La Revue de médecine interne
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In France, the analysis of the prescriptions by a pharmacist in hospital is mandatory since 1991. However, for various reasons, this activity remained poorly developed and little research has been performed. Consequently, this activity suffers of a lack of visibility to hospital decision-makers and others health care professionals. The aim of this paper is to describe drugs related problems identified by pharmacist prescriptions analysis on a large number of orders in a large teaching hospital. This was done in order to highlight recurrent and preventable problems. ⋯ These results should be used to reexamine hospital drug prescription policy. They prompt health care professionals to be aware about new medications errors potentially related to computerized prescription order entry. Finally, they invite to modify initial and continuous education programs of health care professionals.
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This article reviews the diagnostic issues and the therapeutic management of small fibre neuropathy (SFN), and a detailed literature analysis of its association with primary Sjögren's syndrome (pSS). A diagnosis of SFN should be raised in the presence of diffuse neuropathic painful manifestations (burning sensation, paresthesia, pricking, allodynia or hyperesthesia) and neurovegetative signs. The neurological examination and the electroneuromyogram are usually normal. ⋯ The effectiveness of intravenous immunoglobulins is only supported by a few case reports. SFN deserves to be separately evaluated among pSS-associated peripheral neuropathies. This requires a better availability of the appropriate diagnostic procedures, the investigation of underlying immunopathological mechanisms and the assessment of the new treatments recently proposed in pSS, mainly rituximab.
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Kidney involvement is frequent in hematologic malignancies. It is associated with adverse outcome and treatment difficulties. It can affect every area of the renal parenchyma (tubules, interstitium, glomerulus, vessels). ⋯ In this review, we detail the diagnostic tests that are needed for the detection and the follow-up of renal involvement in hematologic malignancies, and clarify the indications of renal biopsy. We propose diagnostic strategies of renal involvement in myeloma, Waldenström's disease, high grade lymphomas and acute leukemias, low grade lymphomas and chronic leukemias. The adverse effects of treatments (chemotherapy, radiotherapy, stem cell graft …) are not addressed in this review.
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Iron deficiency is typically associated with microcytic anemia and thrombocytosis. It is a very uncommon cause of thrombocytopenia. ⋯ Iron affects thrombopoiesis. Because the number of megakaryocytes may then increase in the bone marrow, "iron deficiency thrombocytopenia" may be falsely diagnosed as immune thrombocytopenic purpura, leading to inappropriate corticosteroid therapy. Iron supplementation is the appropriate treatment of iron deficiency thrombocytopenia and allowed a rapid correction of the platelet count in all the 24 cases that have been previously reported with sufficient detail to be analyzed in the literature.