Polskie Archiwum Medycyny Wewnętrznej
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Pol. Arch. Med. Wewn. · Apr 2022
Not the enemy: superficial subcutaneous adipose tissue may bring protective benefits.
Subcutaneous adipose tissue (SAT) has been suggested to be a protective fat depot. Measurement of skinfold thickness (ST) is a simple means of superficial SAT (SSAT) assessment, but its correlation with mortality risk is controversial. ⋯ The inverse association between ST and mortality risk implies possible benefits of SSAT in terms of mortality risk reduction. This effect was especially notable for ST measured at the suprailiac region.
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Pol. Arch. Med. Wewn. · Mar 2022
Multicenter StudyAssociation of antineutrophil cytoplasmic antibody (ANCA) specificity with the demographic and clinical characteristics of patients with ANCA-associated vasculitides.
Antineutrophil cytoplasmic antibody (ANCA)-associated vasculitis (AAV) is characterized by the presence of proteinase‑3 (PR3) or myeloperoxidase (MPO) ANCA. In over 90% of cases, PR3‑ANCA is associated with granulomatosis with polyangiitis (GPA). However, it is also rarely found in microscopic polyangiitis (MPA) and eosinophilic granulomatosis with polyangiitis (EGPA). On the other hand, MPO‑ANCA being characteristic of MPA (>90% of cases), is also found in about 40% of EGPA and 5% of GPA patients. On the ground of this overlap, clinical importance of ANCA specificity identification has been questioned. ⋯ The presence and specificity of ANCA in AAV patients are related to sex and age, determine their organ involvement and influence mortality as previously shown. Patients with MPO‑ANCA-positive AAV constitute a clinically homogeneous group, whereas PR3‑ANCA-positive patients are much more clinically heterogeneous. ANCA-negative AAV patients are characterized by better prognosis. Thus, ANCA identification is an indispensable element and should not be omitted in establishing AAV diagnosis.
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Pol. Arch. Med. Wewn. · Mar 2022
Multicenter StudyThe impact of overweight on diverticular disease: a cross-sectional multicentre study.
The prevalence of colonic diverticulosis and diverticulitis has significantly increased in recent years. Obesity is a well‑known risk factor for diverticulitis, but far less is known about the association between diverticulitis and overweight. ⋯ Overweight was associated with an increased risk of diverticulitis among patients with diverticulosis. Since overweight is a modifiable factor, this observation has preventive importance.
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Pol. Arch. Med. Wewn. · Mar 2022
Management of obesity in the times of climate change and COVID-19: an interdisciplinary expert consensus report.
Obesity is a chronic disease associated with increased metabolic and cardiovascular risk, excessive morbidity and mortality worldwide. The authors of the present consensus, clinicians representing medical specialties related to the treatment of obesity and its complications, reviewed a number of European and American guidelines, published mostly in 2019-2021, and summarized the principles of obesity management to provide a practical guidance considering the impact that increased adiposity poses to health. From a clinical perspective, the primary goal of obesity treatment is to prevent or slow down the progression of diseases associated with obesity, reduce metabolic and cardiovascular risk, and improve the quality of life by achieving adequate and stable weight reduction. ⋯ Despite the evident benefits, obesity management within the health care system-whether through pharmacotherapy or bariatric surgery-is only a symptomatic treatment, with all its limitations, and will not ultimately solve the problem of obesity. The important message is that available treatment options fail to correct the true drivers of the obesity pandemic. To this end, new solutions and efforts to prevent obesity in the populations are needed.