poor general health
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2021 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
pp. 36-50
Author(s):  
Nahal Salimi ◽  
Bryan Gere

The recent outbreak of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic has brought significant changes to higher education. In response to the pandemic, many colleges, and universities around the world, especially in developed countries, are embracing online or distance education. Transitioning to online learning that involves the use of information technology such as the internet and digital platform for course delivery has increased dramatically (World Economic Forum, 2020). However, these sudden changes have left some to speculate that the shift to online learning will change students’ level of anxiety, stress, which could result in poor academic performance and low achievement of learning objectives. The purpose of this descriptive cross-sectional study is to investigate undergraduate and graduate students’ perceptions of their mental health and computer anxiety in the era of the COVID-19 pandemic. Descriptive statistics such as simple percentages and averages were calculated. Also, a one-way ANOVA was used for analyzing the collected data. Results indicate that general mental health was significantly correlated with computer anxiety. The results also indicate that computer anxiety and perceived stress predicted poor general health. Demographic factors, such as sex, and academic discipline were significant predictors of computer anxiety, but age was not a significant predictor of computer anxiety. Also, the results show that chronic physical disabilities are a significant predictor of computer anxiety, and overall mental health, however, the presence of learning disabilities was not a significant predictor of computer anxiety. Implications and considerations for future research are discussed.


2021 ◽  
pp. 204946372110623
Author(s):  
Hemkumar Pushparaj ◽  
Rajiv Chawla ◽  
Deepti Bhargava ◽  
Shubhabrata Biswas ◽  
Manohar L Sharma

Background Wireless percutaneous nerve stimulation (PNS) for chronic pain is rapidly evolving in the ever expanding neuromodulation paradigm. Safety and lower risks with a potential of long-term analgesia cannot be over emphasised especially with the ongoing opioid pandemic. PNS with an implanted pulse generator (IPG) has also been shown to provide good benefit, without often unpleasant widespread paraesthesia from conventional spinal cord stimulators. Aim and Methods We retrospectively extracted data on all wireless PNS implants in our highly specialised pain neuromodulation centre since initiation of wireless PNS service in August 2019. Patient demographics, pain history, analgesic intake and details on implant follow-up data within 1 year post-implant including pain relief, EuroQol-5 Dimension (EQ-5D) and Patients’ Global Impression of Change (PGIC) scores were extracted. The cases are presented in a narrative format. Result A total of five patients were implanted with wireless (Stimwave®) PNS from August 2019 to February 2020. Neuropathic pain was the most common presenting diagnosis. All patients showed >50% pain relief at 3 months. EQ-5D and PGIC did not show any improvement in the subjects. Two of the patients managed to decrease their analgesics after implantation. Similar sustained benefits could not be demonstrated after 1 year. Discussion PNS can provide analgesia in appropriately selected cases. Naivety of the technique and procedure might cause some degree of uncertainty. External pulse generator with wireless transmission avoids IPG and tunnelling related side effects, but requires individualised special wearable technology to power the lead. Minimally invasive nature of the technique might be attractive and preferable for patients with complex medical issues, nickel allergy and poor general health who may otherwise be unsuitable for Spinal Cord Stimulation (SCS) with conventional hardware. Robust prospective controlled studies and RCTs in future might provide further insights on utility in other neuropathic pain diagnosis, long-term outcomes and acceptability compared to conventional SCS.


2021 ◽  
Vol 5 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. 876-876
Author(s):  
Christi Nelson ◽  
Ross Andel

Abstract Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) health disparities have been well documented in previous research. This study examined whether the level of equality in state of residence (high, medium, fair, poor, or negative), determined by tallied LGBT-related laws and policies, was associated with health outcomes for LGBT adults. This study consisted of 3486 LGB and 959 transgender adults ages 50+ as well as 1:1 propensity matched heterosexual and cisgender participants from the 2018 and 2019 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) surveys. Separate logistic regression analyses for the LGB, transgender, heterosexual, and cisgender groups were conducted to assess health differences by state equality ranking. Results indicated that LGB participants in fair ranked states were more likely to report fair/poor general health (aOR=1.4, 95% CI=1.1-1.8) and 14 or more days of poor mental health in the past 30 days (aOR=1.4, 95% CI=1.1-1.9) compared to LGB in high ranked states. LGB participants in a low or negative ranked state were more likely to report fair/poor health (aOR=1.6, 95% CI=1.3-2.0), 14 days or more of poor physical health (aOR=1.5, 95% CI=1.1-1.8), and 14 or more days of poor mental health (aOR=1.3, 95% CI=1.0-1.7) in the past 30 days. Transgender participants in medium and low/negative ranked states were more likely to report fair/poor health (lowest aOR=1.75, 95% CI=1.3-2.5) compared to transgender individuals in high equality states. Similar results were not found for the matched heterosexual and cisgender groups. These results suggest that LGBT-related laws and policies may play a role in LGBT health.


10.23856/4629 ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 46 (3) ◽  
pp. 222-228
Author(s):  
Hanna Hula ◽  
Olha Bas

For today there are significant medical advances in surgical treatment of emergency abdominal pathology and surgical techniques. However, the place of physical therapy in guidelines of acute abdominal pathology complex treatment remains insufficiently described in the specialized literature, and its significance in clinical practice underestimated. Emergency abdominal surgical pathology still remains a significant proportion of all surgical diseases, whereas mortality and postoperative complications remain considerably high. Surgical interventions in this cohort belong to the high-risk category in the cases of old age, poor general health with the limited cardiorespiratory reserve, low physical strength and obesity. Among other reasons of this study importance, there are insufficient clinical guidelines and misunderstanding of physical therapy impact on treatment outcome, such as mortality, frequency and type of postoperative morbidity, duration of in hospital stay, quality of life and rate of physical recovery. Only moderate quantity of thorough studies is available, concerning major urgent abdominal pathology complex treatment which comprehends surgical, anesthesia, laboratory, imaging, physiotherapy and nutritional support expertise. However, current evidence from trials remains obscure due to absence of clearly defined, standardized physiotherapy interventions, which limits the comparison in the treatment outcomes assessment. Currently in Ukraine there are no standards of physical therapy in clinical protocol of emergency abdominal surgical pathology. Consequently, there is a necessity for theoretic and practical justification of physical therapy as an important component of comprehensive treatment in the case of emergency abdominal surgical pathology.


Healthcare ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (11) ◽  
pp. 1544
Author(s):  
Kim Elisa Sussmann ◽  
Hannes Jacobs ◽  
Falk Hoffmann

Background: Physical therapy (PT) is recommended as first-line management for osteoarthritis (OA). The purpose of this study was to assess the PT use among adults with OA and those without (Non-OA) and subsequently identify associated factors among these populations. Methods: This cross-sectional study obtained national data from the population-based German Health Update (GEDA2014/2015-EHIS) study containing 24,016 participants aged 18 years and older. Analyses were stratified by sex, age, socioeconomic status (SES), residence, smoking behavior, body mass index, pain and general health. Multivariate regression analysis was conducted to evaluate factors associated with PT use within the past 12 months. Results: PT was used more frequently in the OA population compared with the Non-OA population (35.8% vs. 18.7%). In both populations, women, participants with high SES, residence in Eastern Germany, severe pain, poor general health and non-smokers received PT more frequently. Multivariate analysis confirmed these findings, in addition to people aged 80 years and older. The influence of SES was higher among OA participants. Conclusion: The underutilization of PT in OA patients (35.8%) was particularly evident among males, people with a low SES and those being older than 60 years, which aids to develop strategies increasing PT use towards guideline-oriented OA management.


2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (22) ◽  
pp. 5214
Author(s):  
Bárbara Buch-Vicente ◽  
José Mª. Acosta ◽  
José-Angel Martín-Oterino ◽  
Nieves Prieto ◽  
María Elena Sánchez-Sánchez ◽  
...  

Iatrogenic sexual dysfunction (SD) caused by antihypertensive (AH) compounds, provoking sexual desire, orgasm or arousal dysfunction, is a common clinical adverse event. Unfortunately, it is often underestimated and underreported by clinicians and prescribers in clinical practice, deteriorating the adherence and patient quality of life. The objective of this study was to investigate the frequency of SD in patients treated with different antihypertensive compounds; a real-life naturalistic and cross-sectional study in patients receiving AH treatment was carried out. Method: A total of 256 patients were included in the study (188 males and 68 females who met the inclusion and exclusion criteria). The validated Psychotropic-Related Sexual Dysfunction Questionnaire (PRSexDQ-SALSEX) was transversally applied once at least every two months following the onset of the treatment in order to measure possible AH-related SD. Although the spontaneous reporting of SD was very low (6.81% females/24.8% males), 66.40% of the patients reported impaired sexual function through the SALSEX questionnaire after the treatment onset, as follows: decreased desire (55.8% females/54.2% males), delayed orgasm (42.6%/45.7%), anorgasmia (42.6%/43.6%) and arousal difficulties (53%/59.6%). The average frequency of moderate to severe iatrogenic SD was 66.4% with AH in monotherapy as follows: angiotensin II receptor antagonists (ARBs), 29.8%; calcium antagonists, 40%; diuretics, 42.9%; beta blockers, 43.8%; and angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors, 77.8%. Combined treatments showed a higher percentage of main SD (70.3%): diuretic + ACE inhibitor, 42.3%; ARB + calcium antagonist, 55.6%; diuretic + calcium antagonist, 68.8%; and diuretic + ARB, 74.2%. The greatest risk factors associated with SD were poor general health, age over 60 with a comorbid coronary or musculoskeletal disease, mood disorder and diuretic +ARB combined therapy. Conclusion: SD is common in patients treated with antihypertensive drugs, and it is still underreported. The most harmful treatment deteriorating sexual function was the combination of diuretic +ARB, while the least harmful was monotherapy with ARBs. More research is needed on the clinical management of this problem to preserve the quality of life of patients and their partners.


Blood ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 138 (Supplement 1) ◽  
pp. 2709-2709
Author(s):  
Freda R Coren ◽  
Mateo Sarmiento Bustamante ◽  
Sheila K Pierson ◽  
David C Fajgenbaum

Abstract Unicentric Castleman disease (UCD) is one of several subtypes of Castleman disease that share characteristic histopathology. While UCD involves one region of enlarged lymph nodes (LN) and milder symptoms, idiopathic multicentric CD (iMCD) involves multiple regions of enlarged lymph nodes and cytokine-driven organ dysfunction. UCD symptoms can occur due to compression of neighboring structures or inflammatory cytokine production. Complete excision of the enlarged LN is reported in the literature to be curative in 84-96% of UCD patients. However, many UCD patients describe persistence or worsening of symptoms post excision despite normal laboratory values and absence of measurable disease. To better characterize and describe the experience of individuals diagnosed with UCD, we administered surveys to UCD patients to capture information about general quality of life (QOL), specific health measures, and ongoing UCD symptoms. All patients enrolled in the ACCELERATE Natural History registry who either self-reported a UCD diagnosis or were suspected to have a UCD diagnosis were invited to participate in the Rand36-item Short Form survey, the EQ-5D-5L, the MCD Symptom Score survey, all of which are validated instruments, as well as an additional form regarding ongoing symptoms. Among the 107 UCD patients invited to participate, 51 (48%) responded. Descriptive analyses were conducted on all 51 respondents with a self-reported UCD diagnosis. Subsequently, a subset consisting of 25 respondents, who had been reviewed by a panel of physicians that confirmed a UCD diagnosis (confirmed subcohort, CS), was analyzed. Mean (SD) EQ-5D-5L health index score (100 being perfect health, 0 being worst health imaginable) of the 51 patients was 67.6 (19.9), compared to a representative sample of the US population whose score was 80.4. Patients reported having poor health over the prior 4 weeks, with low scores indicating high levels of fatigue (38.8) and poor general health (47.7). These are notable and comparable to scores for fatigue (52.2) and general health (57.0) among a separate cohort of patients with diabetes, hypertension, coronary heart disease, and/or depression. Strikingly, 57% of patients reported continuation of symptoms post-LN excision, with an additional 16% being unsure. Only 29% reported complete symptom resolution, with the remainder reporting partial resolution (29%), stable disease (20%), worsening disease (12%), or unsure (10%). Nearly all 51 respondents underwent their LN-excision >1 year prior (93%). Fatigue (61%) and night sweats (39%) were most commonly reported in patients with continued symptoms. In fact, 27 patients (53%) reported ongoing symptoms on the day of survey completion with 93% of those patients reporting fatigue that day. Of note, sub-group analyses of the CS revealed similar findings, with a potential trend towards slightly better overall health with mean (SD) health index score 72.6 (14.5), fatigue (44%) and night sweats (36%), and ongoing symptoms reported in 40%. Of the patients in the CS, all had a complete resection, with 3 demonstrating subsequent lymphadenopathy in new regions ranging from 6 months to 5 years after their initial excision. Overall, these data suggest that UCD patients who have had resection of disease continue to experience symptoms that affect QOL. Patients reported lower QOL than a representative national average, as well as health measures comparable to a separate cohort of individuals with chronic health conditions. Of note, the full cohort of self-reported individuals consistently reported lower scores compared to the subset of patients with confirmed UCD (not statistically tested). Of the 26 non-confirmed cases, 8 did not achieve criteria to meet UCD and 18 have not yet been reviewed by our physician panel. A different undiagnosed disorder may be the root cause of symptoms in a portion of these patients and others may be experiencing symptoms due to a co-occurring disorder. These results may be confounded by reporting bias and may not be representative of the full UCD population. Nevertheless, these data suggest that perceived-to-be curative excision does not result in symptom-free outcomes in a substantial proportion of patients and that symptom management may be required beyond excision. Future work is needed to correlate these findings with clinical, laboratory, and experimental data to further elucidate mechanisms and treatment options. Disclosures Fajgenbaum: EUSA Pharma: Research Funding; Pfizer: Other: Study drug for clinical trial of sirolimus; N/A: Other: Holds pending provisional patents for 'Methods of treating idiopathic multicentric Castleman disease with JAK1/2 inhibition' and 'Discovery and validation of a novel subgroup and therapeutic target in idiopathic multicentric Castleman disease'.


2021 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Lal B. Rawal ◽  
Kie Kanda ◽  
Tuhin Biswas ◽  
Md. Imtiaz Tanim ◽  
Padam Kanta Dahal ◽  
...  

Abstract Background Access to and utilization of health services have remained major challenges for people living in low- and middle-income countries, especially for those living in impaired public health environment such as refugee camps and temporary settlements. This study presents health problems and utilization of health services among Forcibly Displaced Myanmar Nationals (FDMNs) living in the southern part of Bangladesh. Methods A mixed-method (quantitative and qualitative) approach was used. Altogether 999 household surveys were conducted among the FDMNs living in makeshift/temporary settlements and host communities. We used a grounded theory approach involving in-depth interviews (IDIs), focus group discussions (FGDs), and key informant interviews (KIIs) including 24 IDIs, 10 FGDs, and 9 KIIs. The quantitative data were analysed with STATA. Results The common health problems among the women were pregnancy and childbirth-related complications and violence against women. Among the children, fever, diarrhoea, common cold and malaria were frequently observed health problems. Poor general health, HIV/AIDS, insecurity, discrimination, and lack of employment opportunity were common problems for men. Further, 61.2% women received two or more antenatal care (ANC) visits during their last pregnancy, while 28.9% did not receive any ANC visit. The majority of the last births took place at home (85.2%) assisted by traditional birth attendants (78.9%), a third (29.3%) of whom suffered pregnancy- and childbirth-related complications. The clinics run by the non-governmental organizations (NGOs) (76.9%) and private health facilities (86.0%) were the most accessible places for seeking healthcare for the FDMNs living in the makeshift settlements. All participants heard about HIV/AIDS. 78.0% of them were unaware about the means of HIV transmission, and family planning methods were poorly used (45.2%). Conclusions Overall, the health of FDMNs living in the southern part of Bangladesh is poor and they have inadequate access to and utilization of health services to address the health problems and associated factors. Existing essential health and nutrition support programs need to be culturally appropriate and adopt an integrated approach to encourage men’s participation to improve utilization of health and family planning services, address issues of gender inequity, gender-based violence, and improve women empowerment and overall health outcomes.


2021 ◽  
Vol 63 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ueli Braun ◽  
Christina Widmer ◽  
Karl Nuss ◽  
Monika Hilbe ◽  
Christian Gerspach

Abstract Background Type-4 abomasal ulcers (U4) are perforated ulcers causing diffuse peritonitis. This retrospective study describes the clinical, laboratory and ultrasonographic findings in 38 calves with U4. The medical records of 38 calves aged three days to 20 weeks with U4 were scrutinised. Results The most common clinical findings were poor general health (95%), reduced skin elasticity (95%), rumen atony (91%), abdominal guarding (76%) and positive percussion auscultation and/or swinging auscultation on the right side of the abdomen (75%). The most frequent laboratory findings were increased numbers of segmented neutrophils (87%), eosinopenia (87%), acidosis (84%), azotaemia (79%) and hyponatraemia (79%). The most frequent abdominal ultrasonographic findings were intestinal atony (68%), fluid (67%) and fibrin deposits (58%) in the abdomen. Thirty-five calves were euthanased and three calves died spontaneously. All calves underwent pathological examination. Diffuse peritonitis caused by a transmural abomasal ulcer was the principal diagnosis in all calves. Conclusions Perforated abomasal ulcers cause severe illness, and a thorough clinical examination combined with ultrasonographic abdominal examination should lead to a tentative diagnosis.


PLoS ONE ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 16 (9) ◽  
pp. e0257188
Author(s):  
Kabir Ahmad ◽  
Enamul Kabir ◽  
Syed Afroz Keramat ◽  
Rasheda Khanam

Objective This study investigates the associations between maternal health and health-related behaviours (nutrition, physical activity, alcohol consumption and smoking) both during pregnancy and up to 15 months from childbirth and children’s health outcomes during infancy and adolescence (general health, presence of a chronic illness, and physical health outcome index). Methods This study used Wave 1 (2004) and Wave 7 (2016) data from the Longitudinal Survey of Australian Children (LSAC). We measured mothers’ general health, presence of a medical condition during pregnancy and mental health during pregnancy or in the year after childbirth. We subsequently measured the children’s general health, presence of a medical condition, and physical health outcome index at ages 0–1 (infancy) and 12–13 (adolescence). Binary logistic and linear regression analyses were performed to examine the association between the mothers’ health-related variables and their children’s health. Results Our results showed that poor general health of the mother in the year after childbirth was associated with higher odds of poor health in infants and adolescents in all three dimensions: poor general health (OR: 3.13, 95% CI: 2.16–4.52 for infants; OR: 1.39, 95% CI: 0.95–2.04 for adolescents), presence of a chronic condition (OR: 1.47, 95% CI: 1.19–1.81 for adolescents) and lower physical health score (b = −0.94, p-value <0.05 for adolescents). Our study also revealed that the presence of a chronic condition in mothers during pregnancy significantly increased the likelihood of the presence of a chronic condition in their offspring during infancy (OR: 1.31, 95% CI: 1.12–1.54) and during adolescence (OR: 1.45, 95% CI: 1.20–1.75). The study found that stressful life events faced by mothers increase the odds of poor general health or any chronic illness during adolescence, while stress, anxiety or depression during pregnancy and psychological distress in the year after childbirth increase the odds of any chronic illness during infancy. Conclusions The present study found evidence that poor maternal physical and mental health during pregnancy or up to 15 months from childbirth has adverse health consequences for their offspring as measured by general health, presence of chronic health conditions, and physical health index scores. This suggests that initiatives to improve maternal physical and mental health would not only improve child health but would also reduce the national health burden.


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