Scandinavian journal of gastroenterology
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Scand. J. Gastroenterol. · Apr 2012
Influence of alexithymia on health-related quality of life in inflammatory bowel disease: are there any related factors?
Alexithymia is a personality trait characterized by difficulty to perceive and express emotions. Previous studies have indicated a high prevalence of alexithymia in patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) but results have been inconsistent. The aim of the present study was to investigate the prevalence of alexithymia in a large IBD cohort and to establish the impact of alexithymia on health-related quality of life (HRQOL) in these patients. ⋯ Alexithymia is highly prevalent in IBD and represents a significant determinant of HRQOL. Alexithymia and its components need to be taken into consideration in the management of IBD patients.
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Scand. J. Gastroenterol. · Dec 2011
Nurse-administered propofol sedation for gastrointestinal endoscopic procedures: first Nordic results from implementation of a structured training program.
Proper training to improve safety of NAPS (nurse-administered propofol sedation) is essential. ⋯ NAPS provided by properly trained nurses according to the present protocol is safe and only associated with a minor risk (short lasting hypoxia 4.7%). National or international structured training programs are at present few or non-existing. The present training program has documented its value and is suggested as the basis for the current development of guidelines.
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Scand. J. Gastroenterol. · Jul 2011
Meta AnalysisErythromycin prior to endoscopy in acute upper gastrointestinal bleeding: a meta-analysis.
Upper gastrointestinal bleeding (UGIB) is a medical emergency requiring urgent endoscopy and diagnosis. However, adequate visualization is a necessity. Studies have been performed evaluating the efficacy of erythromycin infusion prior to endoscopy to improve visibility and therapeutic potential of esophagogastroduodenoscopy (EGD) with varied results. Therefore, a meta-analysis was performed comparing the efficacy of erythromycin infusion prior to endoscopy in acute UGIB. ⋯ Erythromycin infusion prior to endoscopy in acute UGIB significantly improves visualization of gastric mucosa while decreasing the need for a second endoscopy. Based upon these results, erythromycin should be strongly considered prior to endoscopy in patients with UGIB.
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Scand. J. Gastroenterol. · Jul 2011
Comparative Study Clinical TrialFecal eosinophil cationic protein as a marker of active disease and treatment outcome in collagenous colitis: a pilot study.
Fecal calprotectin (FC) is used as a marker for intestinal inflammation in inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) but there is no reliable marker for collagenous colitis (CC). We have previously demonstrated that the mucosal inflammation in CC is characterized by eosinophil activation, which is restored during budesonide treatment, but there is no enhanced neutrophil activity. The aim of this study was to evaluate the use of fecal eosinophil cationic protein (F-ECP) and eosinophil protein X (F-EPX) compared with the neutrophil-derived myeloperoxidase (F-MPO) and FC in patients treated for active CC. ⋯ F-ECP demonstrated the best discriminating capacity in detecting active CC. A normalized F-ECP and F-EPX may further be studied as a marker for successful treatment. During budesonide treatment there is a rapid fall in F-ECP and F-EPX, accompanied by clinical improvement, indicating an essential role for the eosinophil participating in the pathophysiology of CC.
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Scand. J. Gastroenterol. · Jul 2011
A 24-year controlled follow-up of patients with silent gallstones showed no long-term risk of symptoms or adverse events leading to cholecystectomy.
The fate of asymptomatic gallstones has not been investigated in many studies with a long-term follow-up. We wanted to examine the subsequent rate of cholecystectomy and gallstone-related symptoms in a population examined in 1983. ⋯ Unexpectedly, only a minority of persons examined with ultrasonography had present day gallstones without any obvious explanation for this low figure. The rate of cholecystectomy was low in a conservative setting and no adverse events could be ascertained from such a policy.