Towards new recommendations to reduce the burden of alcohol-induced hypertension in the European Union.

Background: Hazardous and harmful alcohol use and high blood pressure are central risk factors related to premature non-communicable disease (NCD) mortality worldwide. A reduction in the prevalence of both risk factors has been suggested as a route to reach the global NCD targets. This study aims to highlight that screening and interventions for hypertension and hazardous and harmful alcohol use in primary healthcare can contribute substantially to achieving the NCD targets.

Clinical signs of alcohol intoxication and importance of blood alcohol concentration testing in alcohol dependence.

Objectives: The goal of the study was to find out if and what is a difference between clinical signs of alcohol intoxication (AI) and a detected blood alcohol concentration (BAC) among the patients with syndrome of alcohol dependence.

Background: The relation between BAC and clinical assessment of AI is a complicated issue. People with dependence form a special group due to their altered tolerance to alcohol.

[Weight changes of patients in methadone maintenance treatment during four years period].

Background: Besides significant reduction in heroin consumption, weight gain is an accompanying phenomenon during methadone maintenance treatment. Priority of this on-going study was to find out, if it is stable, or transitory. We were also interested in possible contribution of pharmacological and socio-cultural factors on body weight changes.

[The seroprevalence of HCV among injecting drug users in the years 2004-2008 in Slovakia].

Introduction: Virus of hepatitis C (HCV) is the leading cause of chronic liver disease, including cirrhosis and cancer, and the most common indication for liver transplantation. In industrialised countries, injecting drug use is currently the most important risk factor for infection with hepatitis C, resulting in high prevalence of hepatitis C among injecting drug users (IDUs). The aim of the study was to assess the seroprevalence of HCV infection and distribution of genotypes among IDUs in the years 2004-2008.

[Virological sustained response to former young intravenous drug abusers with chronic hepatitis C treated by pegylated interferon-α plus ribavirin].

Introduction: The most risk group with high rate of infection of viral hepatitis C represents the former drug abusers (IDUs).

Objectives: The objectives of the clinical study were to assess the sustained virological response (SVR) in the group of former IDUs with chronic hepatitis C (CHC) treated with pegylated interferon-α and ribavirin.

Patients And Methods: Of 293 previously untreated (naive) former IDUs with CHC who have started treatment, we assessed 239 (69 women, 170 men) with an average age of 27 years who completed treatment and received a follow-up examination after 24 weeks.