Publications by authors named "Martin Kuzma"

Introduction: Acromegaly is associated with increased vertebral fracture (VF) risk regardless of bone mineral density (BMD). However, the vertebral trabecular compartment is still low; a possible contributor to this may be impaired glucose metabolism (GM) which frequently complicates acromegaly. Additionally, soft tissue thickness may confound bone imaging in acromegaly patients.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Type II diabetes mellitus (T2DM) is recognized as a condition of mild chronic inflammation, marked by increased levels of acute-phase proteins and various inflammatory indicators. These inflammatory substances, along with inflammation of adipose tissue and the secretion of adipocytokines, can contribute to insulin resistance and β cell dysfunction. By influencing both innate and adaptive immunity, vitamin D can inhibit the production of inflammatory cytokines and help mitigate the low-grade chronic inflammation associated with T2DM.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Objectives: Roofless individuals represent the most severe category of homelessness. Their clinical characteristics and mortality patterns in Central and Eastern Europe are little known.

Methods: A single-center retrospective case-control study at the internal medicine department in Bratislava, Slovakia was conducted.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF
Article Synopsis
  • - The study aimed to assess how European thyroid specialists view levothyroxine (LT4) treatment for euthyroid women with positive thyroid peroxidase antibodies (TPOAb) to improve fertility, as current evidence does not support this practice.
  • - An international survey (THESIS) revealed that 42.8% of over 2,316 respondents believe LT4 might be indicated for these patients, with significant variation across countries, highlighting a range from 22.9% to 83.7% of positive responses.
  • - Factors such as gender, age, and clinical experience influenced opinions; younger specialists and those who treat more thyroid patients were more likely to consider LT4, raising concerns about potential overtreatment risks in
View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Hypothyroidism is common, however, aspects of its treatment remain controversial. Our survey aimed at documenting treatment choices of European thyroid specialists and exploring how patients' persistent symptoms, clinician demographics, and geo-economic factors relate to treatment choices. Seventeen thousand two hundred forty-seven thyroid specialists from 28 countries were invited to participate in an online questionnaire survey.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Introduction: Thyroid specialists influence how hypothyroid patients are treated, including patients managed in primary care. Given that physician characteristics influence patient care, this study aimed to explore thyroid specialist profiles and associations with geo-economic factors.

Methods: Thyroid specialists from 28 countries were invited to respond to a questionnaire, Treatment of Hypothyroidism in Europe by Specialists: an International Survey (THESIS).

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has led to changes in lifestyle, which could influence vitamin D status on a population level. The purpose of our study was to compare 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25[OH]D) levels in patients hospitalized because of severe COVID-19 during two waves of the pandemic (2020/21 vs. 2021/22).

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Purpose: The present study aims to evaluate the effect of myo-Inositol plus Selenium supplementation in patients affected by subclinical hypothyroidism.

Methods: One hundred and forty-eight patients were included in the study from 8 different centers of Slovakia, and treated for 6 months with a daily dose of 600 mg myo-Ins plus 83 mcg Se. The patients included at the enrollment were women of reproductive age (18-50), who exhibit values of TSH in the range 2.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

It is unclear how ongoing inflammation in Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) affects 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25[OH]D) concentration. The objective of our study was to examine serum 25(OH)D levels during COVID-19 pneumonia. Patients were admitted between 1 November and 31 December 2021.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Acromegaly is a rare condition typically caused by benign pituitary adenomas, resulting in excessive production of growth hormone. Clinical manifestations of acromegaly are diverse, varying from the overgrowth of body tissue to cardiovascular, metabolic, and osteoarticular disorders. Symptoms may emerge slowly, overlapping with other diseases and often involve many different healthcare specialists.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Objectives: There is no consensus on specific serum 25-hydroxy vitamin D (25(OH) D) levels associated with higher risk of severe outcome in patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). According to the literature patients with serum 25(OH) D levels <12 ng/ml are clearly deficient at all ages. Our aim was to assess COVID-19 mortality in the settings of severe 25(OH) D deficiency.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Aim: Afamin is a liver-produced glycoprotein, a potential early marker of metabolic syndrome. Here we investigated regulation of afamin in a course of the metabolic disease development and in response to 3-month exercise intervention.

Methods: We measured whole-body insulin sensitivity (euglycemic hyperinsulinemic clamp), glucose tolerance, abdominal adiposity, hepatic lipid content (magnetic resonance imaging/spectroscopy), habitual physical activity (accelerometers) and serum afamin (enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay) in 71 middle-aged men with obesity, prediabetes and newly diagnosed type 2 diabetes.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Context: Recent studies suggest that cortical bone could also play a role in vertebral fracture (VF) development in acromegaly.

Objective: Evaluate the occurrence of VFs and their relationship to dual energy x-ray absorptiometry-derived bone parameters.

Methods: A single-center 2-year prospective study of acromegaly patients was conducted.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

The new coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 is responsible for the development of acute infectious illness named COVID-19. While most people have a mild course of the disease, a significant minority of patients will develop some degree of respiratory insufficiency requiring hospitalization. In case of failure of conventional oxygen therapy, the method of choice in patients with respiratory insufficiency is ventilation with high-flow nasal cannula (HFNC).

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Diabetes mellitus (DM) is currently a pandemic problem, and the number of diabetic patients is constantly increasing. There are known and established diabetic complication but it is also comorbidities associated with DM cannot be forgotten. One of these is osteoporosis and osteoporotic fractures.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

In contrast to postmenopausal women diagnostic process and treatment of premenopausal osteoporosis in young women reamin poorly defined. A low bone mineral density in premenopausal women is not associated with the same risk of fractures as in postmenopausal women, therefore diagnosis requires not only densitometric examination but depends on the consideration of other risk factors. Most cases of premenopausal osteoporosis are associated with chronic diseases affecting bone metabolism.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF
Article Synopsis
  • Current practices for managing adult growth hormone deficiency (AGHD) in Europe vary significantly and do not always align with established guidelines.
  • A survey involving 28 centers from 17 countries revealed that most AGHD patients have non-functioning pituitary adenomas and that GH diagnosis often requires stimulation tests.
  • There is insufficient knowledge about AGHD among healthcare professionals outside of endocrinology, and improvements in education and coverage for GH treatment are necessary to enhance patient care.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Osteoporosis-related fractures are undertreated, due in part to misinformation about recommended approaches to patient care and discrepancies among treatment guidelines. To help bridge this gap and improve patient outcomes, the American Society for Bone and Mineral Research assembled a multistakeholder coalition to develop clinical recommendations for the optimal prevention of secondary fractureamong people aged 65 years and older with a hip or vertebral fracture. The coalition developed 13 recommendations (7 primary and 6 secondary) strongly supported by the empirical literature.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

The immunomodulatory effect of vitamin D and its potential in prevention and treatment of acute respiratory infections have long been of interest to many scientific teams around the world. Several meta-analyses in the last 10 years have confirmed the protective (albeit of modest size) effect of vitamin D against respiratory infections. Because of many overlapping risk factors for vitamin D deficiency and severe COVID-19 infection, many experts believe that vitamin D supplementation could play an important role in prevention and treatment of the new coronavirus disease.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Osteoporosis-related fractures are undertreated, due in part to misinformation about recommended approaches to patient care and discrepancies among treatment guidelines. To help bridge this gap and improve patient outcomes, the American Society for Bone and Mineral Research assembled a multistakeholder coalition to develop clinical recommendations for the optimal prevention of secondary fracture among people aged 65 years and older with a hip or vertebral fracture. The coalition developed 13 recommendations (7 primary and 6 secondary) strongly supported by the empirical literature.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Introduction Impaired bone microarchitecture is involved in vertebral fracture (VF) development among acromegaly patients. Aim of the study Comparison of DXA-derived bone parameters, areal BMD (aBMD), trabecular bone score (TBS) and 3D-SHAPER parameters in acromegaly patients with healthy controls. Methods This cross-sectional study evaluated acromegaly patients and a control group of healthy subjects.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Introduction: Biologic treatment may influence activity of rheumatoid arthritis (RA), as well as areal bone mineral density (aBMD). Decreased aBMD explains the fracture risk in RA patients only partially. The trabecular bone score (TBS), novel texture parameter reflects degradation of trabecular bone and therefore could be used as a further parameter to predict the risk of fragility fracture.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Chemokine CX3CL1 (fractalkine) may be an important factor linking thyroid status and bone remodeling, through tetrac, a derivative of thyroxine. This study explores the relationship between serum fractalkine levels and parameters of thyroid status and bone in premenopausal women with Graves' disease (GD) in comparison to healthy controls. This cross-sectional study included three premenopausal female groups: active GD; cured GD, and healthy age-, gender-, and BMI-matched controls.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Growth hormone (GH) increases linear bone growth through complex hormonal reactions, mainly mediated by insulin like growth factor 1 (IGF1) that is produced mostly by hepatocytes under influence of GH and stimulates differentiation of epiphyseal prechondrocytes. IGF1 and GH play a key role in the linear bone growth after birth and regulation of bone remodelation during the entire lifespan. It is known that adult GH deficient (GHD) patients have decreased BMD and increased risk of low-impact fractures.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF