RESUMO
Aim The Assessment of Spondyloarthritis International Society Health Index (ASAS HI) Croatian version was used to assess health and functioning of patients with spondyloarthritis (SpA) covering aspects of physical, emotional and social functioning. Methods A cross sectional study was conducted at the Clinic for Internal Diseases Tuzla from January to June 2021. Inclusion criteria: fulfilled the ASAS diagnostic criteria for SpA. Exclusion criteria: failure to fulfil the diagnostic criteria, acute infection, the use of antibiotics in the past month, malignancy, associated disorders, psychiatric disorders, pregnancy, patient's refusal to take part in the study. The Disease Activity Score with C reactive protein values (ASDAS-CRP) was assessed. Results Eighty three patients (43 male and 40 female) fulfilled the study criteria with median age of 54 years. The median value of ASDAS-CRP was 2.15, since ASAS HI had the median of 8 (interquartile range; IQR: 2-13) points. Patients with inactivity and with low disease activity had the ASAS HI median of 2 (IQR: 0-6) and 5 (IQR: 1-9) points, respectively. Significantly higher values of ASAS HI were found in patients with moderate and high disease activity, males (13.5 and 16) and females (13 and 14), respectively. The correlation between ASDAS-CRP and ASAS HI, (r=0.62; p<0.0009) was positive, statistically significant. However, the significant correlation between disease duration and ASAS HI values was not found (r=0.11; p=0.28). Conclusion The ASAS HI, Croatian version, is valid and reliable disease specific questionnaire for the assessment of health status in patients with SpA in the Bosnian speaking area.
RESUMO
THE AIM: of the study was to determine the situation of preterm births and early neonatal mortality during 2007-2014 in Tuzla Canton, Bosnia and Herzegovina. METHODS: The study covers a 8-year period and is based on the protocols at the Tuzla Clinic for Gynecology and Obstetrics that covers all birth in Tuzla Canton area. We analyzed the gestational age of all newborns and recorded the number of neonatal deaths in the first week after birth. Demographics, pregnancy and birth characteristics were collected from the maternal records. RESULTS: The total number of births in the period was 32738. Preterm birth was identified in 2401 (7.3%) cases with 12,5% occurring before 32 gestational weeks and 64% in 35-36 gestational weeks. The mothers of the 24-31 gws preterm group were significantly younger that those in the 32-36 group. In the 32-36 group there were significantly greater proportions of mothers with assisted reproductive technology and pre-eclampsia and 16.7% was medical induced preterm births versus 11.4 % in the 24-31 PTB group, p<0.05. The incidence of PTB did no vary significantly during the period, the lowest rate was found in 2010 (6.4%). A total of 221 children died giving a early mortality rate of 6.8 per 1000 live born over the 8 years. The majority 156 dying infants (70.6%) were preterm, only 5.7% died being born in the 35-36 gestational week (5.9 per 1000). Overall the preterm early mortality (7.3 per 1000) has shown a decreasing tendency during the latter years. CONCLUSION: During the last 8 years there have been no significant decline in preterm birth in the Tuzla region while a decline in early neonatal death has been registered.