Association of Cardiovascular Disease Risk and Health-Related Behaviors in Stroke Patients

Brain stroke continues to be a leading cause of mortality and disability in both developed and developing countries, with higher healthcare costs due to the long-term care and rehabilitation that it incurs. The purpose of the current study was to assess the association between brain stroke patients' health-related behaviors and their risk for cardiovascular disease.

METHODS

A cross-sectional study was carried out from March to August 2022 in the Vlora district regional hospital in Albania. The study included 150 out of 170 participants who met the necessary criteria, achieving an 88% response rate. Measurement tools included the Framingham Cardiovascular Risk Scale (FRS) and the Lifestyle Health Promotion Profile II (HPLP II).

RESULTS

The patients' average age was 65.9 ± 9.04 years. Over 65% of the stroke patients suffer from diabetes, and 47% from hypertension. About 31% of them have a high risk of hyperlipidemia (mean TC = 179 ± 28.5). About 32% of the brain stroke patients manifested unhealthy behaviors, while 84% of them had a high risk of cardiovascular disease (FRS = 19.5 ± 0.53). Cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk was statistically associated with stress management behaviors (p = 0.008; OR = 0.20; CI = 95%). This risk was highest in the over-70 age group as well as in men.

CONCLUSION

Brain stroke patients had a high probability of developing CVD. For better health among stroke patients, new evidence-based behavior change approaches must be introduced into preventative and management programs.

Impact of COVID-19 Outbreak in Healthcare of People with Type 2 Diabetes: Evidence from a Cross-Sectional Study

Objective The aim was to assess the impact of the COVID-19 outbreak on the health care of type 2 diabetes patients and identify the correlated factors. Research Design and Methods A cross-sectional study was carried out from November 2020 to February 2021. The study enrolled 400 adults with type 2 diabetes aged 40–65 with at least one other chronic illness receiving health services in primary care in Vlore, Albania. A short questionnaire based on literature, taking into account the situation of the COVID-19 pandemic, was used for the data collection. The administration of the questionnaire was done by trained nurses. All participants gave their written informed consent before administering the questionnaire. Two-tailed Pearson correlation and linear regression were used to test the correlations.  Results                                                                                Among 400 patients with type 2 diabetes in the study, 53.0% were female and 47.0% were men. Most of the participants were married (n = 303) with a high level of education (54.3%). Treatment was mainly with oral medications (58.0%). Based on body mass index, 63.0% of participants were overweight. Employment status (p = 003), the type of treatment, oral medication vs insulin (p = 001), body mass index (p = 001), and living alone (p = 008) were the more correlated factors.  Conclusions Care of type 2 diabetic patients due to the COVID-19 pandemic is closely associated with social determinants of health and the resources of healthcare settings. The need to address innovative approaches to care including self-care, social support, and e-health is recommended.    

Fatal air embolism: A grave complication during diagnostic flexible bronchoscopy

Flexible fiber-optic bronchoscopy is used to determine diagnoses in pulmonary diseases. It is considered as a safe procedure, although some complications might occur, one of which is cerebral air embolism. In this case, we present the air embolism after the bronchoscopy procedure, ending in fatality. We strongly recommend that bronchoscopists should keep this complication in mind and be aware of early symptoms pertaining to the patient's state of consciousness during bronchoscopy examination. Early treatment is essential in this situation.

High prevalence of major neurological disorders in two Albanian communities: results of a door-to-door survey

BACKGROUND

There are few epidemiological studies on neurological disorders in Albania.

METHODS

A door-to-door survey was undertaken in two geographical areas (Tirana and Saranda) with different socioeconomic backgrounds. Two random samples of the local population underwent a structured interview to ascertain headache, epilepsy, dementia, parkinsonism, multiple sclerosis, polyneuropathy, stroke and cerebral palsy. Each diagnosis was made using standard criteria for epidemiological studies and was confirmed by history, neurological examination and, where available, the review of personal medical records. Lifetime prevalence ratios with 95% confidence intervals were calculated.

RESULTS

Of the 9,869 individuals screened (Tirana 4,953; Saranda 4,916), 4,867 were males aged 1-91 years (median 39 years) and 5,002 were females aged 1-96 years (median 37 years). Crude prevalence ratios (per 1,000) were: headache 241.9 (233.5-250.3), polyneuropathy 32.5 (29.0-36.0), epilepsy 14.2 (11.7-16.3), stroke 12.4 (10.2-14.6), dementia 9.6 (7.7-11.5), parkinsonism 8.0 (6.2-9.8), cerebral palsy 4.8 (3.4-6.2), and multiple sclerosis 0.3 (0.0-0.6). Prevalence varied with age and gender, with differences across diseases. Except for polyneuropathy (Tirana 39.8; Saranda 25.2), ratios were not different in the two study areas.

CONCLUSIONS

The prevalence of selected neurological disorders in Albania is higher than in other countries. Differences may be explained by study design, population structure and/or genetic and environmental factors.