Evaluation of the ABO blood group distribution in Serbian patients with diabetes mellitus type 2

The aim of our study was to evaluate the distribution of the ABO blood groups in sample of Serbian patients diagnosed with diabetes mellitus type 2. We evaluated 114 patients from Serbia that were diagnosed with diabetes mellitus type 2. All ABO blood groups were recorded as well as the HbA/1-C values in each patient. We also analysed the presence of the following risk factors: positive family history, elevated triglycerides, increased blood pressure and overweight. Male and female patients were evaluated separately. The most frequent blood type in this group of patients was the A blood group, whereas the least frequent was the AB blood group. There was a significant increase in the frequency of the AB blood group in Serbian patients with DM type 2 compared to the frequency in the overall Serbian population (p<0.05), whereas no significant differences were observed for the other blood groups within the ABO system. An increase in the distribution of the AB blood group was observed in patients with increased levels of HbA1C, although this increase was not significant. The highest proportion of evaluated risk factors was observed in patients belonging to the O blood group, whereas the lowest proportion was in patients belonging to the A blood group (n.s.). The results of this study suggest a possible trend between the ABO blood groups and the risk of diabetes mellitus type 2 as well as a correlation between the ABO blood groups and risk factors in patients diagnosed with diabetes mellitus type 2. Therefore, a larger cohort study is needed to better define the initial observations based on our results

Evaluation of adherence to calcium, vitamin D, and drugs for osteoporosis in patients with low bone mineral density

© 2017, Serbia Medical Society. All rights reserved. Introduction/Objective Osteoporosis is a systemic disease of bone tissue, which leads to an increase in bone fragility and higher risk of fractures. The aim of the study was to determine adherence to calcium, vitamin D, and drugs for osteoporosis in patients with reduced bone mineral density, as well as to analyze reasons for low adherence. Methods The study conducted in the Special Hospital for Rheumatic Diseases, Novi Sad, Serbia, involved 80 postmenopausal women with reduced bone mineral density measured by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry. Each patient filled out a specially designed questionnaire. Assessment of adherence to calcium, vitamin D, and drugs for osteoporosis was done by the Morisky scale. In the statistical analysis we used the SPSS program v. 20. Results All the patients were female; 67.5% had osteoporosis and 32.5% had osteopenia; 62.5% of women said that they use calcium supplementation, 81.3% vitamin D, and 62.3% drugs; 81.2% of women who used supplementation had low adherence to calcium, 82.8% low adherence to vitamin D, and 65.8% low adherence to drugs for osteoporosis. Adherence to medication for osteoporosis is better in relation to the adherence of vitamin D and calcium (p < 0.05, χ2 test). The reasons for low adherence are mainly the cost of preparation and forgetfulness. Patients who received drugs intravenously had better adherence than patients who received drugs subcutaneously or orally. Conclusion Adherence to vitamin D, calcium, and drugs for osteoporosis is presently low in investigated population and the understanding of the causes of low adherence is still insufficiently explored