Cognitive Disorders in Patients with Multiple Sclerosis.

INTRODUCTION: Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a chronic, inflammatory, (auto) immune disease of the central nervous system (CNS). Cognitive disorders are found in over 50% of patients. AIM: The aim of the study was to determine the distribution of cognitive disorders in people with MS. METHODS: The prospective study included 135 respondents with MS and 50 healthy respondents. The respondents were divided into three groups: the first group consisted of 85 respondents where the disease lasted longer than one year, the second group consisted of 50 respondents with newly diagnosed MS, the third group consisted of 50 healthy respondents. Clinical assessment instruments were: Extended Disability Score in Multiple Sclerosis Patients, Mini Mental Status, Battery of Tests to Assess Cognitive Functions: Wechsler Intelligence Scale, Revised Beta Test, Raven Colored Progressive Matrices, Wechsler Memory Scale, Rey Audio Verbal Learning Test -Osterriecht's complex character test, verbal fluency test. RESULTS: Cognitive disorders were present in 40-60% of respondents with MS. Visuospatial, visuoconstructive and visuoperceptive functions are worse in the first group. Mnestic functions (learning process, short-term and long-term memory, recollection, verbal-logical memory) were most affected in both groups of respondents, ranging from 30-60%. Poorer cognitive domains are in the first groups of respondents. Immediate working process memory (current learning), memory, attention, short-term and logical memory is worse in the examinees of the first group. At the beginning of the disease, 16% had verbal fluency difficulties, and as the disease progresses, the difficulties become more pronounced. CONCLUSION: Cognitive disorders are heterogeneous, they can be noticed in the early stages of the disease. They refer to impairments of working memory, executive functions and attention, while global intellectual efficiency is later reduced.

HYPERHOMOCYSTEINEMIA AND ITS TREATMENT IN PATIENTS WITH PARKINSON'S DISEASE.

INTRODUCTION: Homocysteine is process-product of methionine demethylation. It has proatherogenic, prothrombotic, prooxidative, proapoptotic, osteoporotic, neurotoxic, neuroinflamatory, and neurodegenerative effects. Hyperhomocysteinemia correlates with C667T MTHFR mutation, decrease of folic acid and vitamin B, as well as prolonged use of certain medications. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We measured levels of homocysteine in thirty patients (15::15) with "de novo" Parkinson's disease, with average age 64.17 ± 13.19 (28-82) years (Department of Neurology, University Clinical Center Tuzla). Normal level of homocysteine for women was 3.36-20.44 micromole/l and 5.9-16 micromole/l for men. We followed the effects of medicament approach (folic acid) every six months for next five years. RESULTS: 20% of patients with "de novo" Parkinson's disease exhibited hyperhomocysteinemia. An average level of homocysteine was 13.85 ± 5.82 micromole/l. Differences due to age and homocysteine levels, regardless of sex, were not concluded. For the next five years intake of folic acid (periodically, 1-2 months, 5 mg per day, orally) was effective to normalized levels of homocysteine in all. CONCLUSION: Hyperhomocysteinemia is present in every fifth patient with "de novo" Parkinson's disease. Folic acid is medication of choice in treatment of hyperhomocysteinemia coexisting with Parkinson's disease.

Stress at work and burnout syndrome in hospital doctors.

INTRODUCTION: Reforming the health care system in Bosnia and Herzegovina began in 1998 through various forms of amendments to existing health plans and programs. There has been the introduction of new technologies, flow of new information from the profession, excessive demands on employers, financial constraints, etc. The hospital doctors in the workplace suffer from too many stressors. Burnout syndrome at work is a form of chronic stress reactions to stressors, and develops as a result of inefficient coping with and solving every day, demanding stressful situations related to professional duties. GOAL: The goals of this study were: to identify the specific stressors of high intensity in the hospital physicians work environment, to discover whether and how certain stressors can affect the appearance of burnout syndrome at work in a hospital physician, to determine whether certain individual factors influence the occurrence of burnout syndrome at work. METHODS AND SUBJECTS: We made the intersection study involving the use of questionnaires, in order to assess the stressors and burnout syndrome in hospital among doctors of the University Clinical Center in Tuzla. RESULTS: The study comprised 34.7% hospital doctors (specialists and doctors on specialization) of a total 423 employees in various departments of the University Hospital Clinical Center in Tuzla. High level of emotional exhaustion was recorded in 37.4%, a high level of depersonalization in 45.6%, and a low level in perceptions of personal accomplishments in 50.3% of respondents. CONCLUSIONS: Continuous exposure to stressors at the workplace, such as work at shifts, excessive workload, poor communication with superiors, and lack of continuous education of hospital physicians can lead to mental and physical exhaustion, professional burnout. Management of the University Clinical Center Tuzla should in the future address the structural reorganization of workplaces, as well as ongoing prevention interventions in other domains of risk factors or stressors, that this study identified.

Incidence and types of sleep disorders in patients with stroke.

INTRODUCTION: Sleep disorders (SD) after stroke (stroke) are common occurrences, and most often in sleep apnea, insomnia and daytime sleepiness. GOALS. Research goals were to determine the types of SD and their frequency in patients with stroke in relation to the type of stroke and side of lesion. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The study analyzed 200 patients with acute stroke hospitalized in the Clinic of Neurology, University Clinical Centre Tuzla in the period from 1st August 2007 to 1st June 2008. All patients have confirmed the existence of stroke by computerized tomography. SD was verified according to the General Curriculum of sleep, the Berlin questionnaire and Epvort scale. Stroke, by type, were divided into hemorrhagic and ischemic, and the localization of the stroke to right and left cerebral hemispheres. RESULTS: Of the total number of respondents, 78% had SD. Very serious level of SD had 42% of respondents, 20% moderate, and 16% of medium-severe degree. There was no statistically significant differences in the frequency of SD among patients with ischemic and hemorrhagic stroke (76.8%: 82.5%, p = 0.58). In relation to the side of lesion there was more patient with SD and stroke in the right cerebral hemisphere, but there were no statistically significant differences (39.5%: 33%, p = 0.1). According Epvort scale sleep apnea and snoring was present in 86%, daytime sleepiness in 49.5% and narcolepsy 0.5%. CONCLUSIONS: Sleep disturbance as a neuropsychological disorder has a significant incidence in the acute phase of stroke. SD is slightly more common in hemorrhagic stroke and stroke in the right hemisphere. Sleep Apnea and snoring are the most common types of SD in patients with stroke.

Risk factors impact on the long-term survival after hemorrhagic stroke.

AIM: To analyze the impact of risk factors on the survival rate within a period of five years after hemorrhagic stroke (HS). PATIENTS AND METHODS: In this study 303 patients were analyzed with a first ever hemorrhagic stroke admitted at the Department of Neurology Tuzla, from January 1st 1997 to December 31st 1998. Data were collected from patient's medical records, whereas the final examination of all patients, who survived HS, took place five years after stroke. Medical history was obtained and presence of risk factors was evaluated on the day of admission. Computed tomography (CT) of the brain was performed in all patients during hospitalization. The average age of patients was 62 +/- 11 (from 31 to 90) years, 180 (59%) were women. The most frequent risk factor was hypertension, registered in 252 (83%) patients, followed by history of heart diseases in 182 patients (60%), smoking in 72 (23.8%), diabetes mellitus in 26 (8.5%), history of transient ischemic attack in 24 (8%) and alcohol intake in 13 (4.3%) patients. The risk factors were not registered in 22 (7.3%) patients. RESULTS: Five years after HS 82 (26.7%) patients survived. No statistical significance was found in survival between men and women (p = 0.2). The lowest number of patient that survived were over 70 years old (9%), while the highest number of survived was between 41-50 years (60.5%). The average number of risk factors was 2.5 +/- 1.0 and significantly higher in men compared to women (2.7 +/- 1 : 2.3 +/- 1) (p < 0.001). Significant difference was found in patients with hypertension (n = 252) (p < 0.0001), alcohol intake (n = 13) (p = 0.0170), as well as in patients with diabetes mellitus (n = 26) (p = 0.005). Regarding other risk factors such as heart diseases, cigarette smoking and transient ischemic attack there were no significant difference in survival in patients with hemorrhagic stroke (p = 0.2; p = 0.7; p = 0.8; retrospectively). CONCLUSION: We found that hemorrhagic stroke is associated with a very high risk for death in the acute and subacute phase. The survival rate after hemorrhagic stroke was 26.7% within a period of five years. Long-term survival rate prognosis is significantly better among the younger patients, without hypertension, alcohol intake and diabetes mellitus.