Treatable Chronic Disease Research Articles

Improving the Adherence to Antiretroviral Therapy, a Difficult but Essential Task for a Successful HIV Treatment-Clinical Points of View and Practical Considerations.

HIV infection is responsible for one the most devastating human pandemics. The advent of antiretroviral therapy has changed the course of the pandemic and saved millions of lives. Complex therapeutic regimens have been introduced since 1996 and have contributed to the transformation of HIV infection into a treatable chronic diseases. New types of potent antiretrovirals and their combinations, including “once daily” treatment, have simplified the regimens and diminished side effects. Nevertheless the adherence to antiretroviral therapy remains unsatisfactory and varies between 27 and 80% across different population in various studies, compared with the required level of 95%. The lack of adherence to antiretroviral therapy is a multi-factorial and dynamic process which raises considerable difficulties for long-term follow-up. Current solutions to this problem are complex. These should be applied by a multidisciplinary team and should take into account key features related to both the individual and social factors as well as to the population to whom it belongs (children, teenagers, elderly, marginalized population like drug users, incarcerated patients, sex workers, etc.). Importantly, adherence should continue to be monitored even in patients known to be compliant. In case of subsequent failure the team should identify the reasons for non-adherence and apply the appropriate methods. Where usual methods have no chance of success, a coordinated package of services also known as “harm reduction” can be offered in order to reduce the risks of transmission. The current article analyses the concept of adherence to antiretroviral therapy, the shortcomings of this medication and the methods that can be applied in practice to increase adherence. Emphasis is placed on the analysis of groups at high risk for HIV infection that currently represent the spearhead with which the HIV pandemic is spreading.

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, bronchial asthma and allergic rhinitis in the adult population within the Commonwealth of Independent States: rationale and design of the CORE study

BackgroundMain treatable Chronic Respiratory Diseases (CRDs) like Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD), Bronchial Asthma (BA) and Allergic Rhinitis (AR) are underdiagnosed and undertreated worldwide. CORE study was aimed to assess the point prevalence of COPD, BA and AR in the adult population of major cities of Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) countries – Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, and Ukraine based on study questionnaires and/or spirometry, and to document risk factors, characterize the COPD, BA and AR population to provide a clearer “epidemiological data”.MethodsA descriptive, cross-sectional, population-based epidemiological study conducted from 2013 to 2015 with two-stage cluster geographical randomization. Interviewers conducted face-to-face visits at respondent’s household after informed consent and eligibility assessment including interviews, anthropometry, spirometry (with bronchodilator test) and completion of disease-specific questionnaires.ResultsTwo thousand eight hundred forty-two respondents (Ukraine: 964 from Ukraine; 945 from Kazakhstan; 933 Azerbaijan) were enrolled. Mean age was 40–42 years and males were 37%–42% across three countries. In Kazakhstan 62.8% were Asians, but in Ukraine and in Azerbaijan 99.7% and 100.0%, respectively, were Caucasians. Manual labourers constituted 40.5% in Ukraine, 22.8% in Kazakhstan and 22.0% in Azerbaijan, while office workers were 16.1%, 31.6% and 36.8% respectively. 51.3% respondents in Ukraine, 64.9% in Kazakhstan and 69.7% in Azerbaijan were married.ConclusionCORE study collected information that can be supportive for health policy decision makers in allocating healthcare resources in order to improve diagnosis and management of CRDs. The detailed findings will be described in future publications.Trial registrationStudy Protocol Summary is disclosed at GlaxoSmithKline Clinical Study Register on Jun 06, 2013, study ID 116757.

A cross-sectional study on prevalence of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) in India: rationale and methods

BackgroundChronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a common preventable and treatable chronic respiratory disease, which affects 210 million people globally. Global and national guidelines exist for the management of COPD....

Drug-related problems and pharmacist interventions in a cohort of patients with asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease

BackgroundAsthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease are preventable and treatable chronic airway diseases with high incidence and prevalence. Pharmacists and clinical pharmacy based pharmaceutical care services have positive impact on therapy outcomes. ObjectiveThe aim of this study is to describe drug related problems in a cohort of patients with asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and to assess interventions provided by the pharmacist to address these problems in a community pharmacy. Method: Study population consisted of patients with asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease older than 18 years who visited the study pharmacy during the pre-determined six-month period. The patients whose disease control states were “not fully controlled” were included in our study for further steps. On the first interview, present and potential drug related problems were addressed, interventions were provided. Follow-up interviews were held one month and two months later than the first interview. Results: For the 44 patients with asthma, 59 drug-related problems and 134 causes for these problems were identified. Eighty-four interventions were made to resolve the problems; and 54.2% of the problems were resolved. For the 37 patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, 60 drug-related problems and 128 causes for these problems were identified. Ninety-five interventions were made to resolve the problems; and 63.3% of the problems were resolved. ConclusionPharmacists taking part in therapy and management of asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease can help patients be more educated about their disease and medications; and improve disease control and therapy outcomes.

Microvascular Function in Aging Among Women Living with HIV.

Combined antiretroviral therapy (CART) has turned HIV-infection to a treatable chronic disease during which many patients survive to middle and older age. However, they prematurely develop non-AIDS comorbidities such as cardiovascular disease, metabolic syndrome, diabetes, and HIV-associated neurocognitive disorders (HAND). Microcirculatory changes and endothelial dysfunction occur early both in HIV-infected and in aging patients, in whom they usually precede cardiovascular and neurocognitive impairments. Also, mild cognitive involvement has been reported in women during the menopausal transition. Disruption of the blood-brain barrier, as well as microvascular and cerebral blood flow changes, has been reported in HIV patients with HAND, including postmenopausal women. However, most studies addressing this issue included women aged less than 50years. Whether HIV-infected women growing older with CART would be subsequently exposed to an increased progression of cognitive impairment overtime remains unknown.

Recent advances in the pathogenesis and treatment of osteoporosis

Over recent decades, the perception of osteoporosis has changed from that of an inevitable consequence of ageing, to that of a well characterised and treatable chronic non-communicable disease, with major impacts on individuals, healthcare systems and societies. Characterisation of its pathophysiology from the hierarchical structure of bone and the role of its cell population, development of effective strategies for the identification of those most appropriate for treatment, and an increasing armamentarium of efficacious pharmacological therapies, have underpinned this evolution. Despite this marked progress, individuals who experience a fragility fracture remain under-treated in many areas of the world, and there is substantial need for investment both in secondary and primary prevention globally. In this brief article, we give an overview of the pathogenesis of osteoporosis, and summarise current and future approaches to its assessment and -treatment.

Pre-exposure prophylaxis for HIV: clinical practice and challenge

Antiretroviral therapy (ART) can not only turn HIV infection from a fatal disease into a treatable chronic disease, but also reduce HIV transmission among high-risk people. In recent years the concept "treatment as prevention" has been accepted by the public. More and more studies have shown that pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) for HIV can effectively reduce the spreading of HIV in high-risk populations. Clinical trials have also shown that PrEP is safe, and can effectively prevent high-risk people from HIV infection. The guidelines of Europe, the United States and the World Health Organization (WHO) recommend that PrEP should be considered for high-risk populations including men who have sex with men (MSM), heterosexually active men and women, HIV-uninfected partner in serodiscordant couples and injection drug users(IDUs). PrEP with daily oral tenofovir/emtricitabine combination is the recommended PrEP regimen, and TDF alone can be considered as an alternative regimen for IDUs and heterosexually active adults. PrEP can provide a high level of protection against HIV, and is even more effective when it is combined with condoms, ART and other prevention methods. PrEP is currently facing great challenges including ethical issues, drugs accessibility, adherence, and low utilization rate, and should be further recommended for high-risk people to reduced HIV infection.

First incident hospitalisation for Australian women aged 70 and beyond: A 10 year examination using competing risks

There are increasing concerns regarding high hospital use among older adults and the capacity to manage the economic impact of the ageing population trend on healthcare systems. First hospitalisation in old age may act as a catalyst for ongoing intensification of health problems and acute care use. This study examined factors associated with first incident hospitalisation in women aged over 70, accounting for the health inequalities associated with geographic location. Survey data from 3780 women from the 1921 to 1926 cohort of the Australian Longitudinal Study on Women’s Health were matched with the Admitted Patients Data Collection and National Death Index. Days to first event (hospitalisation or death) were modelled using competing risks methods. A total of 3065 (80.3%) women had at least one hospital admission. More than half of the top 15 reasons for first hospitalisation were related to cardiovascular disease, with atrial fibrillation the most common. Proportional subdistribution hazards models showed that first hospital admission was driven by enabling and need factors including asthma/bronchitis diagnosis (HR=1.16; p=0.047), private health insurance (HR=1.16; p=0.004) more than two prescribed medications in previous month (HR=1.31; p=0.001), more than four general practitioner visits in previous year (HR=1.50; p=0.034), lower physical functioning (HR=0.99; p<0.001) and living in an inner regional area (HR=1.17; p=0.003). First overnight hospitalisation was primarily related with potentially preventable and treatable chronic diseases. Primary and secondary strategies aimed at chronic disease generally, and better chronic disease management particularly for cardiovascular and respiratory diseases, may play a vital role in disease prevention or delay in readmissions among this population.

Recent advances in the pathogenesis and treatment of osteoporosis

Over recent decades, the perception of osteoporosis has changed from that of an inevitable consequence of ageing, to that of a well characterised and treatable chronic non-communicable disease, with major impacts on individuals, healthcare systems and societies. Characterisation of its pathophysiology from the hierarchical structure of bone and the role of its cell population, development of effective strategies for the identification of those most appropriate for treatment, and an increasing armamentarium of efficacious pharmacological therapies, have underpinned this evolution. Despite this marked progress, individuals who experience a fragility fracture remain under-treated in many areas of the world, and there is substantial need for investment both in secondary and primary prevention globally. In this brief article, we give an overview of the pathogenesis of osteoporosis, and summarise current and future approaches to its assessment and treatment.

Optimizing patient treatment decisions in an era of rapid technological advances: the case of hepatitis C treatment.

How long should a patient with a treatable chronic disease wait for more effective treatments before accepting the best available treatment? We develop a framework to guide optimal treatment decisions for a deteriorating chronic disease when treatment technologies are improving over time. We formulate an optimal stopping problem using a discrete-time, finite-horizon Markov decision process. The goal is to maximize a patient's quality-adjusted life expectancy. We derive structural properties of the model and analytically solve a three-period treatment decision problem. We illustrate the model with the example of treatment for chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV). Chronic HCV affects 3-4 million Americans and has been historically difficult to treat, but increasingly effective treatments have been commercialized in the past few years. We show that the optimal treatment decision is more likely to be to accept currently available treatment-despite expectations for future treatment improvement-for patients who have high-risk history, who are older, or who have more comorbidities. Insights from this study can guide HCV treatment decisions for individual patients. More broadly, our model can guide treatment decisions for curable chronic diseases by finding the optimal treatment policy for individual patients in a heterogeneous population.

Cost and safety of assisted reproductive technologies for human immunodeficiency virus-1 discordant couples.

Due to significant advances in the treatment of human immunodeficiency virus type-1 (HIV-1), HIV-1 infection gradually has become a treatable chronic disease. Successfully treated HIV-positive individuals can have a normal life expectancy. Hence, more and more HIV-1 discordant couples in Taiwan and the rest of the world are seeking fertility assistance. Pre-treatment of highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) combined with sperm washing and RT-polymerase chain reaction examination for HIV-1 viral load has become the standard procedure to assist them to conceive. However, in order to reduce the transmission risk to the lowest level for the couple and to diminish the cost of health care for the insurance institutes or government, in vitro fertilization (IVF)-intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) therapy provides the ideal solution for HIV-1 discordant couples with infected men. Intrauterine insemination (IUI) theoretically introduces more than 10(7) times of sperm counts or semen volume to uninfected women vs IVF-ICSI. However, since some regimens of HAART may significantly decrease the sperm motility, compared to IVF-ICSI, IUI only produces 1/5 to 1/2 pregnancy rates per cycle. Given the risk of seroconversion of HIV infection which actually happens after successful treatment, IVF-ICSI for these HIV-1 seropositive men is more cost-effective and should be the first line treatment for these cases.

Managing drug interactions in HIV-infected adults with comorbid illness.

With the introduction of combination antiretroviral therapy, HIV-1 infection is now considered a treatable chronic infectious disease. Modern combination antiretroviral therapy consists of at least three antiretroviral agents and leads to virologic suppression in most patients who are able to take

Short-term effectiveness of a lifestyle intervention program for reducing selected chronic disease risk factors in individuals living in rural appalachia: a pilot cohort study.

Most Western chronic diseases are closely tied to lifestyle behaviors, and many are preventable. Despite the well-distributed knowledge of these detrimental behaviors, effective efforts in disease prevention have been lacking. Many of these chronic diseases are related to obesity and type 2 diabetes, which have doubled in incidence during the last 35 years. The Complete Health Improvement Program (CHIP) is a community-based, comprehensive lifestyle modification approach to health that has shown success in addressing this problem. This pilot study demonstrates the effectiveness of CHIP in an underserved, rural, and vulnerable Appalachian population. Two hundred fourteen participants in CHIP collectively demonstrated significant reductions in body mass index, systolic and diastolic blood pressure, and fasting blood levels of total cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein, and glucose. If these results can be repeated in other at-risk populations, CHIP has the potential to help reduce the burden of preventable and treatable chronic diseases efficiently and cost-effectively.

When to Start Dialysis in Elderly Patients

End stage renal disease (ESRD) is a potentially treatable chronic disease that depends on the dialysis machine long life. Although patient survival is an important factor, it is not enough for these cases and the physicians also try to improve quality of life in this population. Certainly, quality of life is determined by so many conveniences influence on mental, social and spiritual well-being. Dialyzed patients have a great deal of limitations in activities, job, foods and have dependencies to physicians, dialysis staff, dialysis machines, family members which influence on the different aspects of their quality of life and life satisfaction (1). These problems become more prominent when taking to account elderly patients with advanced chronic kidney disease (CKD) which form the fastest growing part of the ESRD patients. Although age itself is not a contraindication for kidney transplantation and old age recipients has increased over time (2), in these individuals comorbidities are common which prone them to post transplantation complications. Subsequently, the majority of elderly patients are ineligible for transplantation therefore stays on dialysis for the remainder of their lives (2).

Políticas Públicas, Direitos Humanos e Bioética a Respeito da Reprodução Assistida com Casais Sorodiscordantes

The success of antiretroviral therapy (HAART) for HIV has enabled excellent life expectancy for patients with HIV / AIDS and classified it as a treatable chronic disease, such reduction in morbidity and mortality. Thus, today, many carriers are in full reproductive age and, of course, are eager to have a family. This reading has mobilized an interview with a serodiscordant couple, and the data collected provided a proposal for dialogue between public policies, human rights and bioethics regarding assisted reproduction (AR) with serodiscordant couples. Entrenato not met, both in the area of human rights, and in bioethics and public policy, any clear position on the matter. Likewise, psychology is not observed in any of the areas discussed to assist in the reflection of the conflict between desire and decide to have a child.

Socioeconomic disparities in cataract surgery

As the elderly population continues to grow in the USA, an understanding of the increasing burden of cataract is pivotal. This review seeks to iterate the presence of this burden and to understand it better in the context of race, sex, and socioeconomic factors. Although there have been multiple prevalence studies addressing the cataract burden in the USA, updated literature that directly elucidates the above issues has been sparse. Recent data support previous findings that the cataract burden among women is greater than that of men, likely predominantly due to greater longevity. With regard to race, there appears to be a slightly increased burden among Whites, although this increase may show regional variability and change over the next few decades, especially as the presently young Hispanic population continues to age and grow. It is likely that the significant divider responsible for unmet cataract surgery is socioeconomic, due to such factors as insurance coverage, income, and barriers to access such as transportation, service accessibility, and awareness. These latter barriers of income and access appear to be identical to those identified in developing countries. The cataract burden in the USA is significant and is expected to continue to grow. Further studies are warranted to help us better understand barriers to access, particularly with regard to race and socioeconomic factors. Local efforts to address education and logistical barriers as well as nationwide policy efforts to address insurance coverage appear to be a crucial factor in surmounting an ongoing but treatable chronic disease.

Drug Repurposing for Cancer Therapy

Clinicians should develop new hypotheses based on observations and interviews with patients, and basic researchers should go back to the bench to test compounds with anticipated anti-growth properties. Let’s not forget that the most popularly used anticancer agent, platinum, was discovered serendipitously when microbiologists were investigating the behavior of bacteria upon changes in voltage and observed growth inhibition due to electrolysis products from a platinum electrode. Hopefully, using all these resources, we will convert cancer into a treatable chronic disease. The current technological armamentarium provides cancer researchers with a unique opportunity to find new targets for old synthetic, abandoned compounds or newly discovered natural products.

The efficacy of an anti-CD4 monoclonal antibody for HIV-1 treatment

The availability of 24 antiretroviral (ARV) drugs within six distinct drug classes has transformed HIV-1 infection (AIDS) into a treatable chronic disease. However, the ability of HIV-1 to develop resistance to multiple classes continues to present challenges to the treatment of many ARV treatment-experienced patients. In this case report, we describe the response to ibalizumab, an investigational CD4-binding monoclonal antibody (mAb), in a patient with advanced immunodeficiency and high-level five-class antiretroviral resistance. After starting an ibalizumab-based salvage regimen, the patient had an approximately 4.0 log10 reduction in viral load. An inadvertently missed infusion at week 32 led to the rapid loss of virologic response and decreased susceptibility to the remainder of the patient’s salvage therapy regimen. Following the reinstitution of ibalizumab, phenotypic and genotypic resistance to ibalizumab was detected. Nonetheless, plasma HIV-1 RNA levels stabilized at ∼2.0 log10 copies/ml below pre-ibalizumab levels. Continued ARV drug development may yield additional clinical and public health benefits. This report illustrates the promise of mAbs for HIV-1 therapy in highly treatment-experienced patients. Therapeutic mAbs may also have a role in pre-exposure prophylaxis in high-risk uninfected populations and may facilitate directly observed therapy (DOT) if two or more synergistic long acting agents become available.

Analysis of elevated liver enzymes in an acute medical setting: jaundice may indicate increased survival in elderly patients with bacterial sepsis.

Background/Aim:It has been shown previously that in primary care settings in UK abnormal liver enzymes are not adequately investigated and followed up; hence potentially treatable chronic liver diseases remain undiagnosed. No such published data is available with regard to secondary care settings. The aims of this audit were, to determine if the current practice in our hospital with regards to investigation, management and follow-up of patients with elevated liver enzymes is in accordance with American Gastroenterology Association (AGA) guidelines and to analyze the effect of age and elevated parameters of liver blood tests on mortality in patients with bacterial sepsis.Materials and Methods:A total of 4816 patients were admitted to our acute medical receiving unit during a period of 6 months, of which 378 were with elevated liver enzymes.Results and Conclusion:The common conditions that resulted in elevated liver enzymes were sepsis (123) and alcohol-related liver diseases (120). All patients with elevated parameters of liver function tests (LFTs) were fully investigated, managed and followed up in accordance with AGA guidelines. In addition, in patients with bacterial sepsis, old age was associated with increased mortality, while development of jaundice in elderly patients with bacterial sepsis was associated with increased survival.

Skin diseases and sexually transmitted diseases in HIV‐infected patients on HAART compared to a non‐infected population – results of a retrospective study

The prevalence of skin diseases and sexually transmitted diseases has always played a special role in studying HIV infections, both because of immunosuppression and simultaneous transmission. In the early years of the HIV epidemic, skin diseases were often a pathognomonic sign in heavily immunosuppressed patients. With highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART), HIV infection has become a treatable chronic disease. For this reason the spectrum as well as the prevalence of skin diseases has changed. Pathognomonic skin diseases have become rare and the wide spectrum today ranges from infectious to iatrogenic skin diseases. From April to October 2007 166 HIV-infected patients and 173 patients of a comparison group were surveyed in retrospect by means of a questionnaire about skin diseases and sexually transmitted diseases that appeared over the entire year 2006. The study confirmed the shift to a wide variety of mostly trivial skin diseases and away from severe opportunistic skin diseases. HIV-infected patients today have more numerous skin problems than the non-infected population and thus need regular dermatologic control examinations.