Publications by authors named "Ljiljana Novkovic"

Article Synopsis
  • The Baveno classification assesses the severity of Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA) by considering significant comorbidities and symptoms, aiming for better patient stratification compared to the traditional Apnea-Hypopnea Index (AHI).
  • An observational study with 104 OSA patients at the Pulmonology Clinic in Serbia found that the Baveno classification correlates more effectively with depressive disorders measured by the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI-II) and Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS-D) than AHI alone.
  • The research indicated that while the average AHI for the group was 44.3, it did not correlate with depressive episodes; however, higher depressive symptoms were observed in patients categorized with
View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Purpose: To perform pulmonary function tests (PFT) in severe COVID-19 survivors one and five months after hospital discharge in order to assess the lung function, as well to identify clinical characteristics and PFT parameters associated with worse cardiopulmonary exercise testing (CPET).

Material And Methods: A prospective study included 75 patients with severe form of COVID-19. PFT was conducted one and five months after hospital discharge, in addition to CPET in a second assessment.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

There is emerging evidence of prolonged recovery in survivors of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), even in those with mild COVID-19. In this paper, we report a case of a 39-year-old male with excessive body weight and a history of borderline values of arterial hypertension without therapy, who was mainly complaining of progressive dyspnea after being diagnosed with mild COVID-19. According to the recent guidelines on the holistic assessment and management of patients who had COVID-19, all preferred diagnostic procedures, including multidetector computed tomography (CT), CT pulmonary angiogram, and echocardiography, should be conducted.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

In our paper we aimed to increase the awareness among physicians, concerning coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) severity, especially in patients with specific underlying comorbidities. Obesity is the second most common condition in hospitalized COVID-19 patients. Furthermore it has a major role in the development of obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA), which is highly involved in a severe COVID-19 development and its serious outcomes.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

SARS-CoV-2 virus causes infection which led to a global pandemic in 2020 with the development of severe acute respiratory syndrome. Therefore, this study was aimed at examining its possible role in predicting severity and intrahospital mortality of COVID-19, alongside with other laboratory and biochemical procedures, clinical signs, symptoms, and comorbidity. This study, approved by the Ethical Committee of Clinical Center Kragujevac, was designed as an observational prospective cross-sectional clinical study which was conducted on 127 patients with diagnosed respiratory COVID-19 viral infection from April to August 2020.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

: This paper aims to show whether obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) severity increases the level of systemic inflammation markers regardless of body mass index (BMI) and body composition. : In total, 128 patients with OSA were included in the study. Examinees were divided into two groups: one with mild OSA (apnea-hypopnea index (AHI) < 15) and one with moderate and severe OSA (AHI ≥ 15).

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Histologically confirmed small cell lung cancer associated with Cushing's syndrome and elevated amylase is rarely described in the literature. We present a case of a 63-year-old patient admitted to cardiology department due to shortness of breath, exhaustion, palpitations and nausea. Elevated values of troponin and electrocardiography suggested that he could have acute coronary syndrome.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Introduction/aim: Lung cancer is a leading cause of mortality among patients with carcinomas. The aim of this study was to point out risk factors for brain metastases (BM) appearance in patients with IIIA (N2) stage of nonsmall cell lung cancer (NSCLC) treated with three-modal therapy.

Methods: We analyzed data obtained from 107 patients with IIIA (N2) stage of NSCLC treated surgically with neoadjuvant therapy.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background/aim: Peripheral muscle weakness and nutritional disorders, firstly loss of body weight, are common findings in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). The aim of this study was to analyse the impact of pulmonary function parameters, nutritional status and state of peripheral skeletal muscles on exercise tolerance and development of dyspnea in COPD patients.

Methods: Thirty COPD patients in stable state of disease were analyzed.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Introduction: Kartagener's (or Siewert) syndrome represents a clinical presentation of primary ciliary diskinesia (PCD) with 3 dominant symptoms: bronchiectasiae, chronic sinusitis and situs viscerum inversus totalis or dextrocardia, only. Siewet demonstrated the first case of this clinical phenomenon in 1904, which was recognized by Kartagener in 1933, as a congenital disorder. PCD is an autosomal recessive disease with extensive genetic heterogenity.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background/aim: Oxygen therapy is a necessary therapeutic method in treatment of severe chronic respiratory failure (CRF), especially in phases of acute worsening. Risks which are to be taken into consideration during this therapy are: unpredictable increase of carbon dioxide in blood, carbonarcosis, respiratory acidosis and coma. The aim of this study was to show the influence of oxygen therapy on changes of arterial blood carbon dioxide partial pressure.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF