Aim To determine the factors associated with alcohol and tobacco abuse in Slovenian general population. Material and methods We performed an observational cross-sectional study in a representative sample of 1002 Slovenian inhabitants in June 2011. It was performed using a method of computer-assisted telephone interview. The telephone interview consisted of questions about the prevalence and duration of preselected health-related symptoms in the past month, questions about the presence of chronic diseases, question about the presence of current smoking, EQ-5D questionnaire and AUDIT-C questionnaire. Results Risky drinking was found in 103 (14.3%) of the sample and smoking was found in 226 (22.6%) of the sample. Men reported risky drinking more often when compared with women (17.7 vs. 10.5%, P=0.007). Multivariate analysis showed that male sex, current tobacco smoking, lower education level, self-reported presence of anxiety/depression and self-reported presence of muscle pain and excessive fatigue in the past month were independently associated with risky drinking and that male sex, lower education and income, the presence of chronic disease, self-reported problems in daily activities, risky drinking, self-reported troubles in sleeping and restless leg syndrome were independently associated with current tobacco smoking. Conclusion Risky alcohol drinking and smoking are still major public health problems in Slovenia and are associated with known demographic risk factors but also with some symptoms of somatoform disorders. These findings should be incorporated into the guidelines for family physicians as the important focus points for screening and intervening against legal substances' abuse in their patients.
COBISS.SI-ID: 32459737
Data analysis of the international SHARE study on depression among elderly.
COBISS.SI-ID: 1779854
In collaboration with the Institute of Microbiology and Immunology, Faculty of medicine, University of Ljubljana, we estimated the prevalence of antibodies to hepatitis C virus (HCV) (anti-HCV), the prevalence of HCV viraemia (HCV RNA), and described HCV genotype distribution among pregnant women in Slovenia. Residual sera from 31,849 pregnant women obtained for routine syphilis screening during 1999, 2003, 2009, and 2013 were tested unlinked anonymously. Anti-HCV reactive specimens were tested for HCV RNA and HCV genotypes were determined. Annual prevalence of anti-HCV ranged between 0.09% (95% confidence interval (CI): 0.03-0.18) and 0.21% (95% CI: 0.12-0.34) and HCV RNA positivity between 0.06% and 0.14%. We observed no statistically significant differences in anti-HCV or HCV RNA prevalence between age groups ((20, 20-29 and 30+ years) in any year and no trend in time. Of 29 HCV active infections 19 were with genotype 1 and 10 with genotype 3. HCV infection among pregnant women was rare suggesting a low burden in the Slovenian general population. We concluded that antenatal screening for HCV in Slovenia could not be reccomended.
COBISS.SI-ID: 3391461
Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and heart failure (HF) are global epidemics associated with unfavourable long-term prognosis that often co-occur. In this prospective observational study, we used guideline-proposed criteria for HF with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF) to investigate the prevalence and prognostic implications of HFpEF in patients hospitalized due to an acute exacerbation of COPD. This study showed that HFpEF was diagnosed in 19% of patients who were older, had higher left ventricular mass, left atrial size and mitral E/Ea ratio. Very severe COPD and elevated N-terminal pro BNP, but not HFpEF were independent predictors of all-cause mortality.
COBISS.SI-ID: 3487973
Our aim was to estimate the frequency of overuse problems in persons after unilateral upper limb deficiency and identify the factors relevant for development of these problems. In total, 65 persons after unilateral upper limb deficiency who had visited our subspecialist outpatient clinic during the 2011–2013 period (excluding those with other possible medical causes of overuse-type problems) were interviewed about the frequency, duration and severity of neck, elbow and shoulder pain and the presence of carpal tunnel syndrome and filled in the Orthotics and Prosthetics User Survey-Upper Extremity Functional Status questionnaire. The most frequent problem was carpal tunnel syndrome, followed by shoulder pain, neck pain and elbow pain. No statistically significant association of deficiency level, cause of deficiency, time since deficiency, extent of daily prosthesis use or type of prosthesis with frequency or severity of pain or number of problems was found. The presence of carpal tunnel syndrome decreased from wearing no prosthesis through aesthetic and body-powered to myoelectric prosthesis (p = 0.014). Factors contributing to overuse problems after upper limb deficiency are not straightforward, so a large multicentric study is warranted. In summary, persons with acquired or congenital upper limb deficiency are under a heightened risk of developing overuse problems but the contributing factors are not clear, so regular individual follow-up is required.
COBISS.SI-ID: 2052457