Subject(s)
Legionella pneumophila/classification , Pneumonia, Bacterial/microbiology , Adult , Anti-Bacterial Agents/therapeutic use , Community-Acquired Infections/diagnosis , Community-Acquired Infections/drug therapy , Community-Acquired Infections/microbiology , Humans , Italy , Lung/diagnostic imaging , Lung/pathology , Male , Pneumonia, Bacterial/diagnosis , Pneumonia, Bacterial/drug therapy , Radiography , SerotypingABSTRACT
We performed an 11 year retrospective study on 34 sickle-cell paediatric patients, focusing on efficacy, safety and costs of an exchange transfusion program in 13 high risk patients. A good clinical control with improvement in patients' quality of life, no disease related complications, no significant iron overload and no procedure related side effects were observed during periodic erythroexchange. Costs of periodic erythroexchange versus chronic transfusion regimen were comparable. Periodic erythroexchange appeared a good alternative to chronic transfusion regimen for controlling the most severe forms of disease, particularly in patients who do not tolerate or do not respond to hydroxyurea.
Subject(s)
Anemia, Sickle Cell/economics , Anemia, Sickle Cell/therapy , Erythrocyte Transfusion/economics , Adolescent , Adult , Antisickling Agents/administration & dosage , Antisickling Agents/adverse effects , Antisickling Agents/economics , Child , Child, Preschool , Costs and Cost Analysis , Drug Tolerance , Female , Humans , Hydroxyurea/administration & dosage , Hydroxyurea/adverse effects , Hydroxyurea/economics , Infant , Male , Quality of Life , Retrospective Studies , Risk FactorsABSTRACT
We report on six patients who developed diabetes mellitus after hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT). The prevalence in our cohort of long-term survivors after HCT performed below 18 yr of age was 3%. The median age at onset of diabetes was 22.4 yr (range 11.3-34.4). The median period between HCT and diabetes was 10.1 yr (range 5.6-22.1). Five out of the six patients received total irradiation therapy and five had other endocrinological abnormalities. The onset of diabetes in all patients was insidious and none had diabetic ketoacidosis. Body mass indexes at diabetes onset were within normal levels. The clinical and laboratory features that characterized our patients with diabetes after HCT make it difficult to classify them as having type-1 or type-2 diabetes. The relatively high prevalence of diabetes and its insidious onset in this group of patients, advocate clinicians to evaluate carefully even slight variations in fasting blood glucose, usually included in the routine biochemistry follow-up. These data also suggest that HbA1c and oral glucose-tolerance test should be added to the follow-up program of late complications if fasting blood glucose levels are slightly increased.