Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a chronic autoimmune inflammatory illness characterized by polyarthritis of small and large joints which in the course of time may progress to disability.
In our ...prospective study were included 951 patients (females 730, and males 221 respectively) with an average age 51.3 year old, diagnosed with RA in accordance with ACR-EULAR/2010 criteria. The purpose of the paper is to investigate gender, age, group age by gender, level of education, residing place, nationality, religion, social condition, marital status, and vocation in our patients. Statistical processing has been carried out with program SPSS 20.0, SigmaStat 2.03, SigmaPlot 2000, MedCalc and Excel 2010. Most present group age was 40 - 49 year old with difference in distribution based on gender.
The largest number of them had completed secondary education, most of them originated from rural areas, were farmers by vocation and housewives. The database created by this survey can serve for building the RA patients' national registry. This registry can serve for further researches and planning the management of RA as a systemic rheumatic disease that has an immense social, economic and health impact. Largest portion of RA patients were farmers and housewives respectively (38% and 32.2% respectively). Vocations such as: retail sellers, workers in administration, education, factory, maintenance, and artisan workers had similar incidence in both genders that ranged from 9.7% to 6.2%, whereas these vocations among males ranged from 11.3% to 2.7%.
Aim: The aim of this study was to assess the association of lifestyle/behavioral factors with low bone mineral density in Albanian women, a transitional country in the Western Balkans.
Methods: A ...cross-sectional study was conducted in Tirana city in 2010 including a population-based sample of 549 women aged 35 years and above (response rate: 92%). Low bone mineral density (osteopenia and/or osteoporosis defined as a bone mineral density T-score less than -1) was assessed with a bone ultrasound device which is simple and easy to use for screening of bone mineral density in population-based studies. Binary logistic regression was used to determine the relationship of low bone mineral density with behavioral factors in this study population.
Results: The prevalence of low bone mineral density in this study population was 28.4% (156/549). In multivariable-adjusted logistic regression models, low bone mineral density was positively associated with smoking (OR=4.1, 95%CI=2.2-7.4) and coffee consumption (OR=2.3, 95%CI=1.3-4.1), but inversely related to overweight and obesity (OR=0.4, 95%CI=0.2-0.7 and OR=0.3, 95%CI=0.2-0.6, respectively).
Conclusion: This study offers useful evidence about the lifestyle/behavioral determinants of low bone mineral density among women in this transitional South Eastern European population. Health professionals and policymakers in Albania should be aware of the major behavioral factors which increase the risk of low bone mineral density in order to provide correct treatment and control of this condition in the general population.
We aim to define the prevalence of nephrolithiasis, the impact of anatomic and metabolic factors to stone formation and prognosis of patients with autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease in ...Albania. We included 200 patients with autosomal dominant polycystic kidney from 2002 to 2009. The patients underwent X-ray, renal ultrasonography. We performed the metabolic evaluation of blood and urine. Survival times were calculated as the time to dialysis, transplantation, or death. Kaplan-Meier product-limit survival curves were constructed. Log rank test was used to compare the survival curves. Nephrolithiasis was present in 116 of our patients with autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease (58%), with a mean age 46.4±5.7 years. Sixty five patients with kidney stones (56%) were women. The stones were composed primarily of urate (47%) and calcium oxalate (39%), and other compounds 14%. In 40% of patients the presence of stones was associated with a history of urinary tract infections and flank pain. In our study the prevalence of nephrolithiasis is 58%, higher than it reported in literature. Except anatomic and metabolic factors, there are other contributor factors to stone formation in our patients such socioeconomic status of patients, geographic zones and dietary habits.
Reactive arthritis is an autoimmune condition that occurs as a reaction against an infection site elsewhere in the body. Reactive arthritis affects mostly young ages, mainly group age 20-40 y.o., ...mostly males with ratio 2:1 against females, sometimes 3:1, and even 14:1. The purpose of the study was to observe the mode of illness presentation based on the number of affected joints.
During the 01.03.2012 - 01.03.2014 in the Clinic for Rheumatology and O.S.I.R. "Vendenisi - AL" in Besiana have been examined, elaborated and hospitalized 100 patients with reactive arthritis, out of them 66 males and 34 females. Patients underwent necessary laboratory, hematological, biochemical, and immunological examinations. Subsequently each affected joint has been examined based on the propedeutics rules (inspection, palpation and assessment of the level of motility), as well as x ray examination.
From 100 examined patients 66% were males and 34% females respectively. 11% of them were in the 10-20y.o. group age, 30% belonged to group age 21-30 y.o., 24% of patients to 31-40 y.o. group age, 30% to 41-50 y.o. group age, and 5% of patients to the group age over the 51 year old. Regarding the affected articulations and modes of illness presentation, we've obtained the following results: Knee was affected in 64.7% female and 52,12% male patients respectively, T/C joint in 50% female and 57.57% male patients, MTPH joint in 41.11% female and 48.48% male patients respectively, and R/C joint in 44.11% female and 48.48% male patients respectively. Oligoarticular type is seen in 73% male and 70% female patients. Monoarticular type is seen in 14% male and 13% female patients, and poliarticular type is seen in 10% male and 14% female patients respectively. Results from our study have revealed that: reactive arthritis is more frequent in males than females in ratio 2:1 in the infections of urogenital infection, 3:1 in nasopharyngeal infections, and similar in infections of enteral origin.
Reactive arthritis mostly attacks young ages 20-40 y.o., while over the age of 50 and below the age of 20 is rarely seen. First reactive arthritis attack in males occurs earlier than in females. Most affected joints are: knee, talocrural joint, metatarsophalangeal (MTPH) joint, radiocarpal (R/C) joint, and proximal interphalanteal (PIPH) joint. Oligoarticular mode of illness presentation is 2.5 more frequent than mono and poliarticular mode of illness presentation.
Aim: The aim of this study was to assess the association of lifestyle/behavioral factors with low bone mineral density in Albanian women, a transitional country in the Western Balkans. Methods: A ...cross-sectional study was conducted in Tirana city in 2010 including a population-based sample of 549 women aged 35 years and above (response rate: 92%). Low bone mineral density (osteopenia and/or osteoporosis defined as a bone mineral density T-score less than -1) was assessed with a bone ultrasound device which is simple and easy to use for screening of bone mineral density in population-based studies. Binary logistic regression was used to determine the relationship of low bone mineral density with behavioral factors in this study population. Results: The prevalence of low bone mineral density in this study population was 28.4% (156/549). In multivariable-adjusted logistic regression models, low bone mineral density was positively associated with smoking (OR=4.1, 95%CI=2.2-7.4) and coffee consumption (OR=2.3, 95%CI=1.3-4.1), but inversely related to overweight and obesity (OR=0.4, 95%CI=0.2-0.7 and OR=0.3, 95%CI=0.2-0.6, respectively). Conclusion: This study offers useful evidence about the lifestyle/behavioral determinants of low bone mineral density among women in this transitional South Eastern European population. Health professionals and policymakers in Albania should be aware of the major behavioral factors which increase the risk of low bone mineral density in order to provide correct treatment and control of this condition in the general population.
Aim: The aim of this study was to assess the association of lifestyle/behavioral factors with low bone mineral density in Albanian women, a transitional country in the Western Balkans. Methods: A ...cross-sectional study was conducted in Tirana city in 2010 including a population-based sample of 549 women aged 35 years and above (response rate: 92%). Low bone mineral density (osteopenia and/or osteoporosis defined as a bone mineral density T-score less than -1) was assessed with a bone ultrasound device which is simple and easy to use for screening of bone mineral density in population-based studies. Binary logistic regression was used to determine the relationship of low bone mineral density with behavioral factors in this study population. Results: The prevalence of low bone mineral density in this study population was 28.4% (156/549). In multivariable-adjusted logistic regression models, low bone mineral density was positively associated with smoking (OR=4.1, 95%CI=2.2-7.4) and coffee consumption (OR=2.3, 95%CI=1.3-4.1), but inversely related to overweight and obesity (OR=0.4, 95%CI=0.2-0.7 and OR=0.3, 95%CI=0.2-0.6, respectively). Conclusion: This study offers useful evidence about the lifestyle/behavioral determinants of low bone mineral density among women in this transitional South Eastern European population. Health professionals and policymakers in Albania should be aware of the major behavioral factors which increase the risk of low bone mineral density in order to provide correct treatment and control of this condition in the general population.
none declared.
Rheumatoid arthritis is considered a clinical syndrome across several disease subsets characterized by systemic inflammation, persistent synovitis, and autoantibodies. Our aim was to ...assess the distribution of risk factors among people diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis in the adult population of Tirana, the capital city of Albania.
All individuals diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis in primary health care services of Tirana city during the period 2009-2012 were included in this study. The diagnosis of rheumatoid arthritis was based on the clinical signs and symptoms and laboratory tests including measurement of the rheumatoid factor.
Overall, there were identified 817 cases with rheumatoid arthritis in all primary health care centers of Tirana for the period 2009-2012. Of these, 529 (65%) were women and 288 (35%) were men. Genetic factors accounted for 60% of the diseases in women and 45% in men (P<0.001). In both sexes, the proportion of older individuals was higher compared with younger adults. Most of the individuals with rheumatoid were from urban areas of Tirana.
Our study provides new evidence about the distribution of risk factors of rheumatoid arthritis in transitional Albania where valid and reliable data about this disease were scarce. Future studies in Albania should assess the prevalence of rheumatoid arthritis in population-based samples.
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