Annual health expenditures by body mass index categories and the economic impact of obesity in Türkiye: A retrospective modeling study.

Introduction: Obesity is considered not only a public health issue on a global scale but also a disease adversely affecting the world economies. Economic impact of overweight and obesity has not yet been investigated in Türkiye at a national level. This study aimed to investigate the impact of obesity on the healthcare costs in Türkiye and to estimate the overall national economic burden of obesity.

Patient characteristics and management practices in chronic myeloid leukemia in Turkey: reflections from an expert meeting.

Introduction: The therapeutic landscape of chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) has evolved significantly since the introduction of imatinib. The European LeukemiaNet (ELN) recommendations serve as a guide for diagnosis, treatment, and monitorization of CML, but availability and accessibility of diagnostic tools and medications affect their applicability.

Areas Covered: This article provides an overview of the current clinical management of CML in Turkey with reference to the key outputs of the online expert meeting held in November 2020.

The changing dynamics of neutralizing antibody response within 10 months of SARS-CoV-2 infections.

There are limited data on how long neutralizing antibody (NAb) response elicited via primary SARS-CoV-2 infection will last. Eighty-four serum samples were obtained from a prospective cohort of 42 laboratory-confirmed COVID-19 inpatients at the time of discharge from the hospital and in the late convalescent phase. A virus neutralization assay was performed to determine the presence and titers of NAbs with authentic SARS-CoV-2.

Practical Utility of Diagnostic Clinical Breast Examination in the Diagnosis of Breast Cancer.

Objectives We aimed to investigate the effectiveness of physician-performed diagnostic clinical breast examination (DCBE) for the diagnosis of breast cancer in clinical practice and to determine the rates of breast cancer diagnosed with DCBE compared to the results of breast ultrasonography (US), mammography (MG), and histopathology. Methods In the retrospective cohort study, the files of female patients diagnosed with breast cancer and admitted to the general surgery outpatient clinics of a university hospital over a 10-year period (2011-2021) were examined. Patients with complete DCBE findings in their files were identified and analyzed (n = 1,091).

COVID-19 healthcare cost and length of hospital stay in Turkey: retrospective analysis from the first peak of the pandemic.

Background: During the COVID-19 pandemic, health care systems are under extreme pressure. This study analyzed health care resource use (HCRU) and costs in patients admitted to the hospital for COVID-19 and aimed to estimate the one-year direct medical cost of the disease in Turkey.

Methods: This retrospective cohort study was conducted between March and July 2020 in a tertiary hospital (n = 1056) in Istanbul.

Cost-Effectiveness Analysis of Remdesivir Treatment in COVID-19 Patients Requiring Low-Flow Oxygen Therapy: Payer Perspective in Turkey.

Introduction: This study aims to evaluate the cost-effectiveness of remdesivir compared to other existing therapies (SoC) in Turkey to treat COVID-19 patients hospitalized with < 94% saturation and low-flow oxygen therapy (LFOT) requirement.

Methods: We compared remdesivir as the treatment for COVID-19 with the treatments in the Turkish treatment guidelines. Analyses were performed using data from 78 hospitalized COVID-19 patients with SpO < 94% who received LFOT in a tertiary healthcare facility.

Cost of hemophilia A in Turkey: an economic disease burden analysis.

Objective: Hemophilia A is the second most common bleeding disorder causing patients to have lifelong follow-up and treatment. Despite being a rare disease, hemophilia A has a high economic burden on individuals and the public. The purpose of this study was to estimate the total disease cost of hemophilia A in Turkey.

Economic burden of lung cancer in Turkey: a cost of illness study from payer perspective.

Background: This study was designed to estimate economic burden of lung cancer in Turkey from payer perspective based on expert panel opinion on practice patterns in clinical practice.

Methods: In this cost of illness study, direct medical cost was calculated based on cost items related to outpatient visits, laboratory and radiological tests, hospitalizations/interventions, drug treatment, adverse events and metastasis. Indirect cost was calculated based on lost productivity due to early retirement, morbidity and premature death resulting from the illness, the value of lost productivity due to time spent by family caregivers and cost of formal caregivers.

Efficacy and cost-effectivity analysis of outpatient parenteral antimicrobial therapy unit in infectious disease clinical practices: Turkey perspective.

Background: Outpatient parenteral antimicrobial treatment (OPAT) has become a common treatment modality in developed countries. OPAT units are not widespread in Turkey, and their cost-effectivity analysis has not been studied, yet.

Aims: To analyze the clinical efficacy and cost-effectiveness of the OPAT unit, based on a 1000-bed teaching hospital.

Economic Burden of Pediatric Asthma in Turkey: A Cost of Illness Study from Payer Perspective.

Objectives: To estimate economic burden of pediatric asthma in Turkey from payer perspective.

Materials And Methods: This cost of illness study was based on identification of per patient annual direct medical costs for the management of pediatric asthma in Turkey from payer perspective. Average per patient direct medical cost was calculated based on cost items related to outpatient visits, laboratory and radiological tests, hospitalizations and interventions, drug treatment and equipment, and co-morbidities/complications.

Cost of illness among patients with diabetic foot ulcer in Turkey.

Aim: To evaluate the annual cost of patients with Wagner grade 3-4-5 diabetic foot ulcer (DFU) from the public payer's perspective in Turkey.

Methods: This study was conducted focused on a time frame of one year from the public payer's perspective. Cost-of-illness (COI) methodology, which was developed by the World Health Organization, was used in the generation of cost data.

Comparison of clinical and electrophysiological findings in patients with suspected radiculopathies.

Cervical and lumbar roots may be irritated or compressed due to the pathological conditions such as disc herniations, degenerative foraminal stenosis, trauma and tumors. Electrophysiologic tests are frequently used in conjunction with imaging modalities for evaluation of low back and neck pain radiating to extremities, primarily for the purpose of establishing the presence or absence of a radiculopathy. In this study, we aimed to evalulate the relationship between clinic and electroneuromyographic (ENMG) findings in patients with suspected radiculopathies.

The cost of care of rheumatoid arthritis and ankylosing spondylitis patients in tertiary care rheumatology units in Turkey.

Objectives: To determine the direct and indirect costs due to rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and ankylosing spondylitis (AS) patients in Turkey.

Methods: An expert panel was convened to estimate the direct and indirect costs of care of patients with RA and AS in Turkey. The panel was composed of 22 experts chosen from all national tertiary care rheumatology units (n=53).

Premenstrual Syndrome in Turkish college students and its effects on life quality.

Purpose: The purpose of this research is to analyze the frequency of Premenstrual Syndrome (PMS) in college students, the factors affecting Premenstrual Syndrome and the effect of Premenstrual Syndrome on life quality.

Material And Method: The research was performed on 316 students who study at Medical Sciences Faculty of Başkent University and accepted to take part in the research. The data of the research was compiled by using "Questionnaire Form", "PMS Rating Scale" and "Life Quality Scale" developed by the researchers.

Disability of Arm Shoulder and Hand Questionnaire in rheumatoid arthritis patients: relationship with disease activity, HAQ, SF-36.

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a systemic disease that causes disability. Disability and quality of life indexes are used in the assessment and treatment of patients with RA. Disability of Arm, Shoulder and Hand Questionnaire (DASH) is a patient-based outcome measurement developed to evaluate the upper extremities.

Effectiveness of multiple neurectomies to prevent chronic groin pain after tension-free hernia repair.

The question of which nerve--the ilioinguinal or the iliohypogastric--most often causes chronic groin pain after hernia repair remains to be answered. We sought to evaluate the effects of prophylactic neurectomies on the incidence of persistent groin pain after Lichtenstein repair. Two hundred forty patients were randomized to 1 of 4 groups: the all-nerve preservation group, the ilioinguinal neurectomy group, the iliohypogastric neurectomy group, and the neurectomies group.

A comparison of four different HRQoL generic questionnaire in five different patient groups.

Most of musculoskeletal diseases involve pain and reduced physical functioning. Recognition of the coexistence of more than one musculoskeletal disease is important because they are relatively common and has a substantial impact on health-related quality of life (HRQoL). Our aim was to compare the results of four generic QoL questionnaires--QoL-5, Nottingham Health Profile (NHP), Short Form (SF)-6D, and Visual Analogue Scale (VAS)--in five different patient groups.

Unroofing and marsupialization vs. rhomboid excision and Limberg flap in pilonidal disease: a prospective, randomized, clinical trial.

Background: The aim of the study was to compare clinical outcomes and quality of life in patients undergoing surgery for pilonidal disease with unroofing and marsupialization (UM) or rhomboid excision and Limberg flap (RELP) procedures.

Methods: One hundred forty consecutive patients with pilonidal sinus were randomly assigned to receive either UM or RELP procedures. A specifically designed questionnaire was administered at three months to assess time from the operation until the patient was able to walk, return to daily activities, or sit without pain, time to return to work or school, and time to healing.

Unhealthy body perception among Turkish youths: socioeconomic status and social comparisons.

The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of socioeconomic status (SES) and social comparisons on body perception, and to identify their relationship to unhealthy behaviours and changing body structures, by assessing body perception in youths. A questionnaire was administered to 640 university students. The topics covered included SES, body definitions, behaviours related to body weight (such as exercise, dieting, starving, using diet foods, drug use, and bingeing and purging) and a social comparison scale.

Nonmalignant chronic pain evaluation in the Turkish population as measured by the McGill Pain Questionnaire.

Background: The purpose of this study was to explore how Turkish nonmalignant pain patients described their pain and how the language of pain used by Turkish patients compares to the language found in common pain assessment tools.

Objective: Pain is influenced by a combination of ethnic, cultural, psychological, and social variants. In the Turkish language, six words are central to pain-like experiences: ağri (pain), aci (suffering), sizi (aching), sanci (colic), istirap (agony), and dert (torture).

Prevalence, risk factors, and preference-based health states of low back pain in a Turkish population.

Study Design: A community-based cross-sectional survey was conducted using face-to-face interviews.

Objectives: To estimate the point, 12-month period, and lifetime prevalence of low back pain (LBP) in the general population of Turkey, and to determine the factors associated with LBP. We also aim to determine self-reported health states differences between patients and the general population by the EuroQol-5D & Visual Analogue Scale (EQ5D-VAS).

Prevalence and risk factors for female sexual dysfunction in Turkish women.

Purpose: We assessed the prevalence of and risk factors for FSD using the Turkish version of the FSFI in Turkish women.

Materials And Methods: The study consisted of 518 women 18 to 55 years old living in Ankara, who completed the FSFI for the evaluation of FSD. The women were divided into 3 groups according to age, that is 18 to 30 (273), 31 to 45 (192) and 46 to 55 years (53).

Socioeconomic factors and health risk behaviors among university students in Turkey: questionnaire study.

Aim: To explore relations between socioeconomic factors and health risk behaviors in university students in Turkey.

Methods: A total of 650 students currently enrolled at the university in Ankara were selected for the study by means of a circular sampling method. They answered a questionnaire on health risk behaviors.