ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: Taking care of a child with Cerebral Palsy (CP) may be linked with adverse effects in the parents' physical and mental health. The causes of anxiety and depression symptoms associated with childcare are still not fully understood. AIM: To assess the intensity of anxiety and depression symptoms in parents of children with CP compared to a control group and to identify selected mental health predictors. DESIGN AND METHODS: Data were collected from 301 respondents, including 190 parents of children with CP (study group) and 111 parents taking care of children developing normally (control group). Intensity of anxiety and depression was rated using the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) scale. Gross Motor Function Classification System for Cerebral Palsy (GMFCS), Sense of Coherence Scale (SOC-29), Berlin Support Social Scales (BSSS) scales and a specially designed questionnaire were used to assess the predictors. The investigated variables included the children's and the parents' characteristics, as well as environmental factors. The analyses applied Spearman's rank correlation coefficient, M(SD) as well as multiple regression. RESULTS: The level of anxiety and depression was clearly higher in the parents of children with CP-the mean levels of anxiety and depression in the study group and the controls amounted to 8.1 vs. 4.7 and 6.8 vs. 3.7, respectively. The factors associated with intensity of anxiety and depression in the parents of children with CP included lack of social support, mainly perceived and received support, unsatisfying parental health status, poor economic status of the family, as well as difficult living conditions, sense of coherence, loneliness, the parent's gender, and the child's intellectual disability. CONCLUSIONS: Identification of significant anxiety and depression predictors, understood as modifiable factors, should be considered in determining and planning comprehensive support for a child with CP and his/her primary parental caregiver.
Subject(s)
Anxiety/etiology , Caregivers/psychology , Cerebral Palsy/psychology , Depression/etiology , Parents/psychology , Adolescent , Adult , Anxiety/diagnosis , Anxiety/epidemiology , Case-Control Studies , Child , Child, Preschool , Depression/diagnosis , Depression/epidemiology , Female , Health Status , Humans , Male , Poland/epidemiology , Psychiatric Status Rating Scales , Risk Factors , Social Support , Socioeconomic FactorsABSTRACT
Retinal degenerative diseases are an extensive group of ocular diseases, leading to vision disorders and finally irreversible vision loss. They are an significant problem, because degenerative processes exist in common ocular disorders like glaucoma or age-related macular degeneration and many other less frequently occurring disorders. In this article, we present mechanisms leading to retinal degeneration like excitotoxicity, oxidative stress, inflammation and summarize the latest reports concerning neuroprotection in the treatment of retina degenerative diseases.
Subject(s)
Inflammation/complications , Oxidative Stress , Retinal Degeneration/metabolism , Retinal Degeneration/therapy , Aging , Humans , Neuroprotective Agents/therapeutic use , Neurotoxins/toxicity , Reactive Oxygen Species/metabolism , Retinal Degeneration/etiology , Retinal Degeneration/prevention & controlABSTRACT
AIM: To investigate the efficacy of a combined intravitreal therapy with prior photodynamic therapy (PDT) in patients with wet age-related macular degeneration. METHODS: Fifty-two patients (mean age: 72.7 years) with predominantly classic choroidal neovascularization received low-fluence PDT (42 J/cm2 for 72 s), followed 24 h later by a 0.4-ml core pars plana vitrectomy with intravitreal injection of dexamethasone (0.8 mg) and bevacizumab (1.25 mg). The best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA; 6 m Snellen), central macular thickness (optical coherence tomography), intraocular pressure and the need for retreatment were assessed. RESULTS: BCVA changed significantly (vs. baseline) at 3 months (+0.11), 9 months (+0.19) and 14 months (+0.16). At the end of the follow-up period, BCVA had improved by > 0.1 in the majority of the patients (72.9%), and the mean central retinal thickness had decreased by -44.3% (-211 µm). The retreatment rate was 25%. No increase in intraocular pressure or other adverse event was reported. CONCLUSIONS: The pharmacological effects of the drugs, the low-fluence PDT, and the physiological effects of the therapy may have contributed to the sustainability of the therapeutic benefits.
