Does gender affect asthma control in adult asthmatics?

Several studies have shown gender differences in prevalence of asthma but there is little information about asthma control. In this study, we aimed to evaluate the effect of gender on asthma control in adult asthmatics. Medical records of 242 patients older than 18 years of age who regularly visited the allergy unit were evaluated.

The assessment of validity of different asthma diagnostic tools in adults.

Background: The diagnosis of asthma is based on the presence of symptoms. Lung function measurements such as forced expiratory volume in one second (FEV1), peak expiratory flow (PEF) variability and airway hyperresponsiveness support the clinical diagnosis. However, asthma is still an under- or overdiagnosed disease.

An interesting cause of recurrent haemoptysis: haemoptysis 7 years after a foreign body penetrated the lung parenchyma and aorta.

A 43-year-old man presented with a 12-month history of recurrent haemoptysis. Postero-anterior chest X-ray of a patient with a history of a penetrating thoracic trauma 8 years previously showed a long wedge-shaped opacity just above the left hemidiaphragm, representing the 'tip of the knife' appearance, and penetrating from the lateral chest wall deep to the thoracic aorta. After consultation with the cardiovascular surgeons, it was decided that the patient should have an operation to remove the foreign body penetrating the aorta.

[Recurrent pulmonary embolism secondary to hereditary thrombophilia (case report)].

Pulmonary embolism is seen commonly but diagnosed difficulty and has high mortality. There are too many risk factors that have been described for pulmonary embolism. However, the hereditary factors are important risk factors for the cases especially with recurrent pulmonary embolism.