had failed to respond to multiple medications and resulted in frequent hospital admissions. Aprepitant, which can be used in ESRD, resulted in significant improvement in his symptoms of nausea and vomiting within weeks, and he remained on this long term (18 months) with continued benefits and had no further gastroparesis-related hospital admissions. Case 2 was a 44-year-old man with Type 1 diabetes of 41 years' duration with a history of severe hypoglycaemic events that required a pancreas transplant. Despite normoglycaemia, his symptoms of gastroparesis persisted and failed to respond to multiple medications and frequent botulinum toxin injections. He was commenced on aprepitant with significant improvement in symptoms and has remained on treatment for 12 months with sustained benefits. CONCLUSION: We describe two cases in which long-term aprepitant treatment proved effective in alleviating severe symptoms of gastroparesis that had failed to respond to conventional first-line medical treatments. Our cases highlight the need for novel treatments for managing refractory diabetic gastroparesis.