This review aims to discuss the complex relationship between smoking and interstitial lung diseases (ILDs), emphasizing the significant morbidity and mortality associated with these conditions. While the etiology of ILDs remains multifactorial, cigarette smoking emerges as a prominent modifiable risk factor implicated in their pathogenesis and progression. This narrative review will provide insight into smoking-associated interstitial lung diseases and personalised approaches to smoking cessation.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe laboratory tests and identification of risk factors such as comorbidities are essential in the management, treatment and prognosis of patients with chronic respiratory diseases. Performing rigorous monitoring among patients with post-COVID-19 syndrome and early identification of risk factors associated with poor prognosis are crucial in improving patient outcomes. In the present study, 182 patients diagnosed with COVID-19 and PCI during 2020-2022 were included.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFLong COVID is a recently described entity that is responsible for significant morbidity and that has consequences ranging from mild to life-threatening. The underlying mechanisms are not completely understood, and treatment options are currently limited, as existing data focus more on risk factors and predictors. Smoking has been reported as a risk factor for poor outcomes of acute SARS-CoV-2 infection and seems to also play a role in mediating post-COVID-19 symptoms.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFLong COVID-19 or post-COVID infection (PCI) refers to the prolongation of symptoms in people who have been infected with the SARS-CoV-2 virus. Some meta-analysis studies have shown that patients with comorbidities, such as diabetes, obesity or hypertension, have severe complications after infection with the SARS-CoV-2 virus. The presence of chronic respiratory diseases such as bronchial asthma, COPD, pulmonary hypertension or cystic fibrosis increases the risk of developing severe forms of the COVID-19 disease.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFOne of the leading risk factors for environmental health problems is air pollution. The World Health Organization (WHO) reports that this risk factor is associated with one of every nine deaths worldwide. Epidemiological studies conducted in this field have shown a solid connection between respiratory pathology and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) exposure.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFRegular and unobstructed breathing during the night is the prerequisite for an undisturbed and restful sleep. The most prevalent nocturnal breathing disturbance with morbid consequences is obstructive sleep apnea syndrome. The prevalence of obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is increasing, and a significant number of patients with OSA are undiagnosed.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFIntroduction: We aimed to characterize the clinical features of moderate forms of COVID-19 requiring hospitalization and potentially identify predictors for unfavorable outcomes.
Methods: Pooled anonymized clinical data from 452 COVID-19 patients hospitalized in two regional Romanian respiratory disease centers during the Alpha and Delta variant outbreaks were included in the analysis.
Results: Cough and shortness of breath were the most common clinical features; older patients exhibited more fatigue and dyspnea and fewer upper airway-related symptoms such as smell loss or sore throat.
(1) Background: The correlation between infection with () and headache has been argued and explored for a long time, but a clear association between the simultaneous presence of the two in children has not been established yet. In this study, we aimed to explore this relationship in children from the Northeast region of Romania. (2) Methods: A retrospective study exploring the correlation between children having infection and headache or migraine was conducted on a batch of 1757 children, hospitalized over 3 years in a pediatric gastroenterology department in Northeast Romania.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF(1) Background: Although gastritis has been associated with multiple etiologies, in pediatrics the main etiology is idiopathic. Many studies have reported mild-to-severe gastritis () as an etiological factor. We evaluated the distribution of the infection with by age, gender and place of living; (2) Methods: A retrospective study was conducted over a period of 3 years, over a cohort of 1757 patients of both sexes, aged between 1 and 18 years, admitted to a regional gastroenterology center in Iasi, Romania, with clinical signs of gastritis which underwent upper gastrointestinal endoscopy.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFSarcoidosis is a complex granulomatous disease of unknown etiology. Due to the heterogeneity of the disease, the diagnosis remains challenging in many cases, often at the physician's discretion, requiring a thorough and complex investigation. Many other granulomatous diseases have the potential to mimic sarcoidosis, whether infectious, occupational, or autoimmune diseases and starting an unnecessary corticosteroid treatment can worsen the patient's prognosis, leading to side effects that can be harder to treat than the actual disease.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF(1) Background: Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) can cause several complications as a result of the acidic pH over various cellular structures, which have been demonstrated and evaluated over time. Anemia can occur due to iron loss from erosions caused by acidic gastric content. In children, anemia has consequences that, in time, can affect their normal development.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF(1) Background: The relationship between Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) infection and liver disease has been discussed for many years, but the association between the infection and liver cytolysis in children has been insufficiently explored. In our study, we evaluate this relationship in a pediatric population from the northeast of Romania.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF(1) Background: Many studies suggest that () infection is associated with a higher prevalence of anemia. The aim of this study is to explore this fact for a pediatric population from the northeast of Romania; (2) Methods: A correlational retrospective study between infection with and anemia was performed on a group of 542 children in a pediatric gastroenterology regional center in Northeast Romania; (3) Results: Out of 542 children with confirmed infection, microcytic hypochromic anemia was present in 48 children, of whom 7 (14.5%) also had iron deficiency.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Lung and airway involvement in inflammatory bowel disease are increasingly frequently reported either as an extraintestinal manifestation or as an adverse effect of therapy.
Case Summary: We report a case of a patient with ulcerative colitis controlled under mesalazine treatment who presented with chronic cough and hemoptysis. Chest computed tomography and bronchoscopy findings supported tracheal involvement in ulcerative colitis; pathology examination demonstrated an unusual eosinophil-rich inflammatory pattern, and together with clinical data, a nonasthmatic eosinophilic bronchitis diagnosis was formulated.
Introduction: Endocan is a specific endothelial mediator involved in the inflammatory response. Its role in the diagnosis of sepsis has been studied in adult patients and late onset neonatal sepsis. The clinical signs of early onset sepsis (EOS) are nonspecific and routinely used biomarkers, such as C-reactive protein and procalcitonin, have low sensitivity, specificity and positive predictive value.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFIntroduction: Neonatal early onset sepsis assessment is based on the history of pregnancy and delivery and nonspecific clinical signs. None of the biomarkers currently in use for clinical practice has adequate prognostic value, so it is not possible to clearly distinguish neonates with culture-proven sepsis from those with only risk factors or clinical suspicion. Endocan is an endothelial mediator involved in the inflammatory response that is present in low concentrations in the serum of healthy subjects, and in much higher concentrations in patients with SIRS and septic shock.
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