Browsing by Author "Maskovic, Jovana (55257092300)"

Introduction: Despite the prevalence and importance of anxiety and depressive symptoms in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) patients, procedures for routine screening in therapeutic protocols are not commonly used. Objective: to assess the symptoms of anxiety and depression in COPD patients and to evaluate their relation to patients' demographic parameters and clinical characteristics. Methods: The research included 40 COPD patients, treated at the Institute of Lung Diseases and Tuberculosis, Clinical Centre Serbia in Belgrade, from November 2010 to February 2011. Study data were assessed by the questionnaire designed for the purposes of the present study together with Hamilton Anxiety Rating Scale (HARS) and Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HDRS). Results: Mean HARS score was 10.7 (SD=6.5) (22.5% subjects scored≤17) and mean HDRS score was 10.7 (SD=8.2) (20.0% subjects scored ≤17). Depression was significantly higher in women (Z=-1.971: p=0.049). Lower value of forced expiratory volume in one second (FEV1) correlated with higher HDRS score (ρ=-0.321; p=0.042). The incidence of anxiety and depression symptoms is higher in patients with more hospitalizations and longer hospital stay. Conclusion: The prevalence and importance of anxiety and depressive symptoms in COPD patients require implementation of a specific questionnaire as the procedure for routine screening in order to detect affective symptoms early and to prevent the progression.

Introduction: The most common cause of death in patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is respiratory failure, often in the period of 2–5 years, with a small percentage of patients surviving up to 10 years or more. The aim of the study was to evaluate the significance of pulmonary function tests in prediction of mortality and definition of indications for noninvasive mechanical ventilation (NIMV). Material and methods: This retrospective-prospective study was performed at the Clinic of Pulmonology, Clinical Centre of Serbia in the period from January 2015 to December 2017. Patients with diagnosis of ALS established according to El Escorial criteria were included. Results: The study included 76 patients with ALS, 50 (65.85%) with spinal and 26 (34.2%) with bulbar form of disease. Forced vital capacity (FVC) and forced expiratory volume in 1 s (FEV1) were higher in spinal form of ALS, and the difference was statistically significant when compared to bulbar form. Form of disease, FVC < 70%, maximum inspiratory pressure (PImax) < 50 and maximum expiratory pressure (PEmax) < 50 were significant factors for survival. The patients with bulbar form of disease had 2.174 (95.0% CI: 1.261–3.747) higher risk for death. Conclusions: Our study points to the significance of timely application and early start of NIMV in patients with ALS as an important approach to defer functional impairment, which would mean that the criteria, in our country, for application of these devices must be changed, not only regarding the value of current functional diagnostic tests used in everyday practice in patients with ALS but also in regard to the introduction of new diagnostic tests, such as sniff nasal inspiratory pressure and/or polysomnographic testing. Copyright © 2019 Termedia & Banach.