scholarly journals Self-medication practices to prevent or manage COVID-19: A systematic review

PLoS ONE ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 16 (11) ◽  
pp. e0259317
Author(s):  
Alvaro Quincho-Lopez ◽  
Christeam A. Benites-Ibarra ◽  
Maryori M. Hilario-Gomez ◽  
Renatta Quijano-Escate ◽  
Alvaro Taype-Rondan

Background Previous studies have assessed the prevalence and characteristics of self-medication in COVID-19. However, no systematic review has summarized their findings. Objective We conducted a systematic review to assess the prevalence of self-medication to prevent or manage COVID-19. Methods We used different keywords and searched studies published in PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, Embase, two preprint repositories, Google, and Google Scholar. We included studies that reported original data and assessed self-medication to prevent or manage COVID-19. The risk of bias was assessed using the Newcastle–Ottawa Scale (NOS) modified for cross-sectional studies. Results We identified eight studies, all studies were cross-sectional, and only one detailed the question used to assess self-medication. The recall period was heterogeneous across studies. Of the eight studies, seven assessed self-medication without focusing on a specific symptom: four performed in the general population (self-medication prevalence ranged between <4% to 88.3%) and three in specific populations (range: 33.9% to 51.3%). In these seven studies, the most used medications varied widely, including antibiotics, chloroquine or hydroxychloroquine, acetaminophen, vitamins or supplements, ivermectin, and ibuprofen. The last study only assessed self-medication for fever due to COVID-19. Most studies had a risk of bias in the “representativeness of the sample” and “assessment of outcome” items of the NOS. Conclusions Studies that assessed self-medication for COVID-19 found heterogeneous results regarding self-medication prevalence and medications used. More well-designed and adequately reported studies are warranted to assess this topic.

2021 ◽  
pp. postgradmedj-2020-139116
Author(s):  
Jialin Hong ◽  
Yuen Chak Tiu ◽  
Po Yat Bowie Leung ◽  
Man Fai Wong ◽  
Wing Yan Ng ◽  
...  

A systematic review is conducted to identify effective interventions that improved adherence to antihypertensive drugs among patients with coronary heart diseases (CHDs). Primary studies designed to measure interventions to improve adherence on antihypertensive drugs in patients with CHD were included. Three online databases, COCHRANE, EMBASE and MEDLINE, were searched for primary studies published in English from 2005 to 2019. Studies were screened independently for eligibility. Cochrane risk-of-bias tool and the Newcastle-Ottawa Scale were used for quality assessment of randomised controlled trials (RCTs) and non-randomised studies, respectively. Of the 2000 entries identified, seven articles, including one cross-sectional study and six RCTs, met the inclusion criteria and were reviewed. One of the articles evaluated two interventions, so eight interventions were evaluated in total. Quality of the included studies was generally high, with the cross-sectional study rated as having good quality under Newcastle-Ottawa Scale, while four and two RCTs were rated as having low and some risk of bias under Cochrane risk-of-bias tool, respectively. Six of the intervention programmes were considered effective. An intervention was considered effective if it is associated with a significant (p≤0.05) and non-trivial (Cohen’s d≥0.2) improvement in compliance-related outcomes such as in terms of the Morisky 8-item Medication Adherence Scale. Medication education, disease education, health education, constant reminders and medications dispensed using blister packs were identified to be effective in improving patients’ compliance to medications. The importance of the continuity of interventions was also established. It is recommended that health service institutions should provide continuous education programmes, daily reminders and regular follow-ups for their patients who have CHD. It is recommended that further research ought to be carried out by using only one intervention in each trial with a standardised outcome measure, or using factorial designs, so that further cost-effectiveness evaluation of each intervention can be carried out independently, leading to the formulation of a comprehensive, optimised intervention programme for patients with CHD taking antihypertensives.


BMJ Open ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 8 (10) ◽  
pp. e022087 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mohammad Rostami ◽  
Seyyed Jalal Younesi ◽  
Farahnaz Mohammadi Shahboulaghi ◽  
Seyed Kazem Malakouti ◽  
Mahshid Foroughan

IntroductionThe rates of suicide in the elderly population are generally higher than other age groups. Models of suicide that explain the phenomenon of suicide in later life may have research, clinical and educational implications for the field of ageing. The primary purpose of this systematic review is to identify and review existing models of suicide that have a particular focus on the elderly.Methods and analysisThe authors intend reviewing the findings of observational studies including cohort studies, cross-sectional studies, case–control studies, and qualitative studies such as grounded theory designs which are published in Google Scholar, Scopus, PsycINFO, PubMed, Web of Science, Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews and research-related journals. Models of suicide which specifically describe, explain and predict late life suicides will be included. Therapeutic, interventional and rehabilitation models, as well as models related to assisted suicide, will be excluded. The EndNote software will be employed for data management. Two independent reviewers will extract data. Methodological quality and the risk of bias of quantitative studies will be assessed using the Newcastle-Ottawa Scale and the Newcastle-Ottawa Scale adapted for cross-sectional studies, while that of qualitative studies will be assessed using the Critical Appraisal Skills Programme and the evaluative criteria of credibility, transferability, dependability and confirmability. The final report will present a range of models of suicide with a list of different subgroups.Ethics and publicationThere are no predictable ethical issues related to this study. The findings will be published in prestigious journals and presented at international and national conferences.PROSPERO registration numberCRD42017070982.


2018 ◽  
Vol 7 ◽  
Author(s):  
L. J. Moran ◽  
Y. Verwiel ◽  
M. Bahri Khomami ◽  
T. J. Roseboom ◽  
R. C. Painter

AbstractListeriosis is a rare but severe foodborne illness which is more common in populations such as pregnant women, and can result in serious complications including miscarriage, prematurity, maternal and neonatal sepsis, and death in the newborn. Population recommendations exist for specific foods and food preparation practices to reduce listeriosis risk during pregnancy. The aim of the present systematic review was to assess the association between listeriosis and these practices during pregnancy to confirm appropriateness of these recommendations. We searched MEDLINE, Embase, CINAHL Plus, Web of Science Core Collection, included articles’ references, and contacted clinical experts. All databases were searched until July 2017. Case–control and cohort studies were included which assessed pregnant women or their newborn offspring with known listeriosis status and a nutritional exposure consistent with international population recommendations for minimising listeriosis. Outcomes included listeriosis with or without pregnancy outcomes. Risk of bias was assessed through the Newcastle–Ottawa Scale. Results were described narratively due to clinical heterogeneity in differences in nutritional exposures. Eleven articles comprising case–control or cross-sectional studies met the inclusion criteria. Cases of maternal, fetal or neonate listeriosis were more likely to have consumed high-risk dairy products, meat products or some fruits during pregnancy in comparison with women without listeriosis. Cases of listeriosis were more likely to have consumed foods that are highlighted in population guidelines to avoid to minimise listeriosis in comparison with those without listeriosis during pregnancy. Further research is warranted assessing means of improving the reach, uptake and generalisability of population guidelines for reducing listeriosis during pregnancy.


Author(s):  
Diego Urrunaga-Pastor ◽  
Diego Chambergo-Michilot ◽  
Fernando M. Runzer-Colmenares ◽  
Josmel Pacheco-Mendoza ◽  
Vicente A. Benites-Zapata

<b><i>Introduction:</i></b> Dementia is a chronic disease with a variable prevalence throughout the world; however, this could be higher at high-altitude populations. We aimed to summarize the prevalence of cognitive impairment and dementia in older adults living at high altitude. <b><i>Methods:</i></b> We searched in PubMed, Medline, Scopus, Web of Science, and Embase and included the studies published from inception to July 20, 2020, with no language restriction, which reported the frequency of cognitive impairment or dementia in older adults living at high-altitude populations. Random-effects meta-analyses were performed to calculate the overall prevalence and 95% confidence intervals (95% CI) of cognitive impairment and dementia. The risk of bias was evaluated using the Newcastle-Ottawa Scale (NOS) adapted for cross-sectional studies. <b><i>Results:</i></b> Six studies were included (3,724 participants), and 5 of the 6 included studies were carried out in Latin America. The altitude ranged from 1,783 to 3,847 m, the proportion of women included varied from 38.7 to 65.6%, and the proportion of participants with elementary or illiterate educational level ranged from 71.7 to 97.6%. The overall prevalence of cognitive impairment was 22.0% (95% CI: 8–40, <i>I</i><sup>2</sup>: 99%), and the overall prevalence of dementia was 11.0% (95% CI: 6–17, <i>I</i><sup>2</sup>: 92%). In a subgroup analysis according to the instrument used to evaluate cognitive impairment, the prevalence of cognitive impairment was 21.0% (95% CI: 5–42, <i>I</i><sup>2</sup>: 99%) in the MMSE group while the prevalence was 29.0% (95% CI: 0–78) in the non-MMSE group. <b><i>Conclusions:</i></b> The prevalence of cognitive impairment and dementia in older adults living at high altitude is almost twice the number reported in some world regions.


Circulation ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 137 (suppl_1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Kunihiro Matsushita ◽  
Ning Ding ◽  
Esther Kim

Introduction: Arterial stiffness is widely used as an index of arteriosclerosis and is associated with cardiovascular disease (CVD). Recently, cardio-ankle vascular index (CAVI) was developed as a measurement of arterial stiffness that is independent of blood pressure at the time of arterial stiffness evaluation. The associations of CAVI with CVD events and all-cause mortality have not been extensively assessed. We therefore systematically reviewed the studies reporting CAVI and relevant outcomes. Methods: We searched for both prospective and cross-sectional studies using MEDLINE, Embase, and Cochrane from inception to April 11, 2017. Two independent reviewers screened the retrieved papers, extracted relevant data and assessed the risk of bias. Any discrepancy was solved by discussion or a third reviewer. Heterogeneity among studies was assessed using the I 2 statistic. We pooled the results of studies that were sufficiently homogeneous. Results: Among 1,519 records, we identified 9 cohort studies (n=5,292) and 17 cross-sectional eligible studies (n=7,309). All 9 cohort studies reported the outcome of composited CVD (498 cases), but the categorization/modeling of CAVI was not consistent across those studies. The pooled hazard ratio (HR) of CVD for the highest vs. lowest CAVI category in 3 studies was borderline significant (pooled HR=1.34 [0.95, 1.87], p=0.092) (I 2 = 25.2%, p=0.263). For 3 studies examining the continuous association between CAVI and CVD, 1standard deviation (SD) increment of CAVI was significantly associated with CVD risk (pooled HR=1.22 [1.03, 1.45], p=0.023) (I 2 = 27.1%, p=0.253). Only 3 cohort studies investigated CAVI and all-cause mortality, and none of them reported a significant association. All 17 cross-sectional studies reported higher CAVI values in patients with CVD compared to those without CVD, with statistical significance in most studies. Conclusions: CAVI was generally higher in patients with CVD compared to their counterparts. In terms of the prospective prognostic value of CAVI, we found a limited number of studies, but they indicated a modest association between CAVI and CVD risk. Our systematic review highlighted the need for large prospective studies to assess the usefulness of CAVI as a predictor of CVD and mortality.


2019 ◽  
Vol 65 (5) ◽  
pp. 731-738 ◽  
Author(s):  
Daniela Silva ◽  
Lara Ferriani ◽  
Maria Carmen Viana

SUMMARY OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the association between depression, anthropometric parameters and body image in adults through a systematic review of the literature. METHOD: Medline, Lilacs and PsycInfo databases were searched by two independent reviewers up to August 2018, without language restriction, including cross-sectional, case-control, and cohort studies in adults (18-65 years), of both genders. The quality of the studies was assessed using the Newcastle-Ottawa Scale instrument. The PRISMA standards were adopted for the conduct of this review, whose protocol is registered in PROSPERO, number CRD42018105248. RESULTS: The search resulted in 1,770 articles; however, a total of 5 articles were included in this review, whose designs were transversal. Quality scores ranged from 8 to 9 points. The association between depression, anthropometric parameters, and body image was found in all included studies, regardless of the different statistical methods employed. Women perceived their body larger than it really was by idealizing a lean body, whereas in men the perception of being underweight or dissatisfaction was observed by idealizing a larger body, both conditions were associated with the presence of depression or depressive symptoms and body mass index in the same time. CONCLUSION: Depression, anthropometric parameters and body image were associated. It is necessary to conduct other studies, especially longitudinal studies to elucidate the relationship among depression, weight, body image, and other associated factors.


2021 ◽  
Vol 8 (12) ◽  
pp. 162
Author(s):  
Sergio Rico-Martín ◽  
Julián F. Calderón-García ◽  
Belinda Basilio-Fernández ◽  
María Zoraida Clavijo-Chamorro ◽  
Juan F. Sánchez Muñoz-Torrero

Recent meta-analysis studies have reported that metabolic comorbidities such as diabetes, obesity, dyslipidaemia and hypertension are associated with higher risk of severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) and mortality in patients with COVID-19. This meta-analysis aims to investigate the relationship between metabolic syndrome (MetS) and its components with SARS and mortality in COVID-19 patients. Methods: A systematic search was conducted in the several databases up until 1 September 2021. Primary observational longitudinal studies published in peer review journals were selected. Two independent reviewers performed title and abstract screening, extracted data and assessed the risk of bias using the Newcastle–Ottawa Scale. Results: The random effects meta-analysis showed that MetS was significantly associated with SARS with a pooled OR (95% CI) of 3.21 (2.88–3.58) and mortality with a pooled OR (95% CI) of 2.32 (1.16–4.63). According to SARS, the pooled OR for MetS was 2.19 (1.71–2.67), p < 0.001; significantly higher than the hypertension component. With regard to mortality, although the pooled OR for MetS was greater than for its individual components, no significant differences were observed. Conclusions: this meta-analysis of cohort studies, showed that MetS is better associated to SARS and mortality in COVID-19 patients than its individual components.


2021 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Yousef Moradi ◽  
Ahmed N Albatineh ◽  
Hassan Mahmoodi ◽  
Reza Ghanei Gheshlagh

Abstract Introduction The link between metabolic syndrome and depression has always been controversial. Different studies that have examined the relationship between metabolic syndrome and depression have reported different results. Therefore, the goal of the present study was to examine the association between depression and MetS by meta-analysis. Methods Embase, Scopus, PubMed, and ISI were searched for publications in English from January 1990 to February 2020. Search included cohort and cross-sectional studies aimed at examining the association between depression and MetS. The risk of bias was assessed by Newcastle-Ottawa Scale. Heterogeneity and publication bias were tested, subgroup analysis and meta-regression were conducted. Results 49 studies with total sample size 399,494 were analyzed. Results indicated the odds of MetS was higher in depressed compared to non-depressed individuals [OR: 1.48; 95 %CI: 1.33–1.64) vs. (OR: 1.38; 95 %CI: 1.17–1.64)]. For cross-sectional studies, depressed patients in Europe (OR = 1.35; 95 %CI: 1.47–1.99) were at higher odds of MetS compared to those in America and Asia. For cohort studies, depressed patients in America (OR = 1.46; 95 %CI: 1.16–1.84) were at higher odds of MetS than those in Europe. Cross-sectional studies indicated women with depression were at higher odds of MetS (OR = 1.95; 95 %CI: 1.38–2.74) compared to men. In both types of studies, the odds of MetS decreased with age. Conclusions Metabolic syndrome is more common in depressed compared to non-depressed individuals.


F1000Research ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 9 ◽  
pp. 1316
Author(s):  
Endang Mutiawati ◽  
Syahrul Syahrul ◽  
Marhami Fahriani ◽  
Jonny Karunia Fajar ◽  
Sukamto S. Mamada ◽  
...  

Background: This study was conducted to determine the prevalence of headache in coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) and to assess its association as a predictor for COVID-19. This study also aimed to discuss the possible pathogenesis of headache in COVID-19. Methods: Available articles from PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science were searched as of September 2nd, 2020. Data on characteristics of the study, headache and COVID-19 were extracted following the PRISMA guidelines. Biases were assessed using the Newcastle-Ottawa scale. The cumulative prevalence of headache was calculated for the general population (i.e. adults and children). The pooled odd ratio (OR) with 95% confidence intervals (95%CI) was calculated using the Z test to assess the association between headache and the presence of COVID-19 cases. Results: We included 104,751 COVID-19 cases from 78 eligible studies to calculate the global prevalence of headache in COVID-19 and 17 studies were included to calculate the association of headache and COVID-19. The cumulative prevalence of headache in COVID-19 was 25.2% (26,464 out of 104,751 cases). Headache was found to be more prevalent, approximately by two-fold, in COVID-19 patients than in non-COVID-19 patients with symptoms of other respiratory viral infections, OR: 1.73; 95% CI: 1.94, 2.5 with p=0.04. Conclusion: Headache is common among COVID-19 patients and seems to be more common in COVID-19 patients compared to those with the non-COVID-19 viral infection. No definitive mechanisms on how headache  emerges in COVID-19 patients but several possible hypotheses have been proposed. However, extensive studies are warranted to elucidate the mechanisms. PROSPERO registration: CRD42020210332 (28/09/2020)


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Luca Marie Dettmann ◽  
Sally Adams ◽  
Gemma Taylor

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic has had a significant impact on mental health. Specifically, the stringent lockdown restrictions have heightened anxiety and depression. Therefore, monitoring and supporting the mental health of the population during these unprecedented times is an immediate priority.Methods: In this systematic review and meta-analyses, articles that explored the prevalence of anxiety and depression during the first COVID-19 lockdown in the UK were included. We searched the databases Embase, Medline (PubMed), Web of Science, and PsycINFO for cross-sectional studies. We conducted meta-analyses of prevalence rates using a random-effects model, and the heterogeneity of studies was examined using the I^2 index.Results: Fourteen studies involving 46,158 participants were included in the review. The studies use clinical cut-off scores on anxiety and depression measures to define cases. While the prevalence of anxiety was 31.00% (95% CI = 26.00 to 35.00), the prevalence of depression was 32.00% (95% CI = 29.00 to 35.00). The prevalence of anxiety pre-pandemic was 4.65%, indicating a 26.35% increase. Whereas the prevalence of depression pre-pandemic was 4.12%, indicating a 27.88% increase. Moreover, participants experienced a slightly greater prevalence of depression than anxiety by 1.00%.Conclusions: To conclude, the first COVID-19 lockdown in the UK increased the prevalence of anxiety and depression amongst the general population, compared to pre-pandemic data. Hence, it is vital that policymakers and mental health services maximise their efforts to monitor mental health and provide interventions to support those in need.


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