Skin prick test results in patients from thrace region presenting with pulmonary symptoms

Amaç: Bu çalışmada Pulmoner semptomlarla başvuran hastalarda alerjen duyarlılığı profilinin belirlenmesi amaçlandı. Hastalar ve Yöntemler: Ekim 1999-Nisan 2005 tarihleri arasında pulmoner yakınmalarla başvuran 196 hastada (136 kadın, 60 erkek; ort. yaş 34.7±11.7) yapılan deri testi sonuçları, total IgE sonuçları ve alerji bilgi formları geriye dönük olarak incelendi. Bulgular: Çalışmaya alınan hastaların IgE medyan değeri (%25-75) 202 U/ml (118-530) idi. En sık görülen semptom %65.3 ile nefes darlığı iken ikinci sıklıkta başvuru nedeni %63.8 ile öksürüktü. Bu semptomlar %46.9 hastada toz alırken artmaktaydı. Hastaların %59.7'sinde en az bir alerjene duyarlık saptandı. Tek alerjen ile duyarlılık %18.9 iken çok alerjene duyarlılık %40.8 olarak tespit edildi. En sık %39.8 ile ev tozu akarlarına karşı alerji tespit edilirken ikinci sıklıkta %26 ile ağaç polenlerine karşı saptandı. D. Farinea'ya %33.7, D. Pteronyssinus'a %32.7 duyarlık saptandı. Sonuç: Trakya Bölgesi'nden alerjik semptomlarla başvuran hastalarda en sık ev tozu akarlarına karşı duyarlılık saptandı. Olguların %46.9'unda da semptomların evde, toz alırken artması bu bulguyu destekler nitelikteydi.Objectives: The aim of the study was to determine the profile of allergen sensitization in patients presenting with pulmonary symptoms. Patients and Methods: Skin test results of 196 patients (136 females, 60 males; mean age 34.7±11.7 years) presenting with pulmonary complaints between October 1999 and April 2005; total IgE results and allergy information forms were analyzed retrospectively. Results: Median value of IgE was (%25-75) 202 U/ml (118-530) in the patients enrolled. The most frequent symptom was shortness of breath (65.3%), and the second was cough (63.8%). These symptoms aggravated while patients were dusting. Sensitivity to at least one allergen was observed in 59.7% of the patients. Sensitivity to a single allergen was present in 18.9% and to multiple allergens in 40.8% of all patients. The most frequent allergy was determined to house dust mite (39.8%) and was followed by allergy to tree pollens (26%). Sensitivity rate to D. Farinea was 33.7% and 32.7% to D. Pteronyssinus. Conclusion: House dust mite were the primary causes of sensitization in patients presenting with allergic symptoms in the Thrace region. The fact that the symptoms aggravated in 46.9% of the patients while they were dusting at home, seemed to support this finding

Pulmonary involvement in brucellosis: Case report

Bruselloz, Gram-negatif bakteri ailesinden Brusella türü bakterilerle oluşan zoonotik bir hastalı ktır. Bakteri başta retiküloendotelyal sistem olmak üzere eklem, kalp, böbrek gibi multisistemik tutulum gösterir. Bulaşma yollarından biri inhalasyon olmasına rağmen akciğer tutulumu nadirdir. Göğüs ağrısı, nefes darlığı şikayetiyle başvuran 72 yaşındaki kadın hasta pnömoni öntanısıyla yatırıldı. Yakınmaların antibiyotik tedavisiyle geçmemesi üzerine hastaya, pulmoner emboli düşünülerek çekilen bilgisayarlı tomografide trombüs saptanmadı; ancak, sol akciğer lingular segment, sağ orta lob ve iki taraflı alt loblarda buzlu cam opasitesi izlendi. Kan kültürlerinde Brusella üremesi üzerine spesifik antibiyoterapiye başlandı. Hastanın takiplerinde yan ağrısı düzeldi ve venöz tromboemboliyi düşündürecek herhangi bir gelişme olmadı.Brucellosis is a zoonotic disease caused by a Gramnegative bacillus of the Brucella gender. Involvement is multisystemic primarily affecting the reticuloendothelial system, joints, heart, and kidneys. Although the disease can be spread by inhalation, pulmonary involvement is rare. A 72-year-old female patient presented with complaints of chest pain and shortness of breath. She was admitted with a preliminary diagnosis of pneumonia. She did not respond to antibiotic therapy. Computed tomography performed for the differential diagnosis of pulmonary embolism showed no evidence for thrombus, but ground glass opacities in the lingular segment of the left lung, the right middle lobe, and bilateral lower lobes. Specific antibiotic therapy was started upon detection of Brucella spp. by hemoculture. The patient's pain disappeared and no sign of venous thromboembolism was observed

Evaluation of patients with fibrotic interstitial lung disease: Preliminary results from the Turk-UIP study

OBJECTIVE: Differential diagnosis of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) is important among fibrotic interstitial lung diseases (ILD). This study aimed to evaluate the rate of IPF in patients with fibrotic ILD and to determine the clinical-laboratory features of patients with and without IPF that would provide the differential diagnosis of IPF. MATERIAL AND METHODS: The study included the patients with the usual interstitial pneumonia (UIP) pattern or possible UIP pattern on thorax high-resolution computed tomography, and/or UIP pattern, probable UIP or possible UIP pattern at lung biopsy according to the 2011 ATS/ERSARS/ALAT guidelines. Demographics and clinical and radiological data of the patients were recorded. All data recorded by researchers was evaluated by radiology and the clinical decision board. RESULTS: A total of 336 patients (253 men, 83 women, age 65.8 +/- 9.0 years) were evaluated. Of the patients with sufficient data for diag-nosis (n=300), the diagnosis was IPF in 121 (40.3%), unclassified idiopathic interstitial pneumonia in 50 (16.7%), combined pulmonary fibrosis and emphysema (CPFE) in 40 (13.3%), and lung involvement of connective tissue disease (CTD) in 16 (5.3%). When 29 patients with definite IPF features were added to the patients with CPFE, the total number of IPF patients reached 150 (50%). Rate of male sex (p<0.001), smoking history (p<0.001), and the presence of clubbing (p=0.001) were significantly high in patients with IPE None of the women <50 years and none of the men <50 years of age without a smoking history were diagnosed with IPE Presence of at least 1 of the symptoms suggestive of CTD, erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR), and antinuclear antibody (FANA) positivity rates were significantly higher in the non-IPF group (p<0.001, p=0.029, p=0.009, respectively). CONCLUSION: The rate of IPF among patients with fibrotic ILD was 50%. In the differential diagnosis of IPF, sex, smoking habits, and the presence of clubbing are important. The presence of symptoms related to CTD, ESR elevation, and EANA positivity reduce the likelihood of IPF

The Influence of the Turkish Anti-Tobacco Law on Primary School Children in Edirne

Objective: The Turkish anti-tobacco law was accepted and effectuated in 1996. All forms of cigarette advertising, the sale of tobacco products to persons under the age of 18 and smoking in public institutions were all restricted. In this paper, we aimed to evaluate the influence of the Turkish anti-tobacco law on children for the periods before the law, after three years and after 10 years. Material and Methods: A self-completed questionnaire was distributed among primary school children. This included questions about the children’s smoking habits, their opinions of parents’ and teachers’ smoking habits, tobacco use in public places and the recognition rate of 16 food, drink, cigarette and toothpaste logos and brand names. The first, second and third applications of the questionnaire were performed with students who attended the same classes in the same primary schools, accounting for 772 children in June 1996, 1,157 children in February 1999 and 719 children in June 2006.Results: When these three periods were evaluated, it could be seen that the prevalence of having smoked significantly decreased (13.9%, 4%, 2.2%, p<0.001), as did the rate of purchasing cigarettes within the past week (36.6%, 29.1%, 15.8%, p<0.001). The disagreement with parents’ and teachers’ smoking habits and tobacco usage in public places increased significantly (p<0.001), while the recognition rates of some cigarette brand names and logos significantly decreased, specifically with regards to Marlboro, Camel and Samsun (p<0.001). Conclusion: The Turkish anti-tobacco law has had a positive effect on primary school children in Edirne, and therefore could be a model for other countries

Bronchiectasis in Türkiye: Data from a Multicenter Registry (Turkish Adult Bronchiectasis Database)

Background: Bronchiectasis is a chronic lung disease characterized by permanent bronchial wall dilatation. Although it has been known as an orphan disease, it has recently gained attention because of registry-based studies and drug research. Aims: We aimed to use a multicenter database to analyze and compare data regarding the etiology, associated comorbidities, microbiological characteristics, and preventive strategies of bronchiectasis in Türkiye to those of other countries. Study Design: A multicenter prospective cohort study. Methods: The multicenter, prospective cohort study was conducted between March 2019 and January 2022 using the Turkish Adult Bronchiectasis Database, in which 25 centers in Türkiye participated. Patients aged > 18 years who presented with respiratory symptoms such as cough, sputum, and dyspnea and were diagnosed with non-cystic fibrosis bronchiectasis using computed tomography were included in the study. Demographic information, etiologies, comorbidities, pulmonary functions, and microbiological, radiological, and clinical data were collected from the patients. Results: Of the 1,035 study participants, 518 (50%) were females. The mean age of the patients was 56.1 ± 16.1 years. The underlying etiology was detected in 565 (54.6%) patients. While postinfectious origin was the most common cause of bronchiectasis (39.5%), tuberculosis was identified in 11.3% of the patients. An additional comorbidity was detected in 688 (66.5%) patients. The most common comorbidity was cardiovascular disease, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and bronchiectasis was identified in 19.5% of the patients. The most commonly detected microbiological agent was Pseudomonas aeruginosa (29.4%). Inhaled corticosteroids (ICS) were used in 70.1% of the patients, and the frequency of exacerbations in the last year was significantly higher in patients using ICS than in nonusers (p < 0.0001). Age [odds ratio (OR): 1.028; 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.005-1.051], cachexia (OR: 4.774; 95% CI: 2,054-11,097), high modified medical research council dyspnea scale score (OR: 1,952; 95% CI: 1,459-2,611), presence of chronic renal failure (OR: 4,172; 95% CI: 1,249-13,938) and use of inhaled steroids (OR: 2,587; 95% CI: 1,098-6,098) were significant risk factors for mortality. Mortality rates were higher in patients with COPD than in those with no COPD (21.7-9.1%, p = 0.016). Patients with bronchiectasis and COPD exhibited more frequent exacerbations, exacerbation-related hospitalizations, and hospitalization in the intensive care unit in the previous year than patients without COPD. Conclusion: This is the first multicenter study of bronchiectasis in Türkiye. The study results will provide important data that can guide the development of health policies in Türkiye on issues such as infection control, vaccination, and the unnecessary use of antibiotics and steroids

COVID-19 pandemic and the global perspective of Turkish Thoracic Society

It has been more than 3 months now since the first case of COVID-19 was reported in Turkey. Globally, the number of confirmed cases and deaths reached 9,653,048 and 491,128 respectively, as reported by 216 countries by June 27, 2020. Turkey had 1,396 new cases, 194,511 total cases, and 5,065 deaths by the same date. From the first case until today, the Turkish Thoracic Society (TTS) has been very proactive in educating doctors, increasing public awareness, undertaking academic studies, and assisting with public health policies. In the present report, social, academic, and management perspectives of the pandemic are presented under appropriate subtitles. During this critical public health crisis, TTS has once again demonstrated its readiness and constructive stance by supporting public health, healthcare workers, and the environment. This review summarizes the perspective of TTS on each aspect of the COVID-19 pandemic and casts light on its contributions