8 research outputs found
von Willebrand factor and early diabetic retinopathy: no evidence for a relationship in patients with Type 1 (insulin-dependent) diabetes mellitus and normal urinary albumin excretion
High plasma levels of von Willebrand factor, an indicator of endothelial cell dysfunction, have been reported in both diabetic retinopathy and nephropathy. It is unclear, however, whether von Willebrand factor is related to diabetic retinopathy in the absence of diabetic nephropathy. The relationship between retinal status and plasma von Willebrand factor concentration was investigated in a cohort of 17 patients with Type 1 (insulin-dependent) diabetes mellitus who were followed-up for a median of 42 months. The patients were examined three times. They were selected for having had normal urinary albumin excretion and no evidence of retinopathy (on fundoscopy) at the first and second examination. They were then divided into two groups, according to absence (Group A;n=9) or presence (Group B;n=8) of retinopathy on fundoscopy or fluorescein angiography at the third examination. Urinary albumin excretion remained normal in all patients. Plasma von Willebrand factor levels were similar in both groups: (median) 128 vs 123 %, 164 vs 132% and 159 vs 130 % (first, second and third examination, respectively). Median changes in plasma von Willebrand factor were also similar: +7 vs +9 % and +5 vs +1 % (first-second and second-third examination). Patients in whom the plasma von Willebrand factor concentration increased had higher systolic blood pressure at the third examination (150±30 vs 130±12 mmHg,p=0.02) when compared to those in whom plasma von Willebrand factor did not increase, but were of similar age and had similar diabetes duration, retinal status, diastolic blood pressure, glycated haemoglobin and serum cholesterol concentration. These data do not support the hypothesis that increases in plasma von Willebrand factor concentration reflect retinal endothelial injury in Type 1 diabetic patients with normal urinary albumin excretion. In these patients, high or increasing plasma von Willebrand factor levels may be related to systolic blood pressure
Recovery of dialysis patients with COVID-19 : health outcomes 3 months after diagnosis in ERACODA
Background. Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19)-related short-term mortality is high in dialysis patients, but longer-term outcomes are largely unknown. We therefore assessed patient recovery in a large cohort of dialysis patients 3 months after their COVID-19 diagnosis. Methods. We analyzed data on dialysis patients diagnosed with COVID-19 from 1 February 2020 to 31 March 2021 from the European Renal Association COVID-19 Database (ERACODA). The outcomes studied were patient survival, residence and functional and mental health status (estimated by their treating physician) 3 months after COVID-19 diagnosis. Complete follow-up data were available for 854 surviving patients. Patient characteristics associated with recovery were analyzed using logistic regression. Results. In 2449 hemodialysis patients (mean ± SD age 67.5 ± 14.4 years, 62% male), survival probabilities at 3 months after COVID-19 diagnosis were 90% for nonhospitalized patients (n = 1087), 73% for patients admitted to the hospital but not to an intensive care unit (ICU) (n = 1165) and 40% for those admitted to an ICU (n = 197). Patient survival hardly decreased between 28 days and 3 months after COVID-19 diagnosis. At 3 months, 87% functioned at their pre-existent functional and 94% at their pre-existent mental level. Only few of the surviving patients were still admitted to the hospital (0.8-6.3%) or a nursing home (∼5%). A higher age and frailty score at presentation and ICU admission were associated with worse functional outcome. Conclusions. Mortality between 28 days and 3 months after COVID-19 diagnosis was low and the majority of patients who survived COVID-19 recovered to their pre-existent functional and mental health level at 3 months after diagnosis
Miglitol (Bay m 1099) has no extraintestinal effects on glucose control in healthy volunteers.
Evidence for a major role of genetic factors in the etiology of head and neck squamous cell carcinoma
Evidence for a major role of genetic factors in the etiology of head and neck squamous cell carcinoma
Sex differences in COVID-19 mortality risk in patients on kidney function replacement therapy
In the general population with COVID-19, the male sex is an established risk factor for mortality, in part due to a more robust immune response to COVID-19 in women. Because patients on kidney function replacement therapy (KFRT) have an impaired immune response, especially kidney transplant recipients due to their use of immunosuppressants, we examined whether the male sex is still a risk factor for mortality among patients on KFRT with COVID-19. From the European Renal Association COVID-19 Database (ERACODA), we examined patients on KFRT with COVID-19 who presented between February 1st, 2020, and April 30th, 2021. 1204 kidney transplant recipients (male 62.0%, mean age 56.4 years) and 3206 dialysis patients (male 61.8%, mean age 67.7 years) were examined. Three-month mortality in kidney transplant recipients was 16.9% in males and 18.6% in females (p = 0.31) and in dialysis patients 27.1% in males and 21.9% in females (p = 0.001). The adjusted HR for the risk of 3-month mortality in males (vs females) was 0.89 (95% CI 65, 1.23, p = 0.49) in kidney transplant recipients and 1.33 (95% CI 1.13, 1.56, p = 0.001) in dialysis patients (p = 0.02). In a fully adjusted model, the aHR for the risk of 3-month mortality in kidney transplant recipients (vs. dialysis patients) was 1.39 (95% CI 1.02, 1.89, p = 0.04) in males and 2.04 (95% CI 1.40, 2.97, p < 0.001) in females (p = 0.02). In patients on KFRT with COVID-19, the male sex is not a risk factor for mortality among kidney transplant recipients but remains a risk factor among dialysis patients. The use of immunosuppressants in kidney transplant recipients, among other factors, may have narrowed the difference in the immune response to COVID-19 between men and women, and therefore reduced the sex difference in COVID-19 mortality risk
Clinical triage of patients on kidney replacement therapy presenting with COVID-19: An ERACODA registry analysis
Background: Patients on kidney replacement therapy (KRT) are at very high risk of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). The triage pathway for KRT patients presenting to hospitals with varying severity of COVID-19 illness remains ill-defined. We studied the clinical characteristics of patients at initial and subsequent hospital presentations and the impact on patient outcomes. Methods: The European Renal Association COVID-19 Database (ERACODA) was analysed for clinical and laboratory features of 1423 KRT patients with COVID-19 either hospitalized or non-hospitalized at initial triage and those re-presenting a second time. Predictors of outcomes (hospitalization, 28-day mortality) were then determined for all those not hospitalized at initial triage. Results: Among 1423 KRT patients with COVID-19 [haemodialysis (HD), n = 1017; transplant, n = 406), 25% (n = 355) were not hospitalized at first presentation due to mild illness (30% HD, 13% transplant). Of the non-hospitalized patients, only 10% (n = 36) re-presented a second time, with a 5-day median interval between the two presentations (interquartile range 2-7 days). Patients who re-presented had worsening respiratory symptoms, a decrease in oxygen saturation (97% versus 90%) and an increase in C-reactive protein (26 versus 73 mg/L) and were older (72 vs 63 years) compared with those who did not return a second time. The 28-day mortality between early admission (at first presentation) and deferred admission (at second presentation) was not significantly different (29% versus 25%; P = 0.6). Older age, prior smoking history, higher clinical frailty score and self-reported shortness of breath at first presentation were identified as risk predictors of mortality when re-presenting after discharge at initial triage. Conclusions: This study provides evidence that KRT patients with COVID-19 and mild illness can be managed effectively with supported outpatient care and with vigilance of respiratory symptoms, especially in those with risk factors for poor outcomes. Our findings support a risk-stratified clinical approach to admissions and discharges of KRT patients presenting with COVID-19 to aid clinical triage and optimize resource utilization during the ongoing pandemic. © 2021 The Author(s) 2021. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of ERA-EDTA. All rights reserved