Acta Medica Port
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The aging of the population has led to an increased prevalence of chronic diseases such as chronic kidney disease. Anemia is one of the most frequent complications of chronic kidney disease, with an impact not only on the quality of life but also on the patient's prognosis and associated costs. Knowledge in this therapeutic area has increased significantly: from the appearance of recombinant erythropoietin in 1989, through the use of increasing doses of parenteral iron and, more recently, to new molecules such as hypoxia-inducible factor inhibitors. The aim of this article is to present a pragmatic review of the state of the art in the epidemiology, pathophysiology, diagnosis and treatment of anemia associated with chronic kidney disease.
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Observational Study
The Patient Perspective Regarding Ambulatory Surgery: An Observational Study.
Due to the advances in anesthetics and surgery, ambulatory surgery plays an increasingly important role. This regimen, despite showing several advantages, still instills fear in patients. The aim of this was to evaluate the level of knowledge and the perspective of patients regarding ambulatory surgery. ⋯ Patients may benefit from being more informed about the ambulatory surgical regimen in order to decrease their fears and increase their acceptance of the regimen. Providing more information to patients may result in increased satisfaction with this regimen.
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We present a 39-year-old male, previous smoker, with no other known cardiovascular risk factors. He was referred to Internal Medicine for study of thrombophilia, because of repeated deep vein thrombosis. Multiple diagnostic tests were undertaken where HbA1c assay was included. ⋯ The sample was sent to a Portuguese reference center and, through molecular biology, an HBB mutation in heterozygosity was identified, coding for an hemoglobin variant - Hb South Florida (c.4G > A; p. Val2Met), which was for the first time documented in Portugal. We emphasize the importance of considering the presence of hemoglobin variants when HbA1C values are discrepant from the clinical presentation.