Background
The continuing migration of individuals from geographic areas with high/medium endemicity has determined the arrival of new chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) carriers in Italy. The magnitude ...of this phenomenon and clinical/virological features of HBsAg-positive migrants remain not very well defined.
Aims
To evaluate the proportion of HBsAg-positive immigrants enrolled in this multicenter Società Italiana di Malattie Infettive e Tropicali (SIMIT) cross-sectional study and to compare the characteristics of chronic hepatitis B infection in migrants to those of Italian carriers.
Methods
From February 1 to July 31 2008, anonymous data were obtained from all HBsAg-positive patients aged ≥18 years observed at 74 Italian centers of infectious diseases.
Results
Of the 3,760 HBsAg-positive subjects enrolled, 932 (24.8 %) were immigrants, with a prevalent distribution in central to northern Italy. The areas of origin were: Far East (37.1 %), Eastern Europe (35.4 %), Sub-Saharan Africa (17.5 %), North Africa (5.5 %), and 4.5 % from various other sites. Compared to Italian carriers, migrants were significantly younger (median age 34 vs. 52 years), predominantly female (57.5 vs. 31 %), and most often at first observation (incident cases 34.2 vs. 13.3 %). HBeAg-positives were more frequent among migrants (27.5 vs. 14 %). Genotype D, found in 87.8 % of Italian carriers, was present in only 40 % of migrants, who were more frequently inactive HBV carriers, with a lower prevalence of chronic hepatitis, cirrhosis, and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Only 27.1 % of migrants received antiviral treatment compared to 50.3 % of Italians.
Conclusions
Twenty-five percent of all HBV carriers examined at Italian centers was composed of immigrants with demographic, serological, and virological characteristics that differed from those of natives and appeared to have an inferior access to treatment.
A multicentre cross‐sectional survey was performed to provide an accurate picture of patients with chronic hepatitis B (CHB) cared for by Italian Infectious Diseases Centers (IDCs). This analysis ...describes factors associated with access to the treatment of CHB in a country where barriers to treatment are not expected to exist because of comprehensive coverage under the National Health System (NHS). The study was performed in 74 IDCs. The analysis focused on 3305 patients with CHB of 3760 HBsAg‐positive patients enrolled from March to September, 2008. To account for missing values, a Multiple Imputation method was used. Treatment was reported in 2091 (63.3%) patients. In the multivariate analysis, an increased chance of getting treatment was independently associated with 10 years increase of age at diagnosis (adjusted odds ratio aOR 1.2, 95% confidence interval CI 1.1–1.3, P < 0.001), HBeAg positivity (aOR 1.8, 95% CI 1.1–2.8, P < 0.001), cirrhosis (aOR 3.6, 95% CI 2–6.3, P = 0.012), HDV (aOR 1.6, 95% CI 1.02–2.5, P = 0.042) and HIV positivity (aOR 6.5, 95% CI 4–10.8, P < 0.001). Conversely, a decreased chance was associated with female gender (aOR 0.6, 95% CI 0.5–0.7, P < 0.001), immigration (aOR 0.6, 95% CI 0.5–0.9, P = 0.009), alcohol consumption (aOR 0.7, 95% CI 0.5–0.98, P = 0.04) and HCV positivity (aOR 0.5, 95% CI 0.3–0.8, P = 0.005). Our study shows that Italian IDCs treat a high percentage of patients with CHB. Nevertheless, disparities exist which are not related to the severity of disease limiting access to antiviral therapy of CHB, even in a country with a universal healthcare system.
We evaluated 1336 hepatitis B surface antigen—positive subjects consecutively observed in 79 Italian hospitals over a 6-month period. The proportion of hepatitis B e antigen—negative cases was 86.4%, ...that of patients coinfected with hepatitis D virus was 9.7%, and the rate of patients coinfected with hepatitis C virus was 16.8%. Multiple logistic regression analysis showed that age >49 years, alcohol abuse, and anti—hepatitis D virus and anti—hepatitis C virus positivity were independent predictors of progression to liver cirrhosis.
Abstract Background Data on the efficacy of Peg-interferon/ribavirin therapy for chronic hepatitis C are mostly derived from treatment of selected patients enrolled in clinical trials. This study ...aimed to assess the effectiveness of Peg-interferon/ribavirin therapy in “real world” chronic hepatitis C patients in Italy. Methods Independent observational multicentre study including consecutive patients receiving Peg-interferon/ribavirin in the 18 months before (retrospective phase) and after (prospective phase) the start of the study. Results 4176 patients were eligible. The final study population consisted of 2051 patients in the retrospective and 2073 in the prospective phase. Sustained virological response was achieved by 1036 patients (50.5%) during the retrospective phase: 325 were genotypes 1/4 (34.1%) and 684 were genotypes 2/3 (67.2%) and by 800 patients (38.6%) during the prospective phase: 300 were genotypes 1/4 (28.4%) and 473 were genotypes 2/3 (51.5%). During multivariate analysis genotypes 2/3 were significantly associated with higher sustained virological response rates; cirrhosis and γ-glutamil-transpeptidase >2 times the normal limit were associated with poorer response. Conclusions The response to Peg-interferon/ribavirin therapy in “real world” clinical practice is distinctly lower than in registration trials. The difference in response rates was more pronounced among easy-to-treat than among difficult-to-treat hepatitis C virus genotypes.
Sepsis: our series Bellissima, P.; Amato, R.
Le infezioni in medicina,
1999, Letnik:
7, Številka:
4
Journal Article
Recenzirano
Sepsis understood as persistent bacteremia with considerable clinical symptomatology that can develop into septic shock, retains its clinical, diagnostic and therapcutic meaning. Its most recent ...definition as a systemic inflammatory secondary reaction to a verified infection may help us to understand the reactive events of the host against infections and prevent septic shock. We report clinical cases of sepsis with positive haemoculture observed in the Caltagirone (CT) Hospital in the last 15 years: 186 patients (117 males and 69 females), with particular focus on those over 61 years old and on patients admitted to the ICU. The clinical isolates and groups of the inpatients are listed. In particular, two cases of toxic shock syndrome and six cases of bacterial endocarditis are described. Mortality was about 30% for septic shock despite rational antibiotic therapy, support therapy and hospital admission to the intensive care unit
Bacterial infections of the respiratory tract account for a large proportion of total medical consultations in general practice. In recent years, antibiotic resistance has increased alarmingly in a ...number of bacterial species that are common causes of these infections. The aim of this observational study was to determine the antibiotic resistance of microbial agents isolated from patients with acute or acutely exacerbated respiratory infections. Subjects recruited as potential sources of bacteria were either outpatients seen in a number of specialized clinics and hospital practices, or hospitalized patients. Overall, 64-a8 consecutive patients (67% male, mean age 48.1 ± 27.0 years) with infection of the upper or lower respiratory tract were observed during a 13-month period. A total of 551 pathogenic microbial strains were isolated and tested for their in vitro susceptibility to piperacillin, piperacillin/tazobactam, ceftazidime, and ceftriaxone. Among all isolates, the four most frequent pathogens were Pseudomonas aeruginosa (132 isolates, 24%), Streptococcus pyogenes (99 isolates, 18%), Staphylococcus aureus (93 isolates, 17%), and Klebsiella pneumoniae (46 isolates, 8%). The susceptibility of Gram-positive isolates ranged from 97.5% to 95.1%, and no remarkable difference was found in the antibacterial activity of tested b-lactam antibiotics. The susceptibility of Gram-negative isolates to piperacillin and piperacillin/tazobactam was also similar: 96.5% and 97.1%, respectively. In contrast, differences were found between piperacillin (or piperacillin/tazobactam) and either ceftazidime (p=0.003) or ceftriaxone (p<0.0003) in Gram-negative isolates.
We conclude that, despite the extensive use of beta-lactam antibiotics (piperacillin, ceftazidime, and ceftriaxone) in medical practice during the past three decades, the susceptibility of the most common pathogens involved in the etiology of upper and lower respiratory tract infections to these antibiotics is still high. In particular, bacterial resistance developed by Gram-positive organisms against piperacillin is negligible and not alarming.
We assessed the prevalence of gallbladder disease (i.e. gallstones plus cholecystectomy) among patients with liver disease and its association with the severity and aetiology of hepatic injury. ...Subjects, referred to 79 Italian hospitals, were enrolled in a 6‐month period. The independent effect of the severity and aetiology of liver disease on gallstone disease prevalence was assessed by multiple logistic regression analysis. Overall, 4867 subjects tested anti‐hepatitis C virus (HCV) positive alone, 839 were hepatitis B virus surface antigen (HBsAg) alone, and 652 had an excessive alcohol intake. The prevalence of gallstone disease was 23.3% in anti‐HCV‐positive patients, 12.4% in HBsAg positive and 24.2% in subjects reporting excessive alcohol intake, respectively. Gallstone disease prevalence increased by age in each aetiological category. The proportion of patients with gallstone disease who had a cholecystectomy was the highest in HCV+ subjects. After adjusting for the confounding effect of age and body mass index, compared with patients with less severe liver disease, subjects with HCV‐related cirrhosis, but not those with alcohol‐related cirrhosis, were more likely to have gallstone disease. Subjects with HCV‐related cirrhosis (OR 2.13, 95% CI: 1.38–3.26) were more likely to have gallstone disease when compared with those with HBV‐related cirrhosis. HCV infection is a risk factor for gallstone disease. In Italy, the high prevalence of HCV infection among cirrhotic patients has important implications, as cholecystectomy in these subjects is associated with high risk of morbidity and mortality.
PDF
