Chronic respiratory disease
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Knowledge on the sequelae of Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) remains limited due to the relatively recent onset of this pathology. However, the literature on other types of coronavirus infections prior to COVID-19 reports that patients may experience persistent symptoms after discharge. To determine the prevalence of respiratory symptoms in survivors of hospital admission after COVID-19 infection. ⋯ Of the 1,154 reports returned by the initial search nine articles were found, in which 1,816 patients were included in the data synthesis. In the pooled analysis, we found a prevalence of 0.52 (CI 0.38-0.66, p < 0.01, I 2 = 97%), 0.37 (CI 0.28-0.48, p < 0.01, I 2 = 93%), 0.16 (CI 0.10-0.23, p < 0.01, I 2 = 90%) and 0.14 (CI 0.06-0.24, p < 0.01, I 2 = 96%) for fatigue, dyspnoea, chest pain, and cough, respectively. Fatigue, dyspnoea, chest pain, and cough were the most prevalent respiratory symptoms found in 52%, 37%, 16% and 14% of patients between 3 weeks and 3 months, after discharge in survivors of hospital admission by COVID-19, respectively.
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The majority of cases involving hypercalcemia in the setting of sarcoidosis are explained by the overproduction of calcitriol by activated macrophages. Vitamin D takes part in the regulation of granuloma formation. ⋯ Although sarcoidosis does not cause a decrease in bone mineral density, increased incidence of vertebral deformities is noted. Despite increasing knowledge about calcium homeostasis disorders in patients with sarcoidosis, there is still a need for clear guidelines regarding calcium and vitamin D supplementation in these patients.
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Informal carers play a key role in supporting patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), particularly when disease is advanced. They also enable delivery of healthcare professional advice. There is a well-established impact of the caring role on carers in both the generic and COPD-specific literature. ⋯ Carer assessment enables unmet needs to be identified and appropriately addressed. Assessments should consider carers' support needs, their caring capacity and practices, and carers own clinical needs. This narrative review outlines considerations for the assessment process including what should be assessed, who should conduct assessment and what should happen as a result of assessment.
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The stigma of non-communicable respiratory diseases (NCRDs), whether perceived or otherwise, can be an important element of a patient's experience of his/her illness and a contributing factor to poor psychosocial, treatment and clinical outcomes. This systematic review examines the evidence regarding the associations between stigma-related experiences and patient outcomes, comparing findings across a range of common NCRDs. Electronic databases and manual searches were conducted to identify original quantitative research published to December 2015. ⋯ No studies adequately met all criteria for methodological rigor. The inter-connectedness of stigma-related experiences to other aspects of patient experiences highlight that an integrated approach is needed to address this important issue. Future studies should adopt more rigorous methodology, including streamlining measures, to provide robust evidence.
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The stigma of non-communicable respiratory diseases (NCRDs), whether perceived or otherwise, can be an important element of a patient's experience of his/her illness and a contributing factor to poor psychosocial, treatment and clinical outcomes. This systematic review examines the evidence regarding the associations between stigma-related experiences and patient outcomes, comparing findings across a range of common NCRDs. Electronic databases and manual searches were conducted to identify original quantitative research published to December 2015. ⋯ No studies adequately met all criteria for methodological rigor. The inter-connectedness of stigma-related experiences to other aspects of patient experiences highlight that an integrated approach is needed to address this important issue. Future studies should adopt more rigorous methodology, including streamlining measures, to provide robust evidence.