Acta Medica Port
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COVID-19 is a viral respiratory disease, which became a global threat to public health. Specific subsets of the population are more vulnerable, namely those with chronic diseases. We aimed to estimate the share of the Portuguese population at the highest risk for complications following COVID-19 infection due to both old age and specific comorbidities. ⋯ We projected a considerable number of Portuguese people at the highest risk for severe COVID-19 disease due to both old age and pre-existing chronic conditions. Such estimates vary across the country.
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Portugal took early action to control the COVID-19 epidemic, initiating lockdown measures on March 16th when it recorded only 62 cases of COVID-19 per million inhabitants and reported no deaths. The Portuguese public complied quickly, reducing their overall mobility by 80%. The aim of this study was to estimate the initial impact of the lockdown in Portugal in terms of the reduction of the burden on the healthcare system. ⋯ An early lockdown allowed time for the National Health Service to mobilize resources and acquire personal protective equipment, increase testing, contact tracing and hospital and intensive care capacity and to promote broad prevention and control measures. When lifting more stringent measures, strong surveillance and communication strategies that mobilize individual prevention efforts are necessary.
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Migraine is highly prevalent and carries a significant personal, social and economic burden. It is the second cause of disability (years living with disability) worldwide and the first cause under 50 years of age. Chronic migraine (occurring for more than 15 days a month) and refractory migraine (treatment resistant), especially when there is also analgesic overuse, are the most disabling forms of migraine. ⋯ The therapeutic options available are discussed and focused on a multidisciplinary approach, non-pharmacological interventions treatment of comorbidities and avoiding analgesic overuse. Prophylactic treatments are mandatory and include the oral prophylactic treatments (topiramate), botulinum toxin type A and the novel monoclonal antibodies against calcitonin gene related peptide or its receptor, which are the first migraine preventive medicines developed specifically to target migraine pathogenesis. In refractory cases, multiple therapies are required including neurostimulation.
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Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of morbidity and mortality in Portugal and globally. Cardiovascular risk algorithms, namely the SCORE (Systematic Coronary Risk Evaluation), are recommended in the context of cardiovascular disease prevention. Our aim is to estimate and characterize the cardiovascular risk of the Portuguese population aged between 40 and 65 years old, in 2015, using the SCORE algorithm. ⋯ In 2015, a considerable proportion of the Portuguese population aged between 40 and 65 years old had a high or very high risk of developing a fatal cardiovascular event in the next 10 years. Due to the possible overestimation of the cardiovascular risk already reported in other European countries, it will be important to carry out a follow-up study to validate the adequacy of using the SCORE algorithm in the Portuguese population.