Esofagitis disecante supeEsofagitis disecante superficial: dos casos de una misma entidad poco frecuente / Esophagitis dissecans superficialis: two cases of the same rare entity

La esofagitis disecante superficial (EDS) es una entidad infrecuente que se caracteriza endoscópicamente por el desprendimiento de las capas superficiales del epitelio esofágico e, histológicamente, por el aspecto bitonal del epitelio escamoso esofágico secundario a la necrosis de los estratos más superficiales. La etiología es desconocida, aunque se ha asociado con la ingesta de determinados fármacos, enfermedades autoinmunes, estasis esofágica y procedimientos endoscópicos. Presentamos dos casos: uno de ellos acontece en una mujer tras un episodio de disfagia abrupta y el segundo en un varón con comorbilidades y clínica de dolor epigástrico. La EDS es una patología que hay que considerar en su adecuado contexto clínico y endoscópico, ya que su curso es autolimitado en comparación con otras entidades de evolución tórpida o que precisan un tratamiento específico. (AU)

Esophagitis dissecans superficialis (EDS) is a rare disease characterized by sloughing of the superficial esophageal mucosa and, histologically, by the bitonal appearance of the squamous epithelium secondary to necrosis of the most superficial layers. Etiology is uncertain, however, it has been associated with some medications, autoimmune diseases, esophageal stasis and endoscopic procedures. Here, two cases are presented, one of them which appeared in a woman after an episode of dysphagia and another one which occurred to a man with comorbidities and epigastric pain. This entity should be considered due to its self-limiting clinical course, compared to other entities with a more torpid evolution or that require more specific treatment. (AU)

Impact of Comorbidities on Sensory Return After Breast Reconstruction.

PURPOSE: Breast anesthesia after mastectomy and reconstruction has been an ongoing concern with few improvements made in recent years. At present, there is a lack of studies evaluating the impact of comorbidities on sensation restoration. Identifying risk factors (RF) will be helpful with preoperative counseling. METHODS: This was a prospective study on patients who underwent mastectomy and immediate implant-based or neurotized deep inferior epigastric perforator (DIEP) flap-based reconstruction. Neurosensory testing was performed at predefined time points using a pressure specified device. Patients were stratified based on reconstruction type and comorbidities, including obesity (≥30 kg/m2), age (>55 years), hypertension, alcohol use, and smoking status. Sensory comparisons among the comorbidity groups were conducted using unpaired 2-sample t tests. RESULTS: A total of 239 patients were included in this study with 109 patients in the implant cohort and 131 patients in the DIEP cohort. One patient underwent bilateral reconstruction using both reconstructive modalities. Preoperatively, age older than 55 years was identified as an RF for reduced breast sensation in the implant cohort (difference in threshold, 10.7 g/mm2), whereas obesity was identified as an RF in the DIEP cohort (difference in threshold, 8 g/mm2). During the first 2 years postreconstruction, age older than 55 years and tobacco use history were found to be negatively correlated with breast sensation for both cohorts. With DIEP reconstruction specifically, obesity was identified as an additional RF during the early postoperative period. Of note, none of the comorbidities were found to be long-term RFs for reduced breast sensitivity. All breast sensation levels returned to comparable levels across all comorbidities by 4 years postreconstruction. CONCLUSIONS: Currently, various comorbidities have been recognized as RFs for several postoperative complications including extended postoperative stay, necrosis, infection, and reoperation. However, our findings suggest that, although age, smoking history, and obesity showed transient associations with reduced breast sensation during the initial years postreconstruction, they play no role in the long-term potential of sensory nerve regeneration.

Age and co-morbidities as independent risk factors of infections leading to hospital admission in the last year of life among the elderly: A retrospective registry-based study.

Background: The immune system declines with age, but the impact of chronological age may be affected by sex, co-morbidities, and sociodemographic factors. Objective: The article aims to study infections associated with hospital admission in the elderly in their last year of life and the impact of age, sex, co-morbidities, and sociodemographic factors. Method: A retrospective study based on registry data covering all care visits in Stockholm Region, Sweden, for 7 years was conducted. All deceased subjects with at least one hospital admission with infection as the main diagnosis in the last year of life were compared with subjects with no such admission. Subjects were categorized into three different age-groups 65-79, 80-89, and 90 years and above. Co-morbidity was measured by the Charlson Comorbidity Index (CCI) and sociodemographic factors were assessed using the 'Mosaic-system'. Subjects living in nursing homes were analyzed separately. Uni- and multivariable logistic regressions were conducted. Results: Of the 55,238 subjects in the study population, 14,192 (26%) had at least one hospital admission due to infection in the last year of life. The risk of having a severe infection increased with age, adjusted odds ratio (OR): 1.30 (1.25-1.36), and 1.60 (1.52-1.69) for the age-groups 80-89 and ≥ 90 compared to the age-group 65-79. The most important factor for infection was a high co-morbidity score; adjusted OR: 1.75 (1.68-1.82). Male sex and living in a less affluent area were weaker risk factors for infections. Conclusion: Chronological age and co-morbidities are independent risk factors of infections associated with hospital admission in the last year in life while male sex and sociodemographic factors have less impact.

[An increasing prevalence of epilepsy and stagnating or decreasing health care resources makes nationwide implementation challenging]. / Följsamhet till ordination en av utmaningarna i epilepsivården.

The Swedish national guidelines for epilepsy stipulate regular health care contacts in the years following diagnosis, referral for epilepsy surgery in cases of pharmacoresistant epilepsy, multidisciplinary teams, and adequate patient information particularly for women of childbearing age. The last years have seen advances in many research areas of relevance for the basic epilepsy care, and Sweden has contributed regarding pharmacotherapy, seizure-related risks, sudden unexpected death in epilepsy (SUDEP), and digital tools. An increasing prevalence of epilepsy and stagnating or decreasing health care resources makes nationwide implementation of this knowledge challenging and increases the risk of unequal access to care. Innovation and focus on prioritized groups, such as newly diagnosed and persons with pharmacoresistant epilepsy or comorbidities, will be needed.

Patterns of comorbidities in patients with atrial fibrillation and impact on management and long-term prognosis: an analysis from the Prospective Global GLORIA-AF Registry.

BACKGROUND: Clinical complexity, as the interaction between ageing, frailty, multimorbidity and polypharmacy, is an increasing concern in patients with AF. There remains uncertainty regarding how combinations of comorbidities influence management and prognosis of patients with atrial fibrillation (AF). We aimed to identify phenotypes of AF patients according to comorbidities and to assess associations between comorbidity patterns, drug use and risk of major outcomes. METHODS: From the prospective GLORIA-AF Registry, we performed a latent class analysis based on 18 diseases, encompassing cardiovascular, metabolic, respiratory and other conditions; we then analysed the association between phenotypes of patients and (i) treatments received and (ii) the risk of major outcomes. Primary outcome was the composite of all-cause death and major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE). Secondary exploratory outcomes were also analysed. RESULTS: 32,560 AF patients (mean age 70.0 ± 10.5 years, 45.4% females) were included. We identified 6 phenotypes: (i) low complexity (39.2% of patients); (ii) cardiovascular (CV) risk factors (28.2%); (iii) atherosclerotic (10.2%); (iv) thromboembolic (8.1%); (v) cardiometabolic (7.6%) and (vi) high complexity (6.6%). Higher use of oral anticoagulants was found in more complex groups, with highest magnitude observed for the cardiometabolic and high complexity phenotypes (odds ratio and 95% confidence interval CI): 1.76 [1.49-2.09] and 1.57 [1.35-1.81], respectively); similar results were observed for beta-blockers and verapamil or diltiazem. We found higher risk of the primary outcome in all phenotypes, except the CV risk factor one, with highest risk observed for the cardiometabolic and high complexity groups (hazard ratio and 95%CI: 1.37 [1.13-1.67] and 1.47 [1.24-1.75], respectively). CONCLUSIONS: Comorbidities influence management and long-term prognosis of patients with AF. Patients with complex phenotypes may require comprehensive and holistic approaches to improve their prognosis.

Physical Exercise Transforms the Topography and Increases the Invulnerability of the Symptom Network of Depression-Anxiety in the Elderly.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Depression and anxiety often co-occur and have worse impacts on the elderly when experienced simultaneously. Although physical exercise may alleviate depression and anxiety, how it affects the specific symptoms is not fully understood. METHODS: A total of 8884 participants was selected from the 2018 CLHLS database. The 10-item Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale (CESD-10) and the Generalized Anxiety Disorder Scale-7 (GAD-7) were used to assess depression and anxiety, respectively. Participants were divided into the exercise and the nonexercise groups using propensity score matching to minimize the influence of confounding variables. Depression-anxiety symptom networks were constructed, and network indexes were computed for each group, based on various packages of R. By computing network connectivity, invulnerability simulation was used to investigate the role of physical exercise in network robustness. RESULTS: Both groups had D3 (sad mood), A4 (trouble relaxing) and A2 (uncontrollably worry) as central symptoms. In the exercise group, A1 (nervousness), A3 (too much worry) and D1 (bothered by little things) were the strongest bridge nodes. In the nonexercise group, A1 (nervousness), D1 (bothered by little things) and A4 (trouble relaxing) played this role. Participation in physical exercise decreased the centrality of D9 (cannot get doing) but increased the centrality of A3 (too much worry). Furthermore, the exercise group had higher network invulnerability than the nonexercise group under random attack conditions. CONCLUSIONS: Physical exercise affected core symptoms of depression-anxiety and the interactions of symptoms. Targeting central or bridge nodes may be an effective intervention for alleviating the comorbidity. Increased network invulnerability manifested the positive effects of physical exercise.

Acute patients discharged without an established diagnosis: risk of mortality and readmission of nonspecific diagnoses compared to disease-specific diagnoses.

BACKGROUND: Nonspecific discharge diagnoses after acute hospital courses represent patients discharged without an established cause of their complaints. These patients should have a low risk of adverse outcomes as serious conditions should have been ruled out. We aimed to investigate the mortality and readmissions following nonspecific discharge diagnoses compared to disease-specific diagnoses and assessed different nonspecific subgroups. METHODS: Register-based cohort study including hospital courses beginning in emergency departments across 3 regions of Denmark during March 2019-February 2020. We identified nonspecific diagnoses from the R- and Z03-chapter in the ICD-10 classification and excluded injuries, among others-remaining diagnoses were considered disease-specific. Outcomes were 30-day mortality and readmission, the groups were compared by Cox regression hazard ratios (HR), unadjusted and adjusted for socioeconomics, comorbidity, administrative information and laboratory results. We stratified into short (3-<12 h) or lengthier (12-168 h) hospital courses. RESULTS: We included 192,185 hospital courses where nonspecific discharge diagnoses accounted for 50.7% of short and 25.9% of lengthier discharges. The cumulative risk of mortality for nonspecific vs. disease-specific discharge diagnoses was 0.6% (0.6-0.7%) vs. 0.8% (0.7-0.9%) after short and 1.6% (1.5-1.7%) vs. 2.6% (2.5-2.7%) after lengthier courses with adjusted HRs of 0.97 (0.83-1.13) and 0.94 (0.85-1.05), respectively. The cumulative risk of readmission for nonspecific vs. disease-specific discharge diagnoses was 7.3% (7.1-7.5%) vs. 8.4% (8.2-8.6%) after short and 11.1% (10.8-11.5%) vs. 13.7% (13.4-13.9%) after lengthier courses with adjusted HRs of 0.94 (0.90-0.98) and 0.95 (0.91-0.99), respectively. We identified 50 clinical subgroups of nonspecific diagnoses, of which Abdominal pain (n = 12,462; 17.1%) and Chest pain (n = 9,599; 13.1%) were the most frequent. The subgroups described differences in characteristics with mean age 41.9 to 80.8 years and mean length of stay 7.1 to 59.5 h, and outcomes with < 0.2-8.1% risk of 30-day mortality and 3.5-22.6% risk of 30-day readmission. CONCLUSIONS: In unadjusted analyses, nonspecific diagnoses had a lower risk of mortality and readmission than disease-specific diagnoses but had a similar risk after adjustments. We identified 509 clinical subgroups of nonspecific diagnoses with vastly different characteristics and prognosis.

The comorbid network characteristics of anxiety and depressive symptoms among Chinese college freshmen.

BACKGROUND: This study aimed to investigate the interplay between anxiety and depressive symptoms in Chinese college freshmen using the causal system perspective (CSP), which differs from the traditional common cause perspective (CCP) by providing an alternative explanation by attributing comorbidity to direct interactions among symptoms. METHODS: A convenience sample of 2,082 Chinese college freshmen (39.51% male, Mage = 18.61) from a normal university completed the Generalized Anxiety Disorder 7-Item Scale (GAD-7) and the Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9). Network analysis was conducted and evaluated as to centrality, stability, node predictability, and bridging features. Moreover, the moderated network model (MNM) was utilized to detect the moderation effects of gender in the comorbidity network. RESULTS: The network of anxiety and depressive symptoms exhibited stability, characterized by the core symptoms of "restlessness", "lack of energy", and "excessive worry about control", as well as the bridging symptoms of "fearfulness", "sad mood", and "irritability". Notably, the nodes representing "uncontrollable worry" and "difficulty in relaxation" demonstrated the highest predictive power. Gender did not exert any moderating effects on the anxiety and depressive symptom network. CONCLUSION: These results reinforce that certain anxiety or depressive symptoms are more central than others, and thus play a more vital role in the comorbid network. These findings highlight underlying potential targeting symptoms to consider in future interventions.

Charlson comorbidity index and the severity of community-acquired pneumonia caused by SARS-CoV-2: A retrospective analysis.

BACKGROUND: The Charlson comorbidity index (CCI) has been considered as a valid and reliable tool for predicting poor clinical outcomes and mortality in patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). However, its relationship with the severity of pneumonia caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) has not been thoroughly explored. OBJECTIVES: The aim of the present study was to identify the impact of the comorbidity burden, quantitatively assessed by applying CCI, on the severity of inpatient community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) caused by SARS-CoV-2. MATERIAL AND METHODS: The study was conducted using the medical records of 208 patients with CAP who had an epidemiological history of a plausible SARS-CoV-2 infection, with positive polymerase chain reaction (PCR) confirmation no later than 1 month before being admitted for inpatient treatment. The CCI was calculated using a custom computer program. The statistical analysis of data was carried out using Statistica, v. 7.0. RESULTS: Our study found a significant correlation between the comorbidity burden and the severity of CAP caused by SARS-CoV-2. Specifically, we observed a low CCI score in the majority of patients in the pneumonia risk class II and III groups, and a high CCI score ≥3 in the majority of patients in the pneumonia risk class IV group. Moreover, a direct correlation between CCI and age was established. The comorbidities most commonly associated with CAP caused by SARS-CoV-2 were congestive heart failure, moderate to severe liver diseases and diabetes mellitus (DM) with chronic complications. CONCLUSIONS: The use of CCI to evaluate comorbid pathology in hospitalized patients with CAP caused by SARS-CoV-2 can assist the medical staff in developing timely preventive and therapeutic strategies, leading to improved patient prognosis.

New and old criteria for diagnosing celiac disease: do they really differ? A retrospective observational study.

BACKGROUND: The aim of this study is to compare two groups of celiac patients: the first one, in which diagnosis was based on a "biopsy sparing" approach according to the 2012 ESPGHAN criteria, and the second one, based on the biopsy approach like the one of the 1991 Revised Criteria, in order to find relevant difference for sex, M/F ratio, age at diagnosis, clinical features at the onset, presence and prevalence of concomitant autoimmune disorders. METHODS: Our study involves 61 patients having the Celiac Disease (CD) onset from February 2013 to February 2020. The 32 patients who received diagnosis according "biopsy sparing" criteria were enrolled in group (1) The 29 patients who received diagnosis by duodenal biopsy were enrolled in group (2) Prevalence of comorbidities was analysed through chi-square test. RESULTS: In group 1 the prevalence of comorbidities such as Insulin-Dependent Diabetes Mellitus (IDDM) and thyroiditis was of 53%, while in group 2 it was only of 24%. Analysing the IDDM prevalence between the two groups we found a relevant difference. At the same time, the prevalence of thyroiditis was also significantly different. In group 1, male patients, in particular, would seem to have a higher incidence of CD related autoimmune disorders. CONCLUSIONS: An increased prevalence of IDDM, thyroiditis and juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA) in the first group would show that the "biopsy sparing" approach could expose patients to a greater length of disease activity that might be responsible for the onset of such comorbidities. Further studies should be carried out on more numerous samples of patients in order to confirm or not these data.

[Looking for borderline personality disorder]. / AA borderline személyiségzavar nyomában.

AIMS: This paper aims to describe Roger Mulder's presentation on borderline personality disorder organized by the 23rd World Congress of Psychiatry, supplemented with relevant research results. METHODS: Mulder presents the diagnostic criteria of borderline personality disorder, its comorbidity, therapeutic considerations and the phenomenon of stigmatization related to the disorder. RESULTS: According to Mulder, the diagnostic criteria of borderline personality disorder are vague and it shows a very high comorbidity with other psychiatric disorders. Mulder draws attention to the fact that it was not possible to identify a borderline factor in previous research because the borderline symptoms disappeared during the analysis in a general ("g") personality disorder factor. According to Mulder, there is no specific psychotherapy that is effective only in borderline personality disorder, and the pharmacological treatment has also not proven to be effective in treating the core symptoms of borderline personality disorder. According to Mulder, the stigma associated with the diagnosis of borderline personality disorder hinders the recognition and treatment of other psychiatric or somatic difficulties of patients. CONCLUSION: according to Mulder, based on modern scientific standards, borderline personality disorder has no place in the classification, however, specialists still insist on the diagnosis.

Choosing the right biologic treatment for moderate-to-severe plaque psoriasis: the impact of comorbidities.

INTRODUCTION: Psoriasis is a chronic inflammatory skin disease often associated with several comorbidities, such as psoriatic arthritis, inflammatory bowel disease, obesity, diabetes mellitus or cardiovascular diseases, infections, or cancer, among others. With the progressive aging of the population, a growing number of patients with psoriasis can be expected to present multiple comorbidities. Currently, there is a wide range of biological treatments available for moderate to severe psoriasis, including tumor necrosis alpha (TNF) inhibitors, IL12/23 inhibitor, IL17 inhibitors, and IL23 inhibitors. AREAS COVERED: This review aims to describe the specific characteristics of these drugs in relation to psoriasis comorbidities, in order to facilitate decision-making in clinical practice. EXPERT OPINION: Some of the biological treatments can influence comorbidities, in some cases even improving them. Therefore, comorbidities are a key factor when deciding on one biological treatment over another. The development of new drugs is expanding the therapeutic arsenal for psoriasis. A high level of expertise in the field with a detailed knowledge of the characteristics of every drug is imperative to provide personalized medicine.

Cardiogenic shock and chronic kidney disease: Dangerous liaisons.

BACKGROUND: Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is one of the leading causes of death worldwide, closely interrelated with cardiovascular diseases, ultimately leading to the failure of both organs - the so-called "cardiorenal syndrome". Despite this burden, data related to cardiogenic shock outcomes in CKD patients are scarce. METHODS: FRENSHOCK (NCT02703038) was a prospective registry involving 772 patients with cardiogenic shock from 49 centres. One-year outcomes (rehospitalization, death, heart transplantation, ventricular assist device) were analysed according to history of CKD at admission and were adjusted on independent predictive factors. RESULTS: CKD was present in 164 of 771 patients (21.3%) with cardiogenic shock; these patients were older (72.7 vs. 63.9years) and had more comorbidities than those without CKD. CKD was associated with a higher rate of all-cause mortality at 1month (36.6% vs. 23.2%; hazard ratio 1.39, 95% confidence interval 1.01-1.9; P=0.04) and 1year (62.8% vs. 40.5%, hazard ratio 1.39, 95% confidence interval 1.09-1.77; P<0.01). Patients with CKD were less likely to be treated with norepinephrine/epinephrine or undergo invasive ventilation or receive mechanical circulatory support, but were more likely to receive renal replacement therapy (RRT). RRT was associated with a higher risk of all-cause death at 1month and 1year regardless of baseline CKD status. CONCLUSIONS: Cardiogenic shock and CKD are frequent "cross-talking" conditions with limited therapeutic options, resulting in higher rates of death at 1month and 1year. RRT is a strong predictor of death, regardless of preexisting CKD. Multidisciplinary teams involving cardiac and kidney physicians are required to provide integrated care for patients with failure of both organs.

A practical evidence-based approach to management of type 2 diabetes in children and young people (CYP): UK consensus.

BACKGROUND: Type 2 diabetes in young people is an aggressive disease with a greater risk of complications leading to increased morbidity and mortality during the most productive years of life. Prevalence in the UK and globally is rising yet experience in managing this condition is limited. There are no consensus guidelines in the UK for the assessment and management of paediatric type 2 diabetes. METHODS: Multidisciplinary professionals from The Association of Children's Diabetes Clinicians (ACDC) and the National Type 2 Diabetes Working Group reviewed the evidence base and made recommendations using the Grading Of Recommendations, Assessment, Development and Evaluation (GRADE) methodology. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION: Young people with type 2 diabetes should be managed within a paediatric diabetes team with close working with adult diabetes specialists, primary care and other paediatric specialties. Diagnosis of diabetes type can be challenging with many overlapping features. Diabetes antibodies may be needed to aid diagnosis. Co-morbidities and complications are frequently present at diagnosis and should be managed holistically. Lifestyle change and metformin are the mainstay of early treatment, with some needing additional basal insulin. GLP1 agonists should be used as second-line agents once early ketosis and symptoms are controlled. Glycaemic control improves microvascular but not cardiovascular risk. Reduction in excess adiposity, smoking prevention, increased physical activity and reduction of hypertension and dyslipidaemia are essential to reduce major adverse cardiovascular events. CONCLUSIONS: This evidence-based guideline aims to provide a practical approach in managing this condition in the UK.

Managing dry skin in patients with comorbidities or with advanced age: unmet needs and roles for products containing potential emollient-plus ingredients.

In dry skin (DS), skin-barrier function is easily disturbed and moisturizing factors in the stratum corneum are reduced. Despite being a common condition, DS is often overlooked in patients with advanced age or comorbid diseases. In September 2022, specialists in dermatology and skin care met to discuss unmet needs and management of patients with DS with existing medical conditions or DS induced by ongoing pharmacological treatments. There was consensus about the need to improve the current understanding and management of DS in patients with comorbidities, including type 2 diabetes, chronic kidney disease, radiodermatitis, and photodamaged skin. Clinical guidance related to optimal treatment of DS in patients with advanced age or comorbid diseases is needed. Dexpanthenol-containing emollients have been shown to provide rapid relief from the symptoms and clinical signs of skin inflammation and are well-tolerated and effective in terms of moisturizing and soothing DS and maintaining skin-barrier function. Thus, dexpanthenol-containing emollients may play an important role in future management of DS. Further research is needed to elucidate the efficacy of dexpanthenol across the spectrum of DS, irrespective of comorbidity status or age.

Treatment seeking for gambling disorder in nationwide register data - observations around a major shift in legislation.

Background: Treatment seeking for gambling disorder is known to be low and there has been a lack of longitudinal research regarding treatment opportunities. The present study aimed to assess possible changes in treatment uptake after a formal introduction of gambling disorder in social services and health care legislations, by using register data, including patient characteristics with respect to socio-demographics and comorbidities. Methods: Nationwide register data were collected for the years 2005-2019, describing diagnoses in specialized out-patient health care and in in-patient hospital care. Numbers and characteristics of patients with gambling disorder were followed longitudinally. Also, a new legislation for treatment by public institutions was introduced in 2018, and data were compared for the years before and after the shift in legislation, both nationally, for each of the three major urban regions, and for the rest of the country. Comparisons were made with respect to concurrent mental health comorbidities, age and gender. Results: The number of out-patient gambling disorder diagnoses increased over time, but without any significant step changes around the shift in legislation. Over time, patients were younger, became more likely to have gambling disorder as their primary diagnosis, and less likely to have mental health comorbidities, whereas gender distribution did not change. Among the smaller group of patients diagnosed in in-patient settings, mental health comorbidity increased over time. Despite gradual changes over time, no changes in demographics were seen around the actual shift in legislation, although the psychiatric comorbidity appeared to increase after this change. Conclusion: After the introduction of gambling disorder in the responsibility of social services and health care settings in Sweden, the number of patients diagnosed with gambling disorder increased only modestly. Likely, further implementation of gambling disorder treatment is required in the health care services. Also, longer longitudinal studies are needed in order to understand to what extent patients not seeking health care treatment are received by municipal social services or remain outside the treatment system.

Attention-deficit Hyperactivity Disorder and Autism Spectrum Disorder: Towards Better Diagnosis and Management.

Background: Attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHA) is one of the most common comorbid disorders of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) that can accompany autism, triggered by it, or be a consequence of it. Objective: This review explored the prevalence of the comorbidity of both disorders, neurobiological background, symptoms, latest assessment methods, and therapeutic approaches. Results and Discussion: It concluded that effective assessment, diagnosis and management of ADHD in ASD children and adults is essential for this group of patients to thrive and live a good quality of life. Further research is recommended to explore the most effective intervention for such important members of our society. Conclusion: More studies are needed to understand the mechanisms underlying these comorbidities, and to prevent the misdiagnosis and mismanagement of these disorders. Also, to develop up to date personalized therapeutic plans for such children.

Adult surgical admissions at a Botswana tertiary teaching hospital - spectrum, comorbidity profile, and outcomes.

BACKGROUND: Documentation on the spectrum, comorbidities, profile, and outcomes of adult surgical admissions in Botswana is limited. This information may guide manpower distribution for proposed rotations in the new general surgery training programmes. METHODS: The medical records of adult surgical admissions for a period of one year (August 2017 - July 2018) were reviewed retrospectively. Demographics, types of admissions, dates of admission and discharge, and known comorbidities were captured and the outcomes were analysed. RESULTS: Of the 2610 admissions the mean age was 44.4 years and 60.8% were male. Gastrointestinal tract (GIT), neurosurgical, and cardiothoracic admissions constituted 60.7%. Emergency admissions constituted 50.1%. Comorbidities were found in 45.6% of the admissions, and HIV-prevalence was 697/1822 (38.3%) among known HIV-status patients. Elective admissions underwent more surgical procedures, 776/1303 (59.6%), p = 0.001 (COR 1.9, 95% CI:1.7-2.3). A total of 220/2610 complications (8.4%) were documented, including 42/1355 (3.1%) superficial surgical site infections and 159/2610 deaths (6.1%). Hypertension and diabetes mellitus were associated with higher mortality, p = 0.002 (COR 1.8,95% CI:1.2-2.6) and p = 0.031 (COR 1.9, 95% CI:1.1-3.4) respectively. HIV-positive patients had longer hospital stays than HIV-negative patients, p = 0.001 (COR 1.03, 95% CI:1.02-1.04). HIV-positive admissions with CD4 count < 200 had significantly higher composite complication and mortality rate than those with ≥ 200, p = 0.002 (COR 3.03, 95% CI:1.52-6.04) and p = 0.001 (COR 4.34, 95% CI:2.08-9.05) respectively. CONCLUSION: Contributions of emergency and elective admissions were even. A higher burden of diseases was found in gastroenterology. The higher mortalities associated with hypertension, diabetes, and CD4 count < 200 warrant further study.

Temporomandibular Disorders, Bruxism and Headaches.

Temporomandibular disorders (TMDs) and headache disorders are highly prevalent in the population. TMDs can present headache symptoms as a secondary headache and, in addition, be comorbid with primary headache disorders. This overlap has significant clinical implications for which it is essential for the physician to be aware, and they should screen for the potential presence of TMDs in a headache patient. Bruxism is a parafunctional behavior also prevalent in the population which has a role in TMDs and may influence headache symptomatology, but it is still necessary to clarify this relationship.

Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on mortality and loss to follow-up among patients with dementia receiving anti-dementia medications.

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has profoundly impacted vulnerable groups, such as patients with dementia. We examined changes in mortality and loss to follow-up in patients with dementia using data from the Korean National Health Insurance Service research database. Patients with dementia who visited a medical institution with a recorded dementia-related diagnostic code, including Alzheimer's disease, and who received anti-dementia medication between February 2018 and January 2020 were included in this study. We divided patients with dementia receiving anti-dementia medications into two cohorts: those newly diagnosed with dementia between February 2018 and January 2019 (n = 62,631) and those diagnosed between February 2019 and January 2020 (n = 54,494). Then, we conducted a one-year follow-up of their records, tracking the cohort diagnosed between February 2018 and January 2019 from February 2019 to January 2020, as well as the cohort diagnosed between February 2019 and January 2020 from February 2020 to January 2021. There was a significant increase in follow-up loss among patients newly diagnosed with dementia during the COVID-19 outbreak, from 42.04% in 2019 to 45.89% in 2020. Female sex, younger age, fewer comorbidities, diagnosis of dementia at the Department of Neurology or Psychiatry, and higher income were associated with decreased follow-up loss and mortality. This study highlights the importance of paying extra attention to patients with dementia receiving anti-dementia medications, particularly during pandemics, given their increased risk of loss to follow-up.