Postgraduate medicine
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Postgraduate medicine · May 2023
Statin adherence in patients with high cardiovascular risk: a cross-sectional study.
Statin adherence is an essential problem although lifetime medication is recommended especially in patients with high cardiovascular risk. The importance of perceived risk as a predictor of adherence among cardiology patients has not been fully explored. This study aimed to test the importance of perceived risk as a predictor of statin adherence amongst hypercholesterolemic patients to identify predictors associated with poor adherence. ⋯ Approximately half of the patients reported high medication adherence. Proper strategies to improve adherence would include patient education efforts focused on patients with concerns about side effects and those who are female, less educated, current smokers, interested in complementary interventions, have irregular follow-up visits, and have depressive symptoms. Brief medication adherence scales may facilitate the assessment of patients' adherence.
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Postgraduate medicine · May 2023
Multicenter StudyThe prevalence and treatment patterns of familial hypercholesterolemia among Thai patients with premature coronary artery disease.
Familial hypercholesterolemia (FH) is an autosomal dominant genetic disorder that is characterized by severe hypercholesterolemia. The prevalence of FH in Thailand has not been reported. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the prevalence of FH and treatment patterns among Thai patients with premature coronary artery disease (pCAD). ⋯ The prevalence of definite/probable FH, particularly possible FH, was high among pCAD patients in this study. The early diagnosis of FH among Thai pCAD patients should be performed for the early treatment and prevention of CAD.
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Postgraduate medicine · May 2023
Observational StudyEffectiveness of hepatitis C antiviral treatment and feasibility of hepatitis C elimination goal.
Second-generation direct-acting antivirals (DAAs) have shown high efficacy in the treatment of chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infections in clinical trials. This study aimed to estimate the effectiveness in real-life conditions and their capacity to eliminate HCV infection in the general population. ⋯ With DAAs, SVR was achieved in all patients with active HCV infection who completed follow-up, and a second course of treatment was only necessary in a small proportion of patients. Adherence to treatment is essential for HCV infection elimination.
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Postgraduate medicine · May 2023
The association between bedtime at night and hypertension in adults.
This research was conducted to explore the association between bedtime at night and the prevalence of hypertension in adults. ⋯ With the delay in bedtime, the association between bedtime and hypertension showed a significantly U-shaped relationship. Falling asleep at 23:00 has the lowest risk of developing hypertension.
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Postgraduate medicine · May 2023
Changing face of non-infectious pediatric uveitis in the pre-pandemic and pandemic periods: a comparison study.
Our aim in this study was to reveal the clinical features of pediatric uveitis in the pandemic period and to compare it with the pre-pandemic era. ⋯ The present study involved a large number of pediatric patients with uveitis. There are some differences in the characteristics of pediatric uveitis cases comparing the pandemic period and the pre-pandemic period. This increased frequency and changing clinical features of pediatric uveitis seems to be a result of COVID-19 infection.