Skin prick test results in patients with chronic allergic rhinitis: Housewives are risky occupational group for the development of allergic rhinitis due to house dust mites

Background/Aims: Allergic Rhinitis (AR) is a common disorder that negatively effects the quality of life with symptoms due to the inflammation of nasal epithelium. Objective of this study is to determine the general demographical and clinical features of patients with AR, who had positive skin prick test (SPT) results.  Methods: Patients diagnosed as AR with positive SPT results were analyzed. The allergens tested were: grasses, cereals+grasses , trees 1 (early flowering), trees 2 (late flowering), house-dust mites ( Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus (DP), Dermatophagoides farinae (DF), tyrophagus putrescentiae (TP), lepidoglyphus destructor (LD) and acarus siro (AS). Results: Of the total 202 patients, 145  female (with a mean age of 32.42 ±12.81 years) and 57  male (with a mean age of 28.44 ± 11.5 years) were included in the study. The most common allergens determined were; DF, DP, cereals+grasses and grasses. Tyrophagus significantly was more common in females (p:0.04). Nasal discharge, dyspnea, itching and weakness-tiredness were reported to be more common in females compared with males. DF, DP, TP and LD were statistically significantly more common in housewives (p<0.05). Dyspnea, wheezing and itching were statistically significantly more common in housewives (p<0.05).Conclusions: Housewives are risky occupational group for the development of allergic rhinitis due to house dust mite

Does activity held on World Asthma Day have an impact on the asthma knowledge and awareness of family physicians?

OBJECTIVE: Annually, certain activities are performed on World Asthma Day (WAD) for the awareness of both patients and physicians about asthma. The study aimed to observe the effects of asthma education on the skills and knowledge of family physicians on WAD, which basically includes updated information of the international asthma guideline. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Our quasi-experimental study was started on May 3, 2016, WAD. Education was provided by the Global Initiative for Asthma, 2016. A questionnaire including 25 questions was applied for family physicians before and 6 months after the education. RESULTS: In the investigation of 32 family physicians, 62.5% were women, with 32.6 ± 26.0 months in family physician practice. 59.4% of the family physicians had received education about asthma in their postgraduate period. Twenty-five percent of the participants were using asthma guidelines in their daily practice. In pre- and posteducation, the percentage of accuracy in the tests was 58.4%–77.6% among specialists and 62.3%–75.9% among trainees of family physicians. The percentage levels of accuracy developed in the questions of focusing asthma treatment and correct inhaler medication use after the education program were 62.5%–93.8% (P = 0.002) and 56.2%–90.6% (P = 0.007), respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Our study revealed that family physicians did not have a tendency to use guidelines for asthma diagnosis and treatment. With the aid of the education program, their attitude changed positively. We believe that family asthma physicians should also be trained in “WAD” activities

Solitary metachronous gastric metastasis from pulmonary adenocarcinoma: Report of a case

AbstractINTRODUCTIONGastric metastases from lung adenocarcinoma are rare and usually associated with disseminated disease. The great majority is asymptomatic and in few cases discovered during autopsy studies. Reports of single metachronous metastases during the lifetime are anecdotal. We describe a case of solitary gastric metastasis 5 years after lung surgery.PRESENTATION OF CASEA 68-year-old male submitted in 2006 to right lobectomy for lung adenocarcinoma was referred at Emergency Room department in 01/2011 because of chronic epigastric pain. Radiologic and endoscopic evaluation showed a bulky lesion inside the stomach, originating from the muscular layer, suspected for GIST. He underwent a subtotal gastrectomy and the pathologic examination revealed an undifferentiated adenocarcinoma, positive for Thyroid Transcriptional Factor-1, Cytokeratin 7, AE 1/3 and CEA, confirming the pulmonary origin.DISCUSSIONAt the time of diagnosis about 50% of lung cancer are metastatic, with survival rates of 1% at 5-year. Gastric metastasis is very rare; autopsy studies report an incidence of 0.2–0.5%. They develop in the submucosa, usually without any symptom and the diagnosis is incidental during the staging of primary cancer or the follow-up. There are no guidelines about surgical treatment; however few cases of long-term survival following the operation were reported. Pathologic diagnosis is difficult, but the immunohistochemical staining helps to recognize the primary origin.CONCLUSIONSolitary metachronous gastric metastasis from pulmonary adenocarcinoma is an exceptional event, but it could happen during the follow-up. It seems that a radical resection, in absence of systemic implants, might provide survival benefits in selected patients

The Geographical Distribution of Morbidity Caused By Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease in Turkey: COPDTURKEY-2

Background: Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is one of the most prevalent causes for morbidity and mortality, and it creates a cumulative economic and social burden. Aims: To determine the distribution of the prevalence of patients in Turkey who were diagnosed with COPD and their morbidity rates, according to the regions and cities they belong to. Moreover, the study contributes to the prevention and cure services of COPD that should be planned in the future. Study Design: A retrospective cohort. Methods: The database of the Social Security Institution from 2016 has been scanned. All the data with prescription registration, with the code ICD-10, J44.0-J44.9, which were aimed for diagnosing and/or cure, have been evaluated with a retrospective cohort. Results: In 2016, 955,369 patients who were admitted as outpatients to the hospitals were diagnosed with COPD. The average number of annual COPD cases that were admitted was 2.09. Twenty percent (20\%) of the outpatient applications were via emergency room. The rate of hospitalization among the applicants was 17.75\%. with a total of 1,994,325. The average annual number of hospitalizations of men was higher than that of women. The average number of hospitalization days was 6.52. The region with the highest prevalence of outpatient admission and hospitalization was the Black Sea Region. Conclusion: The high rate of hospitalization was considered to be the outcome of the insufficient ``outpatient{''} management