Deutsche medizinische Wochenschrift
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Malaria remains one of the most important infectious diseases worldwide. The annual number of cases is currently estimated at around 240 million globally, of which more than 500,000 cases are fatal. The majority of malaria cases in Europe are imported from the African continent. ⋯ The treatment of choice for severe malaria is parenteral artesunate. For all patients presenting with febrile illness after a stay in a malaria-endemic area malaria must be ruled out immediately. Microscopy of the thick drop remains the gold standard for diagnosis in clinical routine.
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Dtsch. Med. Wochenschr. · Jun 2022
[Baby on board - recommendations for pediatric travel consultation].
Traveling with babies and children is challenging for parents and the doctor providing travel medicine advice. Especially pediatric VFR (visiting friends and relatives) travelers have a higher risk for infectious diseases due to lower risk perception and higher exposure. ⋯ Topics to be discussed in pediatric travel consultation are travel vaccinations, mosquito repellents, malaria prophylaxis, thorough sun protection, rehydration for gastroentritis, avoidance of rabies exposure, an agetailored travel pharmacy and more. We provide a guide to the most important topics for pediatric travel consultations.
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The globally increasing prevalence of obesity represents a key medical and socioeconomic challenge. Due to related comorbidities and complications such as arterial hypertension, diabetes mellitus, fatty liver disease, and arteriosclerosis, obesity leads to a significant statistical reduction in lifespan. Currently, bariatric surgery is the most effective approach to manage body weight and comorbidities while lifestyle intervention as basic obesity therapy and medical treatment often do not lead to sufficient and sustainable weight loss. ⋯ Apart from weight control, improvement in cardiometabolic risk factors can be achieved with this treatment. Moreover, other drugs, mostly based on incretin mono- or multiagonism, are currently developed and may open further effective treatment options for obesity and its complications in the near future. On a health political level, first steps for the development of a structured treatment program (DMP) for obesity are in progress to enable early guideline-based and structured treatment of obesity, and to prevent the obesity associated complications.
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Dtsch. Med. Wochenschr. · Jun 2022
[Physicians with cancer: when doctors get a life-changing diagnosis].
We doctors often have a detached approach to our relationship to patients: we see ourselves as healthy helpers of the sick, needy patients. But some of us are, or have been, patients, and many of us have treated colleagues who were ill. What happens when a doctor becomes seriously ill? In this paper, we describe the change of perspective that resulted from our experience with cancer, and how it has shaped our attitude toward modern medicine.
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Pericardial disease represents a large diversity of inflammation related injury of the pericardium. Multifactorial causes may contribute to acute and recurrent pericarditis, pericardial effusion without major hemodynamic compromise, cardiac tamponade or constrictive pericarditis. Currently, inflammatory pericardial pathologies are observed in cases of SARS-CoV-2-infection or after vaccination. Beside established anti-inflammatory therapeutic strategies with NSAID, corticosteroids and colchicine, auto-inflammation and inflammasomes seam to offer more specific targets for advanced treatment options.