Cigarette smoking in an adolescent psychiatric population

Objective. To examine the relationship between cigarette smoking and psychiatric symptomatology in an outpatient psychiatric population of adolescents.Method. A retrospective analysis was done of 934 patient charts at an outpatient psychiatric centre.Results. 48.4% of the psychiatric sample reported regular smoking behaviour, which is substantially more than the 18.1 % prevalence found in a local epidemiological study. Incomparing smokers and non-smokers within the psychiatric sample, it was noted that smokers were significantly younger and scored somewhat higher on depression ratingscales than non-smokers. A logistical regression, using quasi-Newton estimation, was chosen as the most suitable statistical method for building a classificatory model ofsmoking. Two continuous variables, age and the Hamilton depression score, along with 39 discrete variables, were chosen for modelling purposes. Model building was conducted in a hierarchical fashion, starting with demographic variables, the variable selection beingcontrolled by using chi-square tests of model differences. A predictive model of smoking with nine variables was finally selected.Conclusions. As a whole the results support the strong association between smoking and psychiatric problems, but in this adolescent sample smoking is more likely to be partof a general risk-taking behaviour pattern than an attempt to medicate depression. Anti-tobacco campaigns that highlight the risks of smoking are therefore open invitationsfor adolescents to take up the habit

Low incidence of SARS-CoV-2, risk factors of mortality and the course of illness in the French national cohort of dialysis patients

International audienceThe aim of this study was to estimate the incidence of COVID-19 disease in the French national population of dialysis patients, their course of illness and to identify the risk factors associated with mortality. Our study included all patients on dialysis recorded in the French REIN Registry in April 2020. Clinical characteristics at last follow-up and the evolution of COVID-19 illness severity over time were recorded for diagnosed cases (either suspicious clinical symptoms, characteristic signs on the chest scan or a positive reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction) for SARS-CoV-2. A total of 1,621 infected patients were reported on the REIN registry from March 16th, 2020 to May 4th, 2020. Of these, 344 died. The prevalence of COVID-19 patients varied from less than 1% to 10% between regions. The probability of being a case was higher in males, patients with diabetes, those in need of assistance for transfer or treated at a self-care unit. Dialysis at home was associated with a lower probability of being infected as was being a smoker, a former smoker, having an active malignancy, or peripheral vascular disease. Mortality in diagnosed cases (21%) was associated with the same causes as in the general population. Higher age, hypoalbuminemia and the presence of an ischemic heart disease were statistically independently associated with a higher risk of death. Being treated at a selfcare unit was associated with a lower risk. Thus, our study showed a relatively low frequency of COVID-19 among dialysis patients contrary to what might have been assumed