Brentuximab vedotin-associated diabetic ketoacidosis: a case report.

Background: Diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA) is a life-threatening complication of diabetes mellitus (DM). It is characterized by hyperglycemia, metabolic acidosis, and ketonemia. Fortunately, drug-induced hyperglycemias are usually mild and not life-threatening. However, rarely some cases may present with ketoacidosis. In this case report, we aimed to present a brentuximab vedotin (BV) associated with DKA. Case presentation: A 23-year-old Caucasian man presented with abdominal pain, nausea, and vomiting for 1-2 weeks. The patient had a previous diagnosis of Hodgkin's lymphoma and primer hypothyroidism. He is using levothyroxine 150 µg per day and received BV treatment for Hodgkin lymphoma (HL) 10 days ago. No steroid treatment was administered for premedication before BV. Except for obesity, all system examinations are normal. There were no signs of any infection. Laboratory data revealed hyperglycemia, metabolic acidosis, and ketonemia. The patient was admitted to the service with a diagnosis of DKA. After the patient was admitted to our clinic, insulin treatment and hydration started immediately. Despite the insulin infusion reaching 1700 units per day, the patient's diabetic ketoacidosis extended to 1 week. Anti-insulin, anti-glutamic acid decarboxylase, and islet cell autoantibodies were negative, which were checked to exclude type 1 DM. Fasting C-peptide was 28 ng/mL (normal range, 0.9-7.1 ng/mL). With all these, the diabetic ketoacidosis status of the patient was evaluated as a BV side effect. Conclusion: This patient is a rare case of BV-associated DKA. It is very important to know this relationship since BV treatment has turned into a standard treatment for relapsed Hodgkin lymphoma. Our case highlights that this diagnosis should be kept in mind as a complication of each dose of BV administration.

COVID-19, Anxiety, and Hopelessness: Quality of Life Among Healthcare Workers in Turkey.

The aim of the study is to investigate the effects of intense anxiety and hopelessness experienced by healthcare workers during the pandemic on their quality of life. This cross-sectional, online questionnaire-based study was conducted between August 31, 2020 and October 31, 2020, with 729 healthcare workers in Turkey. The study showed that hopelessness, the weekly working time, fatigue, and the workload of healthcare workers negatively affected their quality of life, those who found the pandemic measures inadequate had a lower quality of life and higher hopelessness levels, and those who needed knowledge on various issues to improve their skills had lower quality of life and higher levels of anxiety and hopelessness. Increasing the measures to make healthcare workers feel competent and ready during the COVID-19 pandemic and meet their information needs to improve their skills will reduce their anxiety and hopelessness and improve their quality of life. Identifying the factors affecting anxiety, hopelessness, and quality of life will help achieve sustainable success in the delivery of health services and promote employee health and safety.

COVID-19 mRNA vaccine may trigger subacute thyroiditis.

Subacute thyroiditis is the most common cause of painful thyroiditis, which usually occurs after an acute viral upper respiratory tract infection. Rare cases of subacute thyroiditis have been reported after administration of viral vaccines. Here, we report four cases of subacute thyroiditis after administration of the COVID-19 mRNA vaccine (Pfizer/BioNTech®). We describe the clinical, laboratory and imaging features of five cases of subacute thyroiditis after COVID-19 mRNA vaccine (Pfizer/BioNTech®). COVID-19 mRNA vaccine (Pfizer/BioNTech®)-associated subacute thyroiditis may present with clinical findings typical of classic subacute thyroiditis such as fever, neck pain, weakness, and tremor within a few days following vaccination. Subacute thyroiditis may be focal or may progress with diffuse bilateral involvement. Depending on the extent of subacute thyroiditis involvement, significant increases in acute-phase reactants can be observed. COVID-19 mRNA vaccine (Pfizer/BioNTech®) associated subacute thyroiditis responds quite well to non-steroidal anti-inflammatory therapy. Clinicians should be aware of the risk of developing subacute thyroiditis after vaccination.

The impact of COVID-19 pandemic on glycemic control in patients with diabetes mellitus in Turkey: a multi-center study from Kocaeli.

AIMS: The aim of this study is to determine the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the management and disease control of the patients with diabetes mellitus in Kocaeli. METHODS: This study was carried out in six leading central hospitals in five major districts of Kocaeli. The study was conducted between June 2020 and November 2020. The patients who had previous admissions to these clinics within 6 months prior to the pandemic were enrolled in the study. RESULTS: A total of 283 patients were enrolled in the study, among them 151 (53%) patients were female, 268 (95%) had type 2 DM and remaining 5% had type 1 DM. The median weight of the patients was similar between the previous and last visits (84 kg vs 83 kg, p = 0,88). Laboratory parameters of previous and current visits revealed that mean fasting plasma glucose (FPG) and HbA1c levels were not significantly changed. The number of the patients who had controlled blood pressure was significantly decreased. The number of those who had neuropathic complains and the severity of dyslipidemia significantly increased during pandemic period. CONCLUSION: Our study demonstrated that despite decreased compliance with diet and exercise, and difficulty in accessing medication, there was no significant change in weight, FPG and HbA1c levels in diabetic patients. Since cultural differences, education level and socioeconomic opportunities differ between societies, national and international studies will be more accurate to evaluate the effects of epidemics on the course of chronic diseases.