Badanie przesiewowe pacjentów z chorobą wieńcową w kierunku obturacyjnego bezdechu sennego i ocena jego wpływu na zmienność rytmu zatokowego

Introduction. Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is one of the most common sleep disorders, which affects 4% of men and 2% of women in the world population. The disorder can be diagnosed in men and women of all ages; however, its incidence increases with age. Patients with OSA experience increased levels of sympathetic nervous system activity, which is evidenced by the increased catecholamines secretion. They are at an increased risk of developing complications of coronary heart disease (CHD).The aim of the study was to evaluate the influence of results of screening for OSA on the activity of the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous systems within the scope of selected heart rate variability (HRV) parameters (time-domain and frequency-domain analyses of the HRV) in patients with CHD.Material and methods. Holter recordings of 146 patients aged 43–78 (106 of whom were men) were analysed retrospectively. The patients were divided into four groups on the basis of the estimated apnea–hypopnea index (eAHI), assessed by means of 24-hour recordings of electrocardiogram with Lifescreen Apnea software: &lt; 5 (control group), from 5 to &lt; 15 (mild), from 15 to &lt; 30 (moderate) and ≥ 30 episodes (severe). For each patient, a profile of power spectrum alterations was developed for low frequency (LF) and high frequency (HF) in 60-minute periods between 10 p.m. and 6 a.m. and standard deviation of RR intervals (SDNN) and root mean square of successive differences (rMSSD) values were calculated. The power spectrum in the consecutive one-hour periods was averaged in both groups. In view of the right-skewed distribution of data, the average power spectra were converted into natural logarithms. In order to assess the significance of variations, the natural logarithms of the average values were compared using the univariate analysis of variance (ANOVA).Results. In the examined groups, there were statistically significant differences in the HF band of power spectrum between the control group and the group of patients with mild OSA (p &lt; 0.01), those with severe OSA (p &lt; 0.01) and also between the group with mild and moderate OSA (p &lt; 0.01). In the LF band of power spectrum, the only difference was seen between the group of patients with mild OSA and those with moderate OSA (p &lt; 0.01). In the time-domain analysis of HRV (SDNN, rMSSD), no statistically significant differences between the groups were observed.Conclusions. High frequency band of power spectrum [HF] in frequency-domain HRV analysis could be a more effective parameter to distinguish patients with mild OSA (from 5 to &lt; 15) and severe OSA (≥ 30) in patients suffering from CHD, than the power spectrum for LF or SDNN and rMSSD.Wstęp. Obturacyjny bezdech senny (OSA) jest jednym z najczęstszych zaburzeń snu, obecnym u około 4% mężczyzn i 2% kobiet. Choroba może być rozpoznawana niezależnie od wieku i płci; jej częstość wzrasta z wiekiem. U chorych z OSA w trakcie snu dochodzi do wzmożonej aktywności układu współczulnego i zwiększonego wówczas wydzielania amin katecholowych. Pacjentów z OSA cechuje zwiększone ryzyko choroby wieńcowej (CHD). Celem badania była ocena wpływu OSA na aktywność układów para- i sympatycznego w zakresie wybranych parametrów zmienności rytmu serca (HRV) — analizy czasowej i częstotliwościowej u chorych na CHD oraz przydatności tych parametrów w ustaleniu prawdopodobieństwa występowania bezdechów w czasie snu. Materiał i metody. Obserwacji retrospektywnej poddano 146 pacjentów w wieku 43–78 lat (106 mężczyzn) z CHD. Chorych przydzielono do 4 grup na podstawie szacowanego wskaźnika bezdechów–spłyconych oddechów (eAHI) uzyskanego na podstawie 24-godzinnego zapisu elektrokardiograficznego metodą Holtera za pomocą oprogramowania Lifescreen: wynik poniżej 5 (grupa kontrolna), od 5 do mniej niż 15 (łagodny OSA); od 15 do mniej niż 30 (umiarkowany OSA) oraz ponad 30 (ciężki OSA). Dla każdego pacjenta opracowano profil zmian mocy widma dla niskiej częstotliwości (LF) i mocy widma dla wysokiej częstotliwości (HF) w 60-minutowych przedziałach czasu od godziny 22:00 do 06:00, a także obliczono wartości odchylenia standardowego wszystkich normalnych odstępów NN (SDNN) i pierwiastka średniej sumy kwadratów różnic miedzy sąsiadującymi odstępami NN (rMSSD) u poszczególnych pacjentów. Moc widma w kolejnych przedziałach godzinowych uśredniono w obu grupach. Ze względu na prawoskośny rozkład wartości średnie mocy widma przekodowano na logarytmy naturalne. W celu oceny istotności różnic porównano logarytmy naturalne ich średnich, wykorzystując jednoczynnikową analizę wariancji (ANOVA). Wyniki. W badanych grupach wykazano istotne statystycznie różnice mocy widma w zakresie HF między grupą kontrolną a grupą pacjentów z łagodnym OSA (p < 0,01) oraz ciężkim OSA (p < 0,01), a także porównując grupy badanych z łagodnym i umiarkowanym OSA (p < 0,01.) Analizując moc widma w zakresie LF nie zaobserwowano istotnych statystycznie różnic oprócz porównania grup pacjentów z łagodnym i umiarkowanym OSA (p < 0,01). W analizie czasowej HRV (SDNN, rMSSD) nie wykazano istotnych statystycznie różnic między grupami. Wnioski. Podsumowując, moc widma w zakresie HF analizy częstotliwościowej HRV może być lepszym parametrem do wyodrębnienia grupy chorych z OSA łagodnym (od 5 do < 15) i ciężkim (≥ 30) u pacjentów z CHD niż moc widma w zakresie LF lub SDNN i rMSSD

Evaluation of the impact of atmospheric pressure in different seasons on blood pressure in patients with arterial hypertension

Objectives: Atmospheric pressure is the most objective weather factor because regardless of if outdoors or indoors it affects all objects in the same way. The majority of previous studies have used the average daily values of atmospheric pressure in a bioclimatic analysis and have found no correlation with blood pressure changes. The main objective of our research was to assess the relationship between atmospheric pressure recorded with a frequency of 1 measurement per minute and the results of 24-h blood pressure monitoring in patients with treated hypertension in different seasons in the moderate climate of the City of Łódź (Poland). Material and Methods: The study group consisted of 1662 patients, divided into 2 equal groups (due to a lower and higher average value of atmospheric pressure). Comparisons between blood pressure values in the 2 groups were performed using the Mann-Whitney U test. Results: We observed a significant difference in blood pressure recorded during the lower and higher range of atmospheric pressure: on the days of the spring months systolic (p = 0.043) and diastolic (p = 0.005) blood pressure, and at nights of the winter months systolic blood pressure (p = 0.013). Conclusions: A significant inverse relationship between atmospheric pressure and blood pressure during the spring days and, only for systolic blood pressure, during winter nights was observed. Int J Occup Med Environ Health 2016;29(5):783–79

Genital warts associated with HPV infection during II and III trimester of pregnancy – a case report and analysis of treatment options

More than 30 HPV types can infect the genital tract. Viral infection can be present in clinical, subclinical or latent form. A visible genital form of HPV infection are genital warts, which are commonly caused by HPV types 6 and 11, and appear on the vulva, cervix, vagina, urethra and anus. Oncogenic HPV types 16,18,31,33 and 35 are also found in genital warts and are associated with vulval (VIN), cervical (CIN) and anal (AIN) intraepithelial neoplasia. The general prevalence of HPV infection in the form of visible genital warts estimates to about 1% of sexually active adults. Approximately 15% of the infected group / of all adults have a subclinical or latent infection and at least 80% had been infected with one or more genital HPV types at some point in their lives. The highest rate of frequency of infections occurs in the group of adults, aged from 18 to 28. Over the last twenty years figures have shown a constant growth of the infection rate, which also includes pregnant women. Genital warts can proliferate during pregnancy due to altered immunity and increased blood supply. Cryotherapy, electrocautery, laser therapy, surgery or trichloroacetic acid may be used to remove the warts. In the paper a case report on genital warts associated with HPV infection during II and III trimester of pregnancy and analysis of treatment options has been presented

Jedna pacjentka — różne oblicza choroby niedokrwiennej serca

We present the case of a woman treated with coronary angioplasty due to non-ST segment elevation myocardial infarction,then again because of restenosis, who continued to complain of chest pain and syncope. Holter electrocardiogram recordingrevealed atrioventricular block related to ST-segment elevations and variant angina was diagnosed. Despite administeredmedications, the patient required pacemaker implantation

Flow-mediated skin fluorescence: A novel method for the estimation of sleep apnea risk in healthy persons and cardiac patients

Background: This pilot study revealed a relationship between the results of flow mediated skin fluorescence (FMSF) and of ECG-Holter-based estimated apnea/hypopnea index (eAHI) in asymptomatic individuals. The aim was to test whether the results of FMSF show a relationship with the eAHI in patients with coronary artery disease or aortic stenosis. Methods: Twenty-one patients (12 coronary disease, 9 aortic stenosis) and 37 healthy volunteers were included in this study. FMSF was assessed before, during and after the pressure occlusion of the brachial artery, using a prototype device allowing the quantification of skin fluorescence. The values of FMSF expressed as baseline (BASE), maximum (MAX), and minimum (MIN) were analyzed. The percentages of ischemic response (IR) and hyperemic response (HR) were calculated. The eAHI was assessed from night ECG-Holter recordings. Differences between the groups and the relationships between the parameters were analyzed statistically. Results: Mean ± standard deviation of BASE, MAX, MIN and IR were not significantly different in both groups (p &gt; 0.05). HR was significantly lower in cardiac patients (14.7 ± 7.5 vs. 11.8 ± 5.1; p = 0.048), whose eAHI was significantly higher (11.0 ± 7.4 vs. 36.3 ± 16.5; p &lt; 0.01). Negative correlation for MAX and eAHI was found in volunteers and patients: r = –0.38, p = 0.02 and r = –0.47, p = 0.03, respectively. In volunteers, HR had a negative correlation with eAHI: r = –0.34, p = 0.04. Conclusions: This pioneer study confirms that FMSF can be used to detect the negative correlation between MAX fluorescence and eAHI not only among healthy volunteers, but also among cardiac patients with coronary artery disease or aortic stenosis