Shoulder problems and related conditions in patients with implantable cardioverter defibrillators

Aim: Shoulder pain and disability is a complication that can be seen frequently after implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD) implantation. The aims of this study were to determine the causes of shoulder problems and related factors in patients with ICD implantation and to investigate the effects of shoulder problems on quality of life and psychological status. Material and Methods: A total of ninety-four consecutive patients (average age 59.38±10.75 years) who admitted to ICD follow up clinic were included in the study. Patients who had shoulder problems were referred to our physical therapy and rehabilitation outpatient clinic for further evaluation. The Shoulder Pain and Disability Index (SPADI), Short Form-36 (SF-36) and The Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) were used as the clinical assessment scales. Results: Thirty-nine (41.5%) patients had shoulder complaints. The patients were divided into two groups according to presence of shoulder problem. The statistical analysis revealed no significant differences between the groups in terms of the socio-demographic and clinical characteristics. None of these characteristics was demonstrated as a risk factor for the development of shoulder problem (p>0.05). There were significantly lower SF-36 subgroup scores and higher HADS depression and anxiety scores in patients with shoulder complaints. The SPADI scores also showed significant correlations with shoulder pain VAS score, several subgroups of SF-36 and HADS scores (p<0.05). Conclusion: Our study revealed that patients with shoulder complications had decreased quality of life and deteriorated psychological status. In patients with ICD, awareness should be increased in terms of shoulder problems and appropriate management strategies should be determined

Postpartum stress fracture of bilateral tibia: A case report

Stress fractures are overuse injuries of the bone characterized by a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) finding of the fracture line with bone marrow edema. Clinical findings are tenderness and persistent pain. It is usually related to repetitive stresses. A 25-year-old woman was admitted with bilateral severe knee pain. She was in the postpartum period and the complaints started three days after the beginning of 2-h daily walk. The initial plain radiograph showed no abnormality, while MRI demonstrated bilateral incomplete fracture line at the proximal tibia. The patient had accompanying vitamin D deficiency and osteopenia, diagnosed with pregnancy-related osteopenia and stress fracture of bilateral proximal tibia. We advised cessation of weight bearing, resting, and supplementation of calcium and vitamin D. This report highlights that, in the postpartum period, persistent pain may indicate bone lesions such as stress fractures, particularly developing shortly after a vigorous physical activity. Detailed physical examination and further investigations are necessary to detect these fractures and risk factors

Evaluation of vitamin D levels in patients with breast cancer-related lymphedema: An observational cross-sectional study

Objective: The aim of our study was to compare plasma vitamin D levels between patients with breast cancer-related lymphedema (BCRL) and healthy population, and also to investigate the effects of socio-demographic and clinical factors and lymphedema severity on vitamin D levels. Materials and Methods: Eighty patients with BCRL [mean age 55.5 +/- 8.9 (36-81)] and age- and sex-matched 80 healthy controls [mean age 53.7 +/- 7.4 (32-70)] who were not on calcium or vitamin D supplementation were included in the study. Socio-demographic and clinical characteristics of the subjects were questioned. Plasma 25-Hydroxyvitamin D3, calcium, phosphorus, alkaline phosphatase (ALP), and parathormone (PTH) levels were evaluated. Lymphedema was classified as stage 0, I, II, or III. Results: The mean duration of lymphedema was 23.5 +/- 13.8 months. Comparisons revealed lower vitamin D levels and higher PTH and ALP levels in patients with BCRL than healthy controls. As a result of multivariate regression analysis, a significant relationship was revealed between vitamin D levels and age, breast cancer stage, and disease duration in patients with BCRL. Vitamin D levels were significantly lower and PTH levels were significantly higher in stage 3 lymphedema patients compared to stage 1. Conclusion: Vitamin D levels were detected lower in patients with lymphedema than healthy controls. Although vitamin D levels were found to be lower in patients with severe lymphedema, the multivariate regression analysis revealed that the severity of lymphedema does not have a significant effect on vitamin D levels

Quality of Life and Associated Conditions in Women with Fibromyalgia Syndrome

Aim: Fibromyalgia syndrome (FMS) is a rheumatic disease of unknown etiology, characterized by widespread pain and tender points at specific anatomical regions. Patients’ daily activities and quality of life (QOL) might be affected by severe pain which is accompanied by fatigue, sleep disturbance and psychiatric symptoms. In this study, the QOL of women with fibromyalgia and the relationship between the QOL and socio-demographic characteristics, depression and sleep disturbance were investigated. Material and Methods: One hundred women with diagnosis of FMS according to the ACR (American College of Rheumatology) criteria (1990) were included. Socio-demographic characteristics were questioned in detail. Fibromyalgia Impact Questionnaire (FIQ) was used to assess QOL. Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) (0-10cm) was used to assess the severity of widespread pain and sleep disturbance. Depression was assessed by using Beck Depression Inventory (BDI). Results: Mean age was 42.2±9.5 years and mean duration of disease was 32.3±29.4 months. The mean FIQ total score was 59.49±14.25 and %26 of the patients were severely affected. There was no association between FIQ scores and socio-demographic variables. There were statistically significant relationship between FIQ scores and pain VAS, sleep disturbance VAS and BDI scores. In the multivariate regression analysis, pain was the most contributing variable to FIQ level and it was followed by sleep disturbance and depression scores, respectively. Conclusion: Depression and sleep disturbances are commonly encountered in patients with fibromyalgia which result in deterioration of QOL. Given that the final purpose of the management of fibromyalgia is to improve the quality of life, clinical evaluation of depression and sleep disturbances should be regarded to guide therapy. (Turkish Journal of Osteoporosis 2013;19: 42-7

The effectiveness of fluidotherapy in poststroke complex regional pain syndrome: A randomized controlled study

WOS: 000469036700030PubMed ID: 30940426Objective: To evaluate whether combining fluidotherapy to conventional rehabilitation program provides additional improvements on pain severity, upper extremity functions, and edema volume in patients with poststroke complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS). Design: Randomized controlled trial. Setting: Training and research hospital. Participants: Thirty hemiplegic patients with subacute stage CRPS type-1 of the upper extremity. Interventions: The patients randomly divided into 2 groups. Both groups received a 3 week conventional rehabilitation program (5 days/week, 2-4 hours/day). Experimental group received 15 sessions additional fluidotherapy application to the affected upper extremity (40 degrees C, 20 minutes in continuous mode, 5 sessions/week). Main Outcome Measures: We evaluated the distal upper arm edema with a volumeter. Other used clinical assessment scales were Brunnstrom recovery stages of the arm and hand for motor recovery, motor items of the functional independence measure for functional status, visual analog scale for pain severity, and the painDETECT questionnaire for presence and the severity of neuropathic pain. Results: The mean age of the participants was 64.3 +/- 11.66 (28-84). At the post-treatment evaluation, significant improvements were revealed regarding to the edema volume, pain visual analog scale, painDETECT and functional independence measure scores, and the Brunnstrom stages of upper extremity and hand in both groups (P <.05). But among the parameters mentioned above, only the decrease in edema volume and the painDETECT scores were greater in fluidotherapy group than the control group (P <.05). Conclusions: Addition of the fluidotherapy to the conventional rehabilitation program provides better improvements on neuropathic pain and edema volume in subacute stage poststroke CRPS

The Effectiveness of Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation in Knee Osteoarthritis with Neuropathic Pain Component: A Randomized Controlled Study

Objective: The aim of our study was to assess the efficacy of transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS) in knee osteoarthritis with neuropathic pain component. Materials and Methods: The patients were assessed by visual analogue scale (VAS) for pain severity, Western Ontario and McMaster osteoarthritis index (WOMAC) for physical function and the Kellgren-Lawrence system for severity of osteoarthritis, painDETECT questionnaire for presence of neuropathic pain. Patients were divided into two groups according to painDETECT questionnaire scores. Group 1 consisted of 20 patients (39.2%) with likely and possible neuropathic pain, group 2 consisted of 31 patients (60.8%) with unlikely neuropathic pain. All patients received hot pack, TENS and home exercise program was given. Physical therapy agents were given for 3 weeks, 5 days a week. Assessments were evaluated in all patients before and after the treatment. Results: There was no statistically significant difference in demographic features and radiographic evaluations between the groups. The VAS, WOMAC pain and physical function scores were significantly lower after treatment in knee patients with neuropathic pain component, but there was no significant difference between the two groups. Conclusion: TENS is a neuropathic pain component in knee osteoarthritis patients, which is effective in reducing pain and improving physical function. The benefit of TENS therapy is that it can be used in conjunction with drug therapy, thereby reducing the drug dose and drug side effects

A National Registry of Thalassemia in Turkey: Demographic and Disease Characteristics of Patients, Achievements, and Challenges in Prevention

Objective: The Turkish Society of Pediatric Hematology set up a National Hemoglobinopathy Registry to demonstrate the demographic and disease characteristics of patients and assess the efficacy of a hemoglobinopathy control program (HCP) over 10 years in Turkey. Materials and Methods: A total of 2046 patients from 27 thalassemia centers were registered, of which 1988 were eligible for analysis. This cohort mainly comprised patients with &#946;-thalassemia major (n=1658, 83.4%) and intermedia (n=215, 10.8%). Results: The majority of patients were from the coastal areas of Turkey. The high number of patients in Southeastern Anatolia was due to that area having the highest rates of consanguineous marriage and fertility. The most common 11 mutations represented 90% of all &#946;-thalassemia alleles and 47% of those were IVS1-110(G-&gt;A) mutations. The probability of undergoing splenectomy within the first 10 years of life was 20%, a rate unchanged since the 1980s. Iron chelators were administered as monotherapy regimens in 95% of patients and deferasirox was prescribed in 81.3% of those cases. Deferasirox administration was the highest (93.6%) in patients aged &lt;10 years. Of the thalassemia major patients, 5.8% had match-related hemopoietic stem cell transplantation with a success rate of 77%. Cardiac disease was detected as a major cause of death and did not show a decreasing trend in 5-year cohorts since 1999. Conclusion: While the HCP has been implemented since 2003, the affected births have shown a consistent decrease only after 2009, being at lowest 34 cases per year. This program failure resulted from a lack of premarital screening in the majority of cases. Additional problems were unawareness of the risk and misinformation of the at-risk couples. In addition, prenatal diagnosis was either not offered to or was not accepted by the at-risk families. This study indicated that a continuous effort is needed for optimizing the management of thalassemia and the development of strategies is essential for further achievements in the HCP in Turkey