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Abozid H, Patel J, Burney P, Hartl S, Breyer-Kohansal R, Mortimer K, Nafees AA, Al Ghobain M, Welte T, Harrabi I, Denguezli M, Loh LC, Rashid A, Gislason T, Barbara C, Cardoso J, Rodrigues F, Seemungal T, Obaseki D, Juvekar S, Paraguas SN, Tan WC, Franssen FM, Mejza F, Mannino D, Janson C, Cherkaski HH, Anand MP, Hafizi H, Buist S, Koul PA, El Sony A, Breyer MK, Burghuber OC, Wouters EF, Amaral AF. Prevalence of chronic cough, its risk factors and population attributable risk in the Burden of Obstructive Lung Disease (BOLD) study: a multinational cross-sectional study. EClinicalMedicine 2024; 68:102423. [PMID: 38268532 PMCID: PMC10807979 DOI: 10.1016/j.eclinm.2024.102423] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/24/2023] [Revised: 12/31/2023] [Accepted: 01/02/2024] [Indexed: 01/26/2024] Open
Abstract
Background Chronic cough is a common respiratory symptom with an impact on daily activities and quality of life. Global prevalence data are scarce and derive mainly from European and Asian countries and studies with outcomes other than chronic cough. In this study, we aimed to estimate the prevalence of chronic cough across a large number of study sites as well as to identify its main risk factors using a standardised protocol and definition. Methods We analysed cross-sectional data from 33,983 adults (≥40 years), recruited between Jan 2, 2003 and Dec 26, 2016, in 41 sites (34 countries) from the Burden of Obstructive Lung Disease (BOLD) study. We estimated the prevalence of chronic cough for each site accounting for sampling design. To identify risk factors, we conducted multivariable logistic regression analysis within each site and then pooled estimates using random-effects meta-analysis. We also calculated the population attributable risk (PAR) associated with each of the identifed risk factors. Findings The prevalence of chronic cough varied from 3% in India (rural Pune) to 24% in the United States of America (Lexington,KY). Chronic cough was more common among females, both current and passive smokers, those working in a dusty job, those with a history of tuberculosis, those who were obese, those with a low level of education and those with hypertension or airflow limitation. The most influential risk factors were current smoking and working in a dusty job. Interpretation Our findings suggested that the prevalence of chronic cough varies widely across sites in different world regions. Cigarette smoking and exposure to dust in the workplace are its major risk factors. Funding Wellcome Trust.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hazim Abozid
- Department of Respiratory and Pulmonary Diseases, Clinic Penzing, Vienna Healthcare Group, Vienna, Austria
- Ludwig Boltzmann Institute for Lung Health, Vienna, Austria
| | - Jaymini Patel
- National Heart and Lung Institute, Imperial College London, London, UK
| | - Peter Burney
- National Heart and Lung Institute, Imperial College London, London, UK
| | - Sylvia Hartl
- Ludwig Boltzmann Institute for Lung Health, Vienna, Austria
- Sigmund Freud University, Faculty for Medicine, Vienna, Austria
| | - Robab Breyer-Kohansal
- Ludwig Boltzmann Institute for Lung Health, Vienna, Austria
- Department of Respiratory and Pulmonary Diseases, Clinic Hietzing, Vienna Healthcare Group, Vienna, Austria
| | - Kevin Mortimer
- University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
- Liverpool University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Liverpool, UK
| | - Asaad A. Nafees
- Department of Community Health Sciences, Aga Khan University, Karachi, Pakistan
| | - Mohammed Al Ghobain
- King Saud bin Abdulaziz University for Health Sciences, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
- King Abdullah International Medical Research Centre, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
| | - Tobias Welte
- Department of Respiratory Medicine/Infectious Disease, Member of the German Centre for Lung Research, Hannover School of Medicine, Germany
| | - Imed Harrabi
- Ibn El Jazzar Faculty of Medicine of Sousse, University of Sousse, Sousse, Tunisia
| | - Meriam Denguezli
- Department of Pneumology, Faculty of Medicine Annaba, University Badji Mokhtar of Annaba, Annaba, Algeria
| | - Li Cher Loh
- Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland and University College Dublin Malaysia Campus, Penang, Malaysia
| | - Abdul Rashid
- Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland and University College Dublin Malaysia Campus, Penang, Malaysia
| | - Thorarinn Gislason
- Faculty of Medicine, University of Iceland, Reykjavík, Iceland
- Department of Sleep, Landspitali - The National University Hospital of Iceland, Reykjavik, Iceland
| | - Cristina Barbara
- Instituto de Saúde Ambiental, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade de Lisboa, Lisbon, Portugal
- Serviço de Pneumologia, Centro Hospitalar Universitário Lisboa Norte, Lisbon, Portugal
| | - Joao Cardoso
- Pulmonology Department, Centro Hospitalar Universitário de Lisboa Central, Lisboa, Portugal
- NOVA Medical School, Nova University Lisbon, Lisboa, Portugal
| | - Fatima Rodrigues
- Serviço de Pneumologia, Centro Hospitalar Universitário Lisboa Norte, Lisbon, Portugal
- Institute of Environmental Health, Associate Laboratory TERRA, Lisbon Medical School, Lisbon University, Lisbon, Portugal
| | - Terence Seemungal
- Faculty of Medical Sciences, University of West Indies, St Augustine, Trinidad and Tobago
| | - Daniel Obaseki
- Department of Medicine, Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, Nigeria
- Faculty of Medicine, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada
| | - Sanjay Juvekar
- Vadu Rural Health Program, KEM Hospital Research Centre, Pune, India
| | | | - Wan C. Tan
- University of British Columbia Centre for Heart Lung Innovation, St Paul's Hospital, Vancouver, BC, Canada
| | | | - Filip Mejza
- Centre for Evidence Based Medicine, 2nd Department of Internal Medicine, Jagiellonian University Medical College, Kraków, Poland
| | - David Mannino
- University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY, USA
- COPD Foundation, Miami, FL, USA
| | - Christer Janson
- Department of Medical Sciences, Respiratory, Allergy and Sleep Research, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Hamid Hacene Cherkaski
- Department of Pneumology, Faculty of Medicine Annaba, University Badji Mokhtar of Annaba, Annaba, Algeria
| | | | - Hasan Hafizi
- Faculty of Medicine, Tirana University Hospital “Shefqet Ndroqi”, Tirana, Albania
| | - Sonia Buist
- Oregon Health & Science University, Portland, USA
| | - Parvaiz A. Koul
- Department of Pulmonary Medicine, Sheri Kashmir Institute of Medical Sciences, Srinagar, India
| | | | - Marie-Kathrin Breyer
- Department of Respiratory and Pulmonary Diseases, Clinic Penzing, Vienna Healthcare Group, Vienna, Austria
- Ludwig Boltzmann Institute for Lung Health, Vienna, Austria
| | - Otto C. Burghuber
- Ludwig Boltzmann Institute for Lung Health, Vienna, Austria
- Sigmund Freud University, Faculty for Medicine, Vienna, Austria
| | - Emiel F.M. Wouters
- Ludwig Boltzmann Institute for Lung Health, Vienna, Austria
- Maastricht University Medical Centre, Maastricht, the Netherlands
| | - Andre F.S. Amaral
- National Heart and Lung Institute, Imperial College London, London, UK
- NIHR Imperial Biomedical Research Centre, London, UK
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Caushi F, Xhemalaj D, Skenduli I, Hafizi H, Bala S, Nuredini O, Hatibi A, Shima E. 223P Surgery versus bronchoscopic cryotherapy for the treatment of lung carcinoid tumors: An overview of 5-year experience. J Thorac Oncol 2023. [DOI: 10.1016/s1556-0864(23)00476-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 04/03/2023]
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Këlliçi S, Elezi E, Hafizi H. Potential drug- drug interactions in hospitalized patients with respiratory diseases. Maced Pharm Bull 2022. [DOI: 10.33320/maced.pharm.bull.2022.68.03.222] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/21/2023] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Suela Këlliçi
- Department of Pharmacy, Faculty of Medicine, University of Medicine, Tirana, Dibra Street 376, 1005, Tirana, Albania
| | - Evisa Elezi
- Department of Pharmacy, Faculty of Medicine, University of Medicine, Tirana, Dibra Street 376, 1005, Tirana, Albania
| | - Hasan Hafizi
- Service of Pneumology, University Hospital of Pulmonary Diseases “Shefqet Ndroqi”,1005, Tirana, Albania
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Xhemalaj D, Peposhi I, Caushi F, Nuredini O, Skenduli I, Tashi E, Hysko P, Tula J, Hafizi H, Kapisyzi P, Bala S. EP03.01-004 Impact of Covid-19 Pandemic in Lung Cancer Patients in Albania. J Thorac Oncol 2022. [PMCID: PMC9452023 DOI: 10.1016/j.jtho.2022.07.399] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
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Burney P, Patel J, Minelli C, Gnatiuc L, Amaral AFS, Kocabaş A, Cherkaski HH, Gulsvik A, Nielsen R, Bateman E, Jithoo A, Mortimer K, Sooronbaev TM, Lawin H, Nejjari C, Elbiaze M, El Rhazi K, Zheng JP, Ran P, Welte T, Obaseki D, Erhabor G, Elsony A, Osman NB, Ahmed R, Nizankowska-Mogilnicka E, Mejza F, Mannino DM, Bárbara C, Wouters EFM, Idolor LF, Loh LC, Rashid A, Juvekar S, Gislason T, Al Ghobain M, Studnicka M, Harrabi I, Denguezli M, Koul PA, Jenkins C, Marks G, Jõgi R, Hafizi H, Janson C, Tan WC, Aquart-Stewart A, Mbatchou B, Nafees A, Gunasekera K, Seemungal T, Padukudru Anand M, Enright P, Vollmer WM, Blangiardo M, Elfadaly FG, Buist AS. Prevalence and Population Attributable Risk for Chronic Airflow Obstruction in a Large Multinational Study. Am J Respir Crit Care Med 2020; 203:1353-1365. [PMID: 33171069 DOI: 10.1164/rccm.202005-1990oc] [Citation(s) in RCA: 49] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Rationale: The Global Burden of Disease programme identified smoking, and ambient and household air pollution as the main drivers of death and disability from Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD). Objective: To estimate the attributable risk of chronic airflow obstruction (CAO), a quantifiable characteristic of COPD, due to several risk factors. Methods: The Burden of Obstructive Lung Disease study is a cross-sectional study of adults, aged≥40, in a globally distributed sample of 41 urban and rural sites. Based on data from 28,459 participants, we estimated the prevalence of CAO, defined as a post-bronchodilator one-second forced expiratory volume to forced vital capacity ratio < lower limit of normal, and the relative risks associated with different risk factors. Local RR were estimated using a Bayesian hierarchical model borrowing information from across sites. From these RR and the prevalence of risk factors, we estimated local Population Attributable Risks (PAR). Measurements and Main Results: Mean prevalence of CAO was 11.2% in men and 8.6% in women. Mean PAR for smoking was 5.1% in men and 2.2% in women. The next most influential risk factors were poor education levels, working in a dusty job for ≥10 years, low body mass index (BMI), and a history of tuberculosis. The risk of CAO attributable to the different risk factors varied across sites. Conclusions: While smoking remains the most important risk factor for CAO, in some areas poor education, low BMI and passive smoking are of greater importance. Dusty occupations and tuberculosis are important risk factors at some sites.
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Affiliation(s)
- Peter Burney
- Imperial College, Respiratory Epidemiology and Public Health, London, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
| | - Jaymini Patel
- Imperial College London, NHLI - Respiratory Epidemiology, London, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
| | - Cosetta Minelli
- Imperial College, National Heart and Lung Institute, London, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
| | - Louisa Gnatiuc
- University of Oxford, 6396, Oxford, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
| | - André F S Amaral
- Imperial College London, 4615, National Heart and Lung Institute, London, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland;
| | - Ali Kocabaş
- Cukurova Universitesi Tip Fakultesi, 63988, Pulmonary Disease, Adana, Turkey
| | | | - Amund Gulsvik
- University of Bergen, 1658, Department of Thoracic Medicine, Institute of Medicine, Bergen, Norway
| | | | | | - Anamika Jithoo
- University of Cape Town Lung Institute, 108145, Cape Town, South Africa
| | - Kevin Mortimer
- Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine and Aintree University Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, Respiratory Medicine, Liverpool, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
| | | | - Hervé Lawin
- University of Abomey-Calavi, 107790, Unit of Teaching and Research in Occupational and Environmental Health, Faculty of Health Sciences, Cotonou, Benin
| | - Chakib Nejjari
- Laboratoire d'épidémiologie, Recherche Clinique et Santé Communautaire, Fes, Morocco
| | - Mohammed Elbiaze
- Universite Sidi Mohamed Ben Abdellah Faculte de Medecine et de Pharmacie de Fes Bibliotheque, 548123, Fes, Morocco
| | - Karima El Rhazi
- Universite Sidi Mohamed Ben Abdellah Faculte de Medecine et de Pharmacie de Fes Bibliotheque, 548123, Fes, Morocco
| | - Jin-Ping Zheng
- State Key Laboratory of Respiratory Disease, National Clinical Research Center for Respiratory Disease, Guangzhou Institute of Respiratory Disease, First Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Pixin Ran
- State Key Laboratory of Respiratory Disease, The First Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China, Guangzhou, China
| | - Tobias Welte
- Medizinische Hochschule Hannover, Direktor der Abteilung Pneumologie, Hannover, Germany
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | - Filip Mejza
- Jagiellonian University Medical College, 49573, Krakow, Poland
| | - David M Mannino
- Medical Expert at GlaxoSmithKline, Lexington, Kentucky, United States.,University of Ketucky, Epidemiology , Lexington, Kentucky, United States
| | - Cristina Bárbara
- Hospital Pulido Valente, 70896, Unidade de Técnicas Invasivas Pneumológicas, Pneumologia II, Lisboa, Portugal.,Universidade de Lisboa Faculdade de Medicina, 37811, Instituto de Saúde Ambiental, Lisboa, Portugal
| | - Emiel F M Wouters
- Department of Respiratory Medicine, Maastricht University Medical Center, Maastricht, Netherlands
| | | | - Li-Cher Loh
- Penang Medical College, 26696, Georgetown, Malaysia
| | - Abdul Rashid
- Royal College of Surgeons of Ireland and University College Dublin, Malaysia Campus, Penang, Malaysia
| | | | | | | | | | - Imed Harrabi
- Faculty of Medicine, Sousse, Tunisia, Sousse, Tunisia
| | - Meriam Denguezli
- Universite de Sousse Faculte de Medecine de Sousse, 280226, Sousse, Tunisia
| | - Parvaiz A Koul
- Sher-i-Kashmir Institute of Medical Sciences, 29078, Internal Medicine, Srinagar, India
| | | | - Guy Marks
- Institute of Respiratory Medicine, Campertown, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Rain Jõgi
- Foundation Tartu University Clinics, Lung Clinic, Tartu, Estonia
| | | | - Christer Janson
- Uppsala Uiversity, Dep of Respiratory Medicine, Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Wan C Tan
- Univ British Columbia, icapture center, vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
| | | | | | | | | | - Terry Seemungal
- University of the West Indies, Clinical Medical Sciences, Champs Fleurs, Trinidad and Tobago
| | - Mahesh Padukudru Anand
- JSS Academy of Higher Education and Research, Department of Pulmonary Medicine, JSS Medical College, , Mysore, India
| | - Paul Enright
- University of Arizona, Medicine, Tucson, Arizona, United States
| | | | - Marta Blangiardo
- Imperial College London School of Public Health, 156430, Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, London, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
| | - Fadlalla G Elfadaly
- The Open University, 5488, Milton Keynes, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
| | - A Sonia Buist
- Oregon Health Sciences University, Medicine / Pulmonary & Critical Care, Portland, Oregon, United States
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Caushi F, Qirjako G, Skenduli I, Xhemalaj D, Hafizi H, Bala S, Hatibi A, Mezini A. Is the flap reinforcement of the bronchial stump really necessary to prevent bronchial fistula? J Cardiothorac Surg 2020; 15:248. [PMID: 32917252 PMCID: PMC7488725 DOI: 10.1186/s13019-020-01290-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/13/2020] [Accepted: 09/03/2020] [Indexed: 11/27/2022] Open
Abstract
Background/aim The development of bronchopleural fistula (BPF) remains the most severe complication of lung resection, especially after pneumonectomy. Studies provide controversial reports regarding the benefits of flap reinforcement of the bronchial stump (FRBS) in preventing BPF’s occurrence. Methods This is a retrospective cohort study of 558 patients that underwent lung resection in a 12-year period (from 2007 to 2018). Ninety patients (16.1%) underwent pneumonectomy. Patient follow-up period varied from 1 to 12 years. Results Out of 558 patients in this study, 468 (83.9%) underwent lobectomy, and the remnant underwent pneumonectomy. In 114 cases with lobectomy, only 24.4% had FRBS, meanwhile in 56 cases with pneumonectomy only 62.2% had FRBS. BPF occurred in 8 patients with lobectomy (1.7%) and in 10 patients with pneumonectomy (11.1%). Among cases with post-pneumonectomy BPF, 6 (10.7%) had FRBS performed, while no FRBS was performed among patients with post-lobectomy BPF, although these data weren’t statistically (p > 0.05). In 24 patients (20 lobectomies and 4 pneumonectomies) with lung cancer (10.4%) neoadjuvant treatment was performed, in which 20 patients underwent chemotherapy and 4 underwent radiotherapy. FRBS was applied in each of the above 24 operative cases, but only in 4 of them the BPF was verified. Conclusion The idea of enhancing the blood supply through the FRBS for BPF prevention has gain traction. Although FRBS has been identified as valuable and effective method in BPF prevention following lung resection, our study results did not support this evidence.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fatmir Caushi
- Department of Thoracic Surgery, University Hospital "Shefqet Ndroqi", Tirana, Albania. .,Department of Surgery, Our Lady of Good Counsel University, Tirana, Albania.
| | - Gentiana Qirjako
- Department of Public Health, University of Medicine, Tirana, Albania
| | - Ilir Skenduli
- Department of Thoracic Surgery, University Hospital "Shefqet Ndroqi", Tirana, Albania
| | - Daniela Xhemalaj
- Department of Thoracic Surgery, University Hospital "Shefqet Ndroqi", Tirana, Albania
| | - Hasan Hafizi
- Department of Thoracic Surgery, University Hospital "Shefqet Ndroqi", Tirana, Albania
| | - Silva Bala
- Department of Thoracic Surgery, University Hospital "Shefqet Ndroqi", Tirana, Albania
| | - Alban Hatibi
- Department of Thoracic Surgery, University Hospital "Shefqet Ndroqi", Tirana, Albania
| | - Arian Mezini
- Department of Thoracic Surgery, University Hospital "Shefqet Ndroqi", Tirana, Albania
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Tafaj S, Mokrousov I, Borroni E, Trovato A, Kapisyzi P, Bardhi D, Hafizi H, Bala S, Bulo A, Bino S, Rastogi N, Cirillo D. Peculiar features of the Mycobacterium tuberculosis population structure in Albania. Infect Genet Evol 2019; 78:104136. [PMID: 31830600 DOI: 10.1016/j.meegid.2019.104136] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/09/2019] [Revised: 12/04/2019] [Accepted: 12/06/2019] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Abstract
Albania is a Balkan country with moderate to low incidence of tuberculosis (TB) and very low prevalence of drug resistant TB. Here, we analyzed a country-wide multi-year Mycobacterium tuberculosis collection in order to detect possible dynamic trends of TB in Albania, with a focus on drug resistance and endemic/epidemic clones. In total, 743 isolates collected in 2007 to 2011 were divided into 107 spoligotypes and 351 MIRU-types. Based on the MIRU-VNTR phylogenetic analysis, the isolates were assigned to the following lineages/families: animal ecotypes (5 M. bovis and 2 M. caprae isolates), Lineage 2 (5 Beijing isolates), Lineage 3 (1 CAS-Delhi isolate) and, mostly and overwhelmingly, Lineage 4 (Cameroon, Uganda, Ghana and related; NEW-1-related; Ural, Haarlem, LAM, S, TUR; and unclassified isolates). Most of the isolates (452/743) were intermediately located on the global VNTR tree and did not cluster with any reference profile; they were distantly related to different families within Lineage 4 and we designated them as "unclassified L4" isolates. The significantly higher proportion of drug resistance was observed in (i) Beijing genotype compared to all other isolates (60%, P = .008), (ii) "unclassified L4" compared to all other isolates (13.9%, P = .04) and (iii) SIT2936 compared to other "unclassified L4" (34.3%, P = .0006). Analysis of the yearly collections revealed (i) some decrease of the large heterogeneous "unclassified L4" from 65% to 57%; (ii) steadily increasing gradient of LAM from 3.4 to 13.3%; (iii) stable prevalence of Haarlem (15-20%); and (iv) decrease of TUR with only 1.1% in 2011. Most of the LAM (33/49) and Beijing (3/5) isolates belonged to the VNTR types specific for Russia and former Soviet Union countries. To conclude, our results highlight a peculiar nature of M. tuberculosis population in Albania that is dominated by local and unclassified genotypes within Lineage 4, and also features European genotypes and epidemically relevant clones originating from the former Soviet Union countries. At the same time, these imported clones remain drug susceptible and prevalence of drug resistance on a whole is low.
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Affiliation(s)
- Silva Tafaj
- National TB Reference Laboratory, University Hospital Shefqet Ndroqi, Tirana, Albania.
| | - Igor Mokrousov
- Laboratory of Molecular Epidemiology and Evolutionary Genetics, St. Petersburg Pasteur Institute, St. Petersburg, Russia.
| | - Emanuele Borroni
- Emerging Bacterial Pathogens Unit, Division of Immunology and Infectious Diseases, IRCCS San Raffaele Scientific Institute, Milan, Italy
| | - Alberto Trovato
- Emerging Bacterial Pathogens Unit, Division of Immunology and Infectious Diseases, IRCCS San Raffaele Scientific Institute, Milan, Italy
| | - Perlat Kapisyzi
- National TB Reference Laboratory, University Hospital Shefqet Ndroqi, Tirana, Albania
| | - Donika Bardhi
- National TB Reference Laboratory, University Hospital Shefqet Ndroqi, Tirana, Albania
| | - Hasan Hafizi
- National TB Reference Laboratory, University Hospital Shefqet Ndroqi, Tirana, Albania
| | - Silvana Bala
- National TB Reference Laboratory, University Hospital Shefqet Ndroqi, Tirana, Albania
| | - Anyla Bulo
- Laboratory Department, University of Medicine, Tirana, Albania
| | - Silvia Bino
- Control of Infectious Diseases Department, Institute of Public Health, Tirana, Albania
| | - Nalin Rastogi
- WHO Supranational TB Reference Laboratory, Tuberculosis & Mycobacteria Unit, Institut Pasteur de la Guadeloupe, Abymes, Guadeloupe, France
| | - Daniela Cirillo
- Emerging Bacterial Pathogens Unit, Division of Immunology and Infectious Diseases, IRCCS San Raffaele Scientific Institute, Milan, Italy
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Caushi F, Xhemalaj D, Skenduli I, Bala S, Isufi R, Mezini A, Hafizi H, Nuredini O, Hatibi A, Cani A. EP1.17-31 30 Days Major Morbidity and Mortality After Lung Cancer Surgery. Outcomes of Five Years in a Single Center Experience. J Thorac Oncol 2019. [DOI: 10.1016/j.jtho.2019.08.2441] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
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Bothamley GH, Andre E, Kuksa L, Barkana L, Keane J, Veziris N, Van Crevel R, Magis-Escurra C, Jankovic M, Schoch O, Zellweger JP, Vasankari T, Eyuboglu F, Holland R, Normark J, Macedo R, Korzeniewska M, Nanovoc Z, Butov D, Akkerman O, Kirakosyan O, Solovic I, Calcagno A, Kruczak K, Garcia Garcia JM, Sanchez Montalva A, Dyatlov A, Starshinova A, Kulcitkaia S, Lillebaek T, Wiese L, Hafizi H, Papaventis D, Heldel E, Arnesen TM, Lanoix JP, Chiappini E, Wejse C, Manika K, Pesut D, Wetzstein N, Skrahina A, Flick H, Arias M, Konstantynovska O, Millet JP, Bakker M, Lange C. National advisory services for multidrug-resistant tuberculosis (MDRTB) in Europe: an ERS-TBnet survey. Tuberculosis (Edinb) 2019. [DOI: 10.1183/13993003.congress-2019.pa5285] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/05/2022]
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Xhemalaj D, Kapisyzi P, Hafizi H, Bala S, Peposhi I, Krushova M, Andoni A, Hasa A, Hila E. Smoking and lung cancer in Albania. Epidemiology 2018. [DOI: 10.1183/13993003.congress-2018.pa4511] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/05/2022]
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Caushi F, Mezini A, Xhemalaj D, Gega B, Bani I, Hafizi H, Qirjako G, Hysa E. Surgical Management of Concurrent Partial Anomalous Pulmonary Venous Return and Lung Cancer of the Same Lobe. Eurasian J Med 2018. [PMID: 29531491 DOI: 10.5152/eurasianjmed.2018.17269] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Partial anomalous pulmonary venous return (PAPVR) is a rare congenital left-to-right shunt where pulmonary veins drain into systemic circulation. This is a presentation of the case of a patient with concurrent PAPVR and adenocarcinoma of the same lobe. The pulmonary veins of right upper lobe drained into superior vena cava (SVC), whereas the middle and lower lobes veins drained into the left atrium as two distinct vessels. Surgeons should always perform a diligent search for anomalous vascular structure using computed tomographic (CT) angiography prior to surgery. In our case, surgical approach was "safe" because both pathologies developed in the same lobe.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fatmir Caushi
- Department of Thoracic Surgery, University Hospital of Lung Diseases "Shefqet Ndroqi", Tirana, Albania
| | - Arjan Mezini
- Department of Pulmonology, University Hospital of Lung Diseases "Shefqet Ndroqi", Tirana, Albania
| | - Danjela Xhemalaj
- Department of Thoracic Surgery, University Hospital of Lung Diseases "Shefqet Ndroqi", Tirana, Albania
| | - Besjan Gega
- Department of Radiology, University Hospital of Lung Diseases "Shefqet Ndroqi", Tirana, Albania
| | - Irma Bani
- Department of Pulmonology, University Hospital of Lung Diseases "Shefqet Ndroqi", Tirana, Albania
| | - Hasan Hafizi
- Department of Pulmonology, University Hospital of Lung Diseases "Shefqet Ndroqi", Tirana, Albania
| | - Genta Qirjako
- Department of Pulmonology, University Hospital of Lung Diseases "Shefqet Ndroqi", Tirana, Albania
| | - Ermira Hysa
- Department of Radiology, University Hospital of Lung Diseases "Shefqet Ndroqi", Tirana, Albania
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Habazaj A, Tafa H, Bardhi D, Hafizi H. Gender Related Differences in Reported Respiratory Symptoms. AJTES 2018. [DOI: 10.32391/ajtes.v2i1.45] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Background: Physiological research on dyspnea has provided some information on how sex differences in lung and airway size can influence the experience of dyspnea during exercise; however, there is still a knowledge gap with regard to sex-related differences in other respiratory symptoms, including cough and sputum production.
Objective: The objective of this analysis was to assess sex related differences in reported objective symptoms using data from the population-based Burden of Obstructive Lung Disease (BOLD) study in Albania.
Method: Males and females with impaired lung function may experience the same symptoms but per-ceive and/or report them differently. In this analysis were included 997 responders who had completed the core questionnaire, which included data on respiratory symptoms using the following questions: “Do you usually cough when you don’t have a cold?” and “Do you usually bring up phlegm from your chest, or do you usually have phlegm in your chest that is difficult to bring up when you don’t have a cold. Chronic was defined as three months or more per year. Data used were drawn from the final report for Albania provided by BOLD team.
Results: Overall, male gender was associated with increased odds for reported chronic cough at any group age [Total: 14.7 (2.3) vs. 6.6 (0.9)]. This difference is very much reduced in the group age 70+ years old [25.8 (8.2) vs. 21.3 (6.8)]. In the contrary when we used the estimated population preva-lence of chronic cough by pack-years and gender, female gender was associated with increased odds for reported chronic cough especially in the 10+ pack-years groups [50.4 (11.0) vs. 12.2 (8.3) in 10-20 pack-years and 29.0 (5.5) vs. 26.0 (3.3) 20+ pack-years] indicating a increased smoking susceptibility of female gender. In contrast, female gender was associated with decreased odds for reported phlegm. Even for the same pack-years of smoking, female gender is associated with decreased odds for report-ed chronic phlegm [0 vs. 7.1 (8.6) in 10-20 pack-years group; 0 vs. 15.4 (3.0) in 20+ pack-years group].
Conclusions: Physicians need to recognize that although a female may not report chronic sputum or phlegm production and a male may not report chronic cough, a diagnosis of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease should still be considered as symptoms often are the first step to a diagnosis of under-lying airway disease.
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Tagliani E, Alagna R, Tafaj S, Hafizi H, Cirillo DM. Evaluation of Mycobacterium tuberculosis viability in OMNIgene-SPUTUM reagent upon multi-day transport at ambient temperature. BMC Infect Dis 2017; 17:663. [PMID: 28969600 PMCID: PMC5625711 DOI: 10.1186/s12879-017-2756-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/24/2017] [Accepted: 09/21/2017] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Maintaining the quality of clinical specimens for tuberculosis (TB) testing is a major challenge in many high TB burden-limited resources countries. Sample referral systems in low and middle income countries are often weak and the maintenance of the cold-chain challenging and very costly for TB programs. The development of transport media allowing the preservation of samples without refrigeration is critical for increasing access to TB diagnostic services and for reducing the costs related to testing. Methods We evaluated the performance of OMNIgene-SPUTUM (OM-S) reagent for the maintenance of Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MTB) viability in sputum samples in the absence of refrigeration and its capacity to stabilize nucleic acid for molecular testing. A total of 329 sputum specimens from presumptive TB cases collected at the National Reference Laboratory in Tirana, Albania, were either decontaminated by a conventional method or processed with OM-S reagent and stored at room temperature. Samples in OM-S were shipped to the Supranational Reference Laboratory in Milan, Italy, at various times and processed for liquid culture. Results Our data show that OM-S maintains MTB viability for at least three weeks in the absence of refrigeration and improves the quality of culture resulting in a contamination rate lower than 0.5%. However, a significant delay in the time to culture positivity was observed for samples stored for more than two weeks in OM-S. Conclusions Overall, OM-S offers multiple benefits both at laboratory and TB national program level by increasing the availability to quality diagnostics, promoting access to health care services and strengthening TB patient care especially in hard to reach populations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elisa Tagliani
- Emerging Bacterial Pathogens Unit, Division of Immunology, Transplantation and Infectious Diseases, IRCCS San Raffaele Scientific Institute, Olgettina 58, 20132, Milan, Italy.
| | - Riccardo Alagna
- Emerging Bacterial Pathogens Unit, Division of Immunology, Transplantation and Infectious Diseases, IRCCS San Raffaele Scientific Institute, Olgettina 58, 20132, Milan, Italy
| | - Silva Tafaj
- University Hospital Shefqet Ndroqi, Tirana, Albania
| | - Hasan Hafizi
- University Hospital Shefqet Ndroqi, Tirana, Albania
| | - Daniela Maria Cirillo
- Emerging Bacterial Pathogens Unit, Division of Immunology, Transplantation and Infectious Diseases, IRCCS San Raffaele Scientific Institute, Olgettina 58, 20132, Milan, Italy
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Townend J, Minelli C, Mortimer K, Obaseki DO, Al Ghobain M, Cherkaski H, Denguezli M, Gunesekera K, Hafizi H, Koul PA, Loh LC, Nejjari C, Patel J, Sooronbayev T, Buist SA, Burney PG. The association between chronic airflow obstruction and poverty in 12 sites of the multinational BOLD study. Eur Respir J 2017; 49:49/6/1601880. [DOI: 10.1183/13993003.01880-2016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/23/2016] [Accepted: 02/28/2017] [Indexed: 11/05/2022]
Abstract
Poverty is strongly associated with mortality from COPD, but little is known of its relation to airflow obstruction.In a cross-sectional study of adults aged ≥40 years from 12 sites (N=9255), participating in the Burden of Obstructive Lung Disease (BOLD) study, poverty was evaluated using a wealth score (0–10) based on household assets. Obstruction, measured as forced expiratory volume in 1 s (FEV1)/forced vital capacity (FVC) (%) after administration of 200 μg salbutamol, and prevalence of FEV1/FVC<lower limit of normal were tested for association with poverty for each site, and the results were combined by meta-analysis.Mean wealth scores ranged from 4 in Blantyre (Malawi) and Kashmir (India) to 10 in Riyadh (Saudi Arabia), and the prevalence of obstruction, from 16% in Kashmir to 3% in Riyadh and Penang (Malaysia). Following adjustments for age and sex, FEV1/FVC increased by 0.36% (absolute change) (95%CI: 0.22, 0.49; p<0.001) per unit increase in wealth score. Adjustments for other confounders reduced this effect to 0.23% (0.11, 0.34), but even this value remained highly significant (p<0.001). Results were consistent across sites (I2=1%; phet=0.44). Mean wealth scores explained 38% of the variation in mean FEV1/FVC between sites (r2=0.385, p=0.031).Airflow obstruction is consistently associated with poverty at individual and community levels across several countries.
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Caushi F, Skenduli I, Shkurti J, Xhemalaj D, Hatibi A, Kortoci R, Gega B, Hafizi H. Role of surgery in the treatment of thymic carcinoma based on a 5-year experience. Ann Oncol 2017. [DOI: 10.1093/annonc/mdx093.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
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Caushi F, Xhemalaj D, Skenduli I, Mezini A, Hafizi H, Pupla Z, Hatibi A, Bani I. P2.04-045 Management of Malignant Pleural Effusions: Ten Years’ Experience of a Single Center. J Thorac Oncol 2017. [DOI: 10.1016/j.jtho.2016.11.1425] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/20/2022]
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Caushi F, Shkurti J, Xhemalaj D, Skenduli I, Mezini A, Hafizi H, Hatibi A, Bani I. P1.04-020 Management of Lung Cancer in Patients with past Pulmonary Tuberculosis and Their Possible Causative Link. J Thorac Oncol 2017. [DOI: 10.1016/j.jtho.2016.11.776] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/20/2022]
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Caushi F, Xhemalaj D, Hafizi H, Skenduli I, Shkurti J, Mezini A, Pupla Z, Hatibi A. P1.04-006 Second Primary Lung Cancer: Five Years of a Single Center Experience in Its Diagnosis and Treatment. J Thorac Oncol 2017. [DOI: 10.1016/j.jtho.2016.11.762] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
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Caushi F, Xhemalaj D, Skenduli I, Hafizi H, Pupla Z, Hatibi A, Shima E, Selenica E, Gjerazi J, Gega B. 199P: Which is the most common malignancy that profits from the lung metastasectomy? Ten years experience. J Thorac Oncol 2016. [DOI: 10.1016/s1556-0864(16)30308-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
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Caushi F, Xhemalaj D, Kuqo A, Skenduli I, Hatibi A, Hafizi H, Bejtja E, Kortoci R, Kokiqi F, Shima E. 214P: Correlation of thymoma with myasthenia gravis in ten years experience of their surgical treatment. J Thorac Oncol 2016. [DOI: 10.1016/s1556-0864(16)30321-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
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Gradica F, Lisha L, Gradica F, Rexha V, Argjiri D, Bozaxhiu D, Vata Y, Bala S, Kraja P, Hafizi H. 189P: Management of malignant pleural effusions. J Thorac Oncol 2016. [DOI: 10.1016/s1556-0864(16)30298-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
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Caushi F, Hafizi H, Mezini A, Xhemalaj D, Skenduli I. What to Do for the Treatment of Non Small Cell Lung Cancer (NSCLC) with a Single Mediastinal Lymph Node Involvement (N2A DISEASE) in Developing Countries? Ann Oncol 2015. [DOI: 10.1093/annonc/mdv049.07] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
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Caushi F, Hafizi H, Mezini A, Skenduli I, Xhemalaj D. Mesenchymal Tumors of the Mediastinum and the Role of Surgery in Their Treatment. Ann Oncol 2015. [DOI: 10.1093/annonc/mdv053.11] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
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Hafizi H, Aliko A, Sharra E, Fico A, Migliori GB, Castiglia P, Sotgiu G. Results of a tuberculin skin testing survey in Albania. J Infect Dev Ctries 2014; 8:310-4. [DOI: 10.3855/jidc.3391] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/09/2013] [Revised: 06/22/2013] [Accepted: 07/05/2013] [Indexed: 10/31/2022] Open
Abstract
Introduction: Tuberculosis affected about 8.5 million patients in 2011. Numerous efforts are needed to reduce the pool of individuals with latent TB infection (LTBI). The aim of the study was to describe a tuberculin skin testing (TST) survey carried out in Albania to estimate the LTBI burden; furthermore, knowledge of TB was evaluated through an ad hoc questionnaire. Methodology: A TST survey was performed in three geographical districts of Albania: Tirana-Kamez, Vlora, and Dibra. Cluster sampling was carried out of young Albanian students. In addition, the same students were given a questionnaire to assess their knowledge, attitudes, and any misconceptions about TB. The mean (standard deviation) age of the individuals, according to their educational level, was the following: grade five, 11.03 (0.18) years; grade six, 12.02 (0.17) years; and grade seven, 13.02 (0.16) years. Results: The TST induration size was read in 4,648 students. About 5.0% showed a reaction >5 mm, with a significant variability in the districts selected (12.1% in the district of Dibra). An induration diameter >15 mm was found mainly in those areas with high TB incidence (i.e., Tirana-Kamez and Dibra). About 13% of the students had no knowledge of TB. Conclusion: LTBI prevalent cases are estimated to be low in Albania, although there are areas where the TB management should be improved to reduce the probability of Mycobacterium tuberculosis transmission. The level of knowledge about TB disease is inadequate and new public health strategies should be implemented, focusing on educational TV programs.
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Kurhasani X, Hafizi H, Toci E, Burazeri G. Tuberculosis Incidence and Case Notification Rates in Kosovo and the Balkans in 2012: Cross-country Comparison. Mater Sociomed 2014; 26:55-8. [PMID: 24757405 PMCID: PMC3990397 DOI: 10.5455/msm.2014.26.55-58] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/19/2013] [Accepted: 02/15/2014] [Indexed: 11/08/2022] Open
Abstract
Aim: Tuberculosis (TB) continues to be a considerable burden especially for millions of young adults and disadvantaged people worldwide. The TB incidence and notification rates are good indicators of TB situation in a country. Our aim was to compare TB incidence and notification rates in Kosovo and in seven other Balkan countries. Methods: Retrospective epidemiologic analysis of published data on TB incidence and notification rates in eight Balkan countries in 2012. Notification rates were expressed per 100,000 inhabitants and were calculated based on the number of TB cases reported divided by the population of each country under analysis. Results: The TB incidence in Kosovo (47/100,000) was considerably higher compared to its four neighboring countries: Albania (16/100,000), Macedonia, Montenegro (18/100,000) and Serbia (23/100,000). The TB notification rates in Kosovo and other countries closely mimicked the incidence rates in these countries. Conclusion: The exceptionally high TB incidence rate in Kosovo could be due to many factors including low health and medical-seeking behaviors of the local population, poverty and low education levels. Effective interventions should be adapted to the local context in order to increase the chances of success.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | - Genc Burazeri
- University of Medicine, Tirana, Albania ; Department of International Health, School for Public Health and Primary Care (CAPHRI), Faculty of Health, Medicine and Life Sciences, Maastricht University, Maastricht, The Netherlands
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Zoto A, Hafizi H, Petrela E, Backa T, Osmenaj R. Pulmonary involvement in polymyositis and dermatomyositis. Indian Journal of Medical Specialities 2014. [DOI: 10.7713/ijms.2013.0049] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
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Nikolla J, Nanushi M, Vyshka G, Hafizi H. A six-month study of pulmonary cancer in Albanian women. ISRN Prev Med 2013; 2013:824670. [PMID: 24977098 PMCID: PMC4062866 DOI: 10.5402/2013/824670] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/21/2013] [Accepted: 02/12/2013] [Indexed: 02/05/2023]
Abstract
Lung cancer is a potentially lethal disease, whose prevalence in Albania is constantly increasing, especially in women. Early diagnosis is extremely important with regard to life expectancy and quality. The authors conducted a survey on the behaviour in a sample group of Albanian women diagnosed with primary and secondary lung cancers. A discussion upon diagnostic methods, smoking habits, histological type, Karnofsky performance status (KPS), and treatment modalities is made. The data collected by the authors suggest that nonsmokers formed the main group of lung cancer female patients. The most frequent histological type was adenocarcinoma. Mesothelioma was the most frequent of the secondary pulmonary lung cancers, followed from metastasizing breast cancer. Despite a generally good performance of the cases, the diagnosis of pulmonary cancer is delayed. The data collected could not find a convincing etiological role of tobacco smoking, but caution is needed, regarding the short time length of the study and the sustained number of participants.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jolanda Nikolla
- Internal Diseases Department, Hygeia Hospital, Tirana 1005, Albania
| | - Milda Nanushi
- University Hospital of Pulmonary Diseases, Tirana 1005, Albania
| | - Gentian Vyshka
- Biomedical and Experimental Department, Faculty of Medicine, University of Tirana, Tirana 1005, Albania
- *Gentian Vyshka:
| | - Hasan Hafizi
- University Hospital of Pulmonary Diseases, Tirana 1005, Albania
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Hafizi H, Tafaj S, Bardhi D, Dilko E, Aliko A. TB situation in Albania, 2001-2008. Pneumologia 2009; 58:104-107. [PMID: 19637762] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/28/2023]
Abstract
SETTING Albania, population 3.4 million. OBJECTIVE To describe DOTS (directly observed treatment-short course chemotherapy) implementation, treatment outcomes and epidemiological situation in Albania from 2001 to 2008. DESIGN DOTS strategy was introduced in 2001 and gradually expanded. A retrospective analysis of treatment outcomes and epidemiological data on TB patients was analyzed for this period. RESULTS DOTS was expanded to 76% of the country in 2008. Treatment success among new smear-positive patients ranged from 82% in 2001 to 86% in 2007. The incidence of TB in Albania decreased from 17 per 100,000 inhabitants in 2001 to 12/100,000 in 2008 and estimated case detection for smear positive cases improved from 42% in 2001 to 75% in 2007. CONCLUSIONS The TB incidence has fallen progressively since DOTS was initiated. Treatment outcome was better in DOTS areas compared to Non-DOTS areas and overall treatment outcome was improved during DOTS implementation. Despite gradually, DOTS was successfully implemented and full expansion is necessary.
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Affiliation(s)
- H Hafizi
- University Lung Diseases Hospital Shefqet Ndroqi, Tirana, Albania.
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