Acta medica Croatica : c̆asopis Hravatske akademije medicinskih znanosti
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Diabetic foot (DF) is the most common chronic complication, which depends mostly on the duration and successful treatment of diabetes mellitus. Based on epidemiological studies, it is estimated that 25% of persons with diabetes mellitus (PwDM) will develop the problems with DF during lifetime, while 5% do 15% will be treated for foot or leg amputation. The treatment is prolonged and expensive, while the results are uncertain. ⋯ At the end, the decision for the level of amputation has to be made. Charcot neuroarthropathy is still not clearly defined, so the randomized controlled trials are rare; thus, there are many new ways of treatment but the basics belongs to off-loading in simple changes through surgical treatment in more complex changes (EBM-IV/C)(rbn1). All available methods for detecting the level of vascularization, angioplasties, and oxymetry have to be used to decide on the minimal level of amputation.
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The aim of this review is to provide the Croatian medical public with novel insights into the definition, pathogenesis, diagnostic algorithms and treatment approaches to immune thrombocytopenia (ITP) in adults. Recently, primary ITP has been uniformly defined as an autoimmune disorder characterized by an isolated platelet count lower than 100 x 10(9)/L without preexisting disease or conditions, which could lead to thrombocytopenia. The recognition of primary and secondary ITP is important because they require different treatment strategies. ⋯ Another agent, often used in everyday clinical practice, is rituximab with high response and relapse rates. Its use is based on small studies, and due to the lack of clinical randomized controlled trials, rituximab is not approved by the leading medical agencies for this indication. As shown in this review article, our understanding and therapy for ITP has improved, but further research is needed to implement evidence-based therapy in clinical practice.
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Based on the previous research, there is strong association between low socioeconomic status (SES) and high morbidity and mortality rates. Even though association between SES and risky health behaviors as the main factors influencing health has been investigated in Croatian population, some questions are yet to be answered. The aim of this study was to investigate the presence of unhealthy diet, physical inactivity, smoking and excessive drinking in low, middle, and high socioeconomic group of adult Croatian population included in the cohort study on regionalism of cardiovascular health risk behaviors. We also investigated the association between SES measured by income, education and occupation, as well as single SES indicators, and risky health behaviors. ⋯ Results of our study show that risky health behaviors are associated with SES and are divergently represented across socioeconomic groups of adult Croatian population. There is an obvious need for interventions targeting the specific socioeconomic group and behavior characteristic of that group.
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Pyogenic liver abscess caused by Klebsiella pneumoniae is usually found in Southeast Asia, while in Europe Escherichia coli, Streptococcus or Staphylococcus are most common. In case of a failed ultrasound controlled abscess, aspiration surgical treatment is indicated. This paper reports the clinical case of pyogenic liver abscess caused by Klebsiella pneumoniae, which was treated by operative drainage. ⋯ Additional laboratory tests and abdominal MSCT scan confirmed the initial diagnosis. The localization of abscesses technically prevented ultrasound-controlled abscess aspiration and drainage; after appropriate preparation, operative liver abscess incision and drainage were performed. Microbiological examination of the abscess sample revealed Klebsiella pneumoniae as the cause of liver abscess.