The influence of compression therapy on the level of inflammatory biomarkers in patients with chronic venous disease.

Chronic venous disease (CVD) is defined as any morphological and functional abnormalities of long duration manifested either by symptoms and/or signs indicating the need for investigation and/or care. The pathophysiological mechanism of CVD can be characterized by reflux, obstruction, or a combination of both, which leads to increased venous pressure. Compression therapy remains the gold standard of the conservative treatment of CVD in all stages. The possible forms of compression therapy are elastic stocking, non-elastic and elastic bandages, and intermittent pneumatic compression. Compression bandages have been proven to improve the healing of venous ulcers, in comparison with standard care without compression therapy. In the last years, inflammation has been shown to play an important role in the pathophysiology of CVD. The influence of the altered shear stress on the endothelial cells (EC) causes EC to release inflammatory molecules, chemokines, vasoactive agents, express selectins, and prothrombotic precursors such as ICAM-1, MCP-1, MIP 1β, VCAM, L-selectin, E-selectin, IL-1β, IL-4, IL-6, IL-8, IL-12p40, IL-13, G-CSF, GM-CSF, IFN-γ, TNF-α, MIP-1α. Several studies were performed to investigate the influence of compression therapy on the level of various inflammatory biomarkers in patients with CVD. In these studies level of the most inflammatory molecules, such as IL-1β, IL-6, IL-8, IL-12p40, G-CSF, GM-CSF, IFN-γ, TNF-α, VEGF, MMP 3, 8, 9 and TIMP-1 decreased after the therapy

Prevalence and risk factors of abdominal aortic aneurysm among over 65 years old population in Lublin, Poland

Introduction: Abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) is a disease exceptionally well suited to screening. Ultrasound- based screening meets all criteria for a screening program according to the WHO, and there is a large evidence supporting its usefulness. Risk factors, mentioned in the available literature, associated with aneurysm formation are advanced age, male gender, tobacco smoking, hypertension, atherosclerotic disease and family or personal history of aortic aneurysms. The aim of the study was to evaluate the incidence of abdominal aortic aneurysms in the population of men and women older than 65 years, in Lublin, Poland and to identify the correlation between risk factors and the AAA incidence. Material and methods: A single-center screening study, for men and women older than 65-years was conducted in Lublin, Poland in May 2018. Patients underwent basic screening ultrasound with measurement of the diameter of abdominal aorta and iliac arteries. Each patient completed anonymous questionnaire to investigate risk factors of developing AAA. Results: 1032 patients, aged 65–91 (median age 71.37) were examined. 569 of them were women and 463 men. 27 aortic aneurysms were detected — 7 in a group of women and 20 in a group of men. The total incidence rate of AAA in our study was 2.62%; 1,23% in women and 4,32% in men. Male gender, cigarette smoking, coronary artery disease and a history of myocardial infarction all appeared to be major risk factors of AAA, with relative risk ranging from 2,75 to 4.53. The median diameter of the abdominal aorta was 19.24 mm and varied in groups of patients with different risk factors. Conclusions: The estimated prevalence of AAA in the screened population is within the range of the values reported in previous publications, however, it may confirm a trend of declining prevalence of AAA showed in some recent studies. The presented study confirms the correlation between the AAA and its major risk factors (male sex, smoking cigarettes, coronary artery disease and history of myocardial infarct) as well as a weak association between AAA and hypertension and a negative correlation with diabetes