Overcoming Barriers to the Effective Management of Severe Asthma in Italy.

Introduction: People with severe asthma (SA) often have poor disease control and quality of life, and are at high risk of exacerbations, lung function decline and asthma-related death. The present expert opinion article aimed to identify unmet needs in the management of SA in Italy, and propose possible solutions to address these needs.

Methods: At five multidisciplinary events in Italy, attendees identified factors that interfered with the effective management of SA and suggested how these barriers could be overcome.

Enlightening chronic obstructive pulmonary disease through patients' and caregivers' narratives.

Purpose: The primary aim of this research was to raise awareness for COPD through real narratives of patients, caregivers, and pulmonologists. The second objective includes providing clinicians new means of caring for and treating patients with COPD.

Methods: Using narrative medicine, testimonies from patients, their caregivers, and clinicians were collected through an online questionnaire enriched by a narrative plot.

Concurrent Use of Low-Dose Aspirin and Omega-3 Fatty Acids and Risk of Upper Gastrointestinal Complications: A Cohort Study with Nested Case-Control Analysis.

The risk of upper gastrointestinal complications (UGIC) due to low-dose aspirin (LDA) can be further increased by the concurrent exposure to other antithrombotic agents. Little is known on the combined therapy with LDA and medications containing omega-3 (OM3) fatty acids, which also exert antiplatelet activity. The aim of this study was to investigate the risk of UGIC in patients exposed to LDA-OM3 combination.

Association between satisfaction and stress with aspects of job and practice management among primary care physicians.

Background: Reforms introduced in the last decade in Italian general practice, have contributed to the changing role of primary care physicians (PCPs) within the Italian National Health Service, with potential difficulties adapting that may lead to job stress and dissatisfaction. The present study aims to compare job satisfaction and stress levels of PCPs working in primary healthcare teams (PHCTs) with those for practitioners operating in single ambulatory offices, and to assess potential associations with aspects of job and practice management.

Method: A postal survey was conducted between January and March 2005 among PCPs working in Tuscany.

Pharmacological treatment after acute myocardial infarction from 2001 to 2006: a survey in Italian primary care.

Background: Pharmacological preventive therapy after acute myocardial infarction (AMI) is strictly recommended because of its great efficacy. Little is known about long-term utilization of drugs related to cardiovascular secondary prevention in everyday practice.

Design: A population-based cohort study on the basis of an Italian general practice database.

Gynecomastia possibly induced by rosuvastatin.

Gynecomastia is characterized by benign progressive enlargement of the male breast. A pharmacologic origin is identified in 10-20% of cases. Several case reports have associated this condition to the use of statins.

Neuropsychiatric reactions to drugs: an analysis of spontaneous reports from general practitioners in Italy.

Limited information is available on drug-induced neuropsychiatric disorders in general practice. The spontaneous reports of both neurological and psychiatric adverse drug reactions (ADRs) collected during a 2-year period in PharmaSearch database, an Italian database recording reports of ADRs from general practitioners (GPs), were examined. Between January 2002 and December 2003, 171 general practitioners sent to PharmaSearch a total of 1131 reports corresponding to 1892 ADRs.