The prevailing COVID-19 pandemic has dramatically affected the mental health and well-being of individuals. This cross-sectional study aimed to assess the perceived fear of COVID-19 among older adults in Poland and identify subpopulations with the highest risk of potential mental health disorders. The study was conducted in November–December 2020 on 500 people aged ≥60 years (mean M = 67.9, standard deviation SD = 4.2). In order to collect information on participants’ characteristics and COVID-19-related information, they were asked to complete a questionnaire based on recorded telephone calls. Perceived fear of COVID-19 was measured using our generated and validated seven-item tool: “Scale of fear of COVID-19 infection”, which ranged from 7 to 35. Multiple linear regression was performed to identify factors associated with the perceived fear of COVID-19. Our results showed that the highest level of fear of COVID-19 infection was observed among women (p = 0.025) and patients taking anticoagulants (p = 0.004). Moreover, older adults with higher anxiety levels were more likely to be fearful of COVID-19 (according to the GAS-10 scale; p < 0.001). These findings may help policy makers and healthcare workers to adapt and implement better mental health strategies to help the elderly fight fear and anxiety during the prevailing pandemic.

The aim of our study was to analyze the incidence and the clinical characteristic of celiac disease (CD) in pediatric population with type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM). Materials and methods: The data of 880 patients with T1DM, 429 girls, mean age 12.14 ±4.0 years was retrospectively retrieved from medical records. Patients with T1DM and CD were selected and a detailed analysis of CD prevalence and its clinical characteristic at the time of CD diagnosis was performed. The data were compared with the previous data from our center published a decade ago. Results: CD was suspected in 85/880 patients (9.65%) on the base of results of serological tests, but finally CD was diagnosed in 73/880 patients with T1DM (8.3%), in 53/429 girls (12.3%) and in 20/451 boys (4.4%). Most patients (71%) had CD diagnosed after T1DM onset. The majority of CD patients (72%) was asymptomatic. The CD diagnosis was not associated with inappropriate metabolic control of diabetes. The onset age of diabetes in children with CD was significantly lower than in those without CD (5.8 ±3.6 years vs. 7.56 ±4.0 years, p = 0.04). The prevalence of CD is significantly higher than a decade ago in our center (8.3% vs. 5.7%, p = 0.001). Conclusions: In light of increasing prevalence of mainly asymptomatic CD in patients with T1DM, CD screening is necessary. However positive serological tests, which are currently used in screening, and are the first step of diagnostics, in some patients allow only to suspect the CD and further diagnostic steps should be performed.

Excessive drugs intake among the elderly population, including self-medication, constitutes an important public health problem. Polypharmacy may lead to numerous adverse health effects, which become more prevalent when combined with biological changes in seniors. In this cross-sectional study, 500 Polish adults aged ≥60 years (M = 67.9 ± 4.2) were asked to complete a questionnaire via telephone calls, allowing us to identify sociodemographic and health-related factors influencing the daily medications consumption. Our findings revealed that all of the participants were receiving medications; 60.2% of them receive at least 1 to 3 drugs per day (301/500). The most commonly used medications included antihypertensive drugs and analgesics (51.0% and 46.0%, respectively). Taking into account clinical conditions, independent predictors of receiving over 3 medications per day turned out to be (1) coronary artery disease (OR = 6.77; CI 95%, 2.86–16.1), (2) diabetes (OR = 3.23, CI 95%, 1.75–5.95), (3) asthma (OR = 4.87, CI 95%, 2.13–11.1), (4) heart failure (OR = 3.38, CI 95%, 1.59–7.19) and (5) gastroesophageal reflux disease (OR = 1.93, CI 95%, 1.03–3.62). Participants suffering from depression were more likely to take drugs for hypertension (OR = 1.70, CI 95%, 1.04–2.78), while those with anxiety and social loneliness took more painkillers (OR = 2.59, CI 95%, 1.58–4.26 and OR = 2.08, CI 95%, 1.38–3.13, respectively). The most significant sociodemographic factors increasing the drugs intake among the population included in our study were high body mass and subsequent increased BMI values (OR = 2.68, CI 95%, 1.50–4.77). Furthermore, living in a city with over 400,000 inhabitants increased the likelihood of taking antidepressants (OR = 2.18, CI 95%, 1.20–3.94). Our study revealed factors increasing the risk of excessive medications intake and hence, increased susceptibility to some iatrogenic diseases among the elderly population. These factors should be considered by primary care physicians while prescribing appropriate drugs to elderly patients.

In the original publication [...]

Older adults are at a high risk of experiencing severe complications of influenza. Receiving a vaccination is a beneficial strategy to prevent the disease and reduce the severity of influenza illnesses. This cross-sectional questionnaire-based study aimed to evaluate the influence of sociodemographic, clinical, and mental parameters as well as other potential risk factors on refusal to vaccinate against influenza among the elderly population in Poland. Furthermore, due to the prevailing COVID-19 pandemic, we put efforts into finding any statistical correlations between the fear of COVID-19 infection in patients and their attitudes toward receiving an influenza vaccination. The study was conducted in November–December 2020 in Poland on a representative nationwide sample of 500 individuals aged > 60. Of the respondents, 62 (12.4%) and 51 (10.2%) underwent influenza vaccination in 2019 and 2020, respectively. Out of ten different factors analyzed in this study, three were significantly associated with attitudes towards influenza vaccination. Participants with net income below the national average of PLN 3000 (OR = 2.37, CI 95% [1.26–4.47]), compared to those earning more than PLN 3000, had significantly higher odds of having a negative attitude towards influenza vaccination. Furthermore, respondents with <174 cm height (OR = 2.56, CI 95% [1.51–4.33]) and those with strong fear of COVID-19 infection (OR = 1.65, CI95% [1.02–2.66]) were also more likely to refrain from influenza vaccination. We believe the identification of factors limiting the willingness to receive influenza vaccination is an effective way to help clinicians focus their efforts on educating the groups of patients with the highest odds of refusing to receive the vaccine. Moreover, it may aid the design and enforcement of national solutions or the implementation of novel legislative measures and preventive programs, increasing public confidence and promoting vaccination, especially among groups at high risk of developing this disease.