Publications by authors named "D P C van der Spek"

Neurostimulation, for example dorsal root ganglion stimulation (DRGS), is increasingly used for managing chronic pain, including among women of reproductive age. We present the case of a 33-year-old patient with complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS) implanted with DRGS who subsequently became pregnant twice. Both pregnancies resulted in the delivery of healthy newborns via caesarean section under successful spinal anaesthesia, with no (device) complications.

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Introduction: Complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS) is a clinical disorder that can develop following surgery or trauma. Based on the most prominent underlying pathophysiological mechanisms, CRPS can be classified into different subtypes, namely inflammatory, nociplastic/neuropathic, vasomotor, and motor. Depending on the subtype, personalized treatment can be applied.

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Background & Aims: Patients with chronic hepatitis B (CHB) are at increased risk of hepatocellular carcinoma and (liver-related) mortality. In addition to hepatitis B-related factors, metabolic comorbidities may contribute to the progression of fibrosis. Therefore, we studied the association between metabolic comorbidities and adverse clinical outcomes in patients with CHB.

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Background & Aims: The incidence of chronic hepatitis B (CHB) is declining due to successful implementation of vaccination programs and widespread use of antiviral therapy. We aimed to study time-trends in disease characteristics and comorbidities in newly referred CHB patients.

Methods: We collected information on hepatitis B virus (HBV) related disease characteristics (including hepatitis B e-antigen (HBeAg) status, viremia, stage of liver fibrosis and indication for treatment and/or hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) surveillance) and presence of comorbidities in all CHB patients referred to our center from 1980 through 2020.

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Article Synopsis
  • Doctors studied how well patients with chronic hepatitis B (CHB) followed treatment guidelines in a country with low cases of the disease.
  • They looked at medical records from 482 patients and found that most of those who needed antiviral therapy got the right treatment, but not everyone was monitored properly.
  • Clinics that focused only on viral hepatitis helped patients stick to the guidelines better than general clinics.
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