scholarly journals Behçet Syndrome Manifestations and Activity in the United States versus Turkey — A Cross-sectional Cohort Comparison

2014 ◽  
Vol 41 (7) ◽  
pp. 1379-1384 ◽  
Author(s):  
Cailin Sibley ◽  
Yusuf Yazici ◽  
Koray Tascilar ◽  
Nafiz Khan ◽  
Yasmin Bata ◽  
...  

Objective.To compare clinical manifestations and activity of Behçet syndrome (BS) in the United States versus Turkey using validated outcome measures.Methods.Consecutive patients with BS from the US National Institutes of Health (NIH), New York University, and the University of Istanbul were evaluated. Disease activity was measured using the Behçet’s Syndrome Activity Scale (BSAS) and the Behçet’s Disease Current Activity Form (BDCAF) with quality of life measured by the Behçet Disease Quality of Life (BDQOL) form. One-way ANOVA, t-tests, and multivariate regression analyses were performed.Results.Mean age did not differ between sites; however, more women were seen in the United States versus in Turkey (p < 0.001), and disease duration was longer in the United States (p = 0.02). Organ manifestations were similar for oral and genital ulcers, skin disease, arthralgia, eye disease, and thrombosis. However, more gastrointestinal (p < 0.001) and neurologic disease (p = 0.003) was seen in the United States. BSAS and BDCAF scores were worse in the United States compared to Turkey (p = 0.013 and < 0.001, respectively). Worse mean BDQOL scores were observed at the NIH compared to Istanbul (not significant). Multivariable regression models showed worse scores in ethnically atypical patients for BSAS and BDCAF (p = 0.04 and p = 0.001), American patients for BDCAF (p = 0.01), older age for BDCAF (p = 0.005), and women for BDQOL (p = 0.01).Conclusion.Demographic and clinical manifestations of BS differ between sites with higher disease activity in the United States compared to Turkey. Referral patterns, age, sex, ethnicity, and country of origin may be important in these differences. These observations raise the question of whether pathogenic mechanisms differ in Turkish and American patients.

2021 ◽  
Vol 28 (3) ◽  
pp. 265-276
Author(s):  
Naira Khachatryan ◽  
Maxwell Pistilli ◽  
Maureen G. Maguire ◽  
Angela Y. Chang ◽  
Marissa R. Samuels ◽  
...  

2021 ◽  
pp. 002073142199484
Author(s):  
Vicente Navarro

This article analyses the political changes that have been occurring in the United States (including the elections for the presidency of the country) and their consequences for the health and quality of life of the population. A major thesis of this article is that there is a need to analyse, besides race and gender, other categories of power - such as social class - in order to understand what happens in the country. While the class structure of the United States is similar to that of major Western European countries, the political context is very different. The U.S. political context has resulted in the very limited power of its working class, which explains the scarcity of labor, political and social rights in the country, such as universal access to health care.


2018 ◽  
pp. 1-9
Author(s):  
Jin You ◽  
Qian Lu ◽  
Michael J. Zvolensky ◽  
Zhiqiang Meng ◽  
Kay Garcia ◽  
...  

Purpose Literature has documented the prevalence of anxiety and its adverse effect on quality of life among patients with breast cancer from Western countries, yet cross-cultural examinations with non-Western patients are rare. This cross-cultural study investigated differences in anxiety and its association with quality of life between US and Chinese patients with breast cancer. Methods Patients with breast cancer from the United States and China completed measures for anxiety (Spielberger State-Trait Anxiety Inventory) and quality of life (Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy-Breast). Results After controlling for demographic and medical characteristics, Chinese patients reported higher levels of trait and state anxiety than US patients. Although there was an association between anxiety and quality of life in both groups of patients, the association between state anxiety and quality of life was stronger among Chinese patients than among US patients, with the association between trait anxiety and quality of life the same between the two cultural samples. Conclusion These findings suggest that anxiety and its association with quality of life among patients with breast cancer varies depending on cultural context, which reveals greater anxiety and poorer quality of life among Chinese patients compared with US patients. This suggests greater unmet psychosocial needs among Chinese patients and highlights the need to build comprehensive cancer care systems for a better quality of life in Chinese populations.


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