Voluntary self-poisoning as a cause of admission to a tertiary hospital internal medicine clinic in Piraeus, Greece within a year

BACKGROUND: Out of 1705 patients hospitalised for various reasons in the 3(rd) Internal Medicine Department of the Regional General Hospital of Nikaea, in Piraeus, 146(8,5%) persons were admitted for drug intoxication between November 1999 and November 2000. METHODS: On average, these persons [male 50(34,2%) – female 96(65,8%)] were admitted to the hospital within 3.7 hours after taking the drug. RESULTS: The drugs that were more frequently taken, alone or in combination with other drugs, were sedatives (67.1%), aspirins and analgesics (mainly paracetamol) (43.5%). 38.3% of patients had a mental illness history, 31.5% were in need of psychiatric help and 45.2% had made a previous suicide attempt. No death occurred during the above period and the outcome of the patients' health was normal. After mental state examination, the mental illnesses diagnosed were depression (20.96%), psychosis (15.32%), dysthymic disorder (16,2%), anxiety disorder (22.58%) and personality disorder (8.87%). CONCLUSIONS: Self-poisoning remains a crucial problem. The use of paracetamol and sedatives are particularly important in the population studied. Interpersonal psychiatric therapy may be a valuable treatment after people tried to poison themselves

Prevalence of asymptomatic bacteriuria in type 2 diabetic subjects with and without microalbuminuria

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Diabetic subjects, especially women, show high prevalence of asymptomatic bacteriuria (ASB). The aim of the present study was to evaluate the prevalence of ASB in subjects with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2D) with and without microalbuminuria (MA).</p> <p>Findings</p> <p>A hundred diabetic subjects with MA (53 males/47 females, mean age ± standard deviation: 65.5 ± 11.1 years) and 100 diabetic subjects without MA (52 males/48 females, mean age ± standard deviation: 65.4 ± 11.3 years), consecutively attending the outpatient diabetes clinic of our hospital were recruited in the study. Subjects with overt diabetic nephropathy or nephropathy from other causes were excluded. In addition, subjects with symptoms of urinary track infection or use of antimicrobial drugs in the last 14 days were excluded by the study.</p> <p>Diabetic subjects with MA showed increased prevalence of ASB compared to diabetic subjects without MA (21% versus 8%, P < 0.001, respectively). <it>Escherichia coli </it>was the most prevalent pathogen isolated in diabetic subjects with and without MA (12% versus 3.0%, P = 0.01, respectively) followed by <it>Proteus mirabilis </it>(6% versus 5%, P = 0.75, respectively) and <it>Klebsiella </it>spp (5% versus 1%, P = 0.09, respectively). Univariate logistic analysis showed that ASB was associated with the presence of coronary artery disease [odds ratio (OR): 0.29, 95% Confidence Intervals (95% CI): 0.09-0.95, P = 0.04] and gender (OR: 0.09, 95% CI: 0.02-0.35, P < 0.001) in the diabetic study group with MA.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>ASB is more prevalent among T2D subjects with MA. Screening for ASB is warranted in diabetic patients especially if pyuria is detected in urine analysis since ASB has been found to be a risk factor for developing symptomatic urinary tract infection.</p

Hypertriglyceridemia and Other Risk Factors of Chronic Kidney Disease in Type 2 Diabetes: A Hospital-Based Clinic Population in Greece

Aims/Introduction: Several reports indicate an increasing prevalence of chronic kidney disease (CKD) in type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). Hyperglycemia and hypertension are the main risk factors for CKD development and progression. However, despite the achievement of recommended targets for blood glucose and blood pressure (BP), the residual risk of diabetic chronic kidney disease (DCKD) remains relatively high. The aim of this study is to examine dyslipidemia and other major risk factors to provide support for the prevention and treatment of DCKD. Materials and Methods: Participants are from the Redit-2-Diag study that examines 1759 subjects within a period of 6 months. DCKD severity is staged according to KDIGO criteria. Results: An increase in hemoglobin A1c (1 unit) and systolic blood pressure (1 mm Hg) increases the probability of being classified into a higher CKD stage by 14% and 26%, respectively. Moreover, an increase of triglycerides by 88.5 mg/dL increases the risk of classification to a worse CKD stage by 24%. Conclusions: Elevated triglycerides, systolic blood pressure, and poor glycemic control increase the risk of CKD in T2DM and should be addressed in the treatment strategies

Hypertriglyceridemia and Other Risk Factors of Chronic Kidney Disease in Type 2 Diabetes: A Hospital-Based Clinic Population in Greece

Aims/Introduction: Several reports indicate an increasing prevalence of chronic kidney disease (CKD) in type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). Hyperglycemia and hypertension are the main risk factors for CKD development and progression. However, despite the achievement of recommended targets for blood glucose and blood pressure (BP), the residual risk of diabetic chronic kidney disease (DCKD) remains relatively high. The aim of this study is to examine dyslipidemia and other major risk factors to provide support for the prevention and treatment of DCKD. Materials and Methods: Participants are from the Redit-2-Diag study that examines 1759 subjects within a period of 6 months. DCKD severity is staged according to KDIGO criteria. Results: An increase in hemoglobin A1c (1 unit) and systolic blood pressure (1 mm Hg) increases the probability of being classified into a higher CKD stage by 14% and 26%, respectively. Moreover, an increase of triglycerides by 88.5 mg/dL increases the risk of classification to a worse CKD stage by 24%. Conclusions: Elevated triglycerides, systolic blood pressure, and poor glycemic control increase the risk of CKD in T2DM and should be addressed in the treatment strategies