The effects of comorbidities on systemic inflammation markers in stable asthmatics and the consequences of such effects have not been well evaluated. We aimed to evaluate the effect of comorbidities on clinical manifestations and systemic inflammation in asthmatic patients under control.
The study group consisted of asthmatic patients who applied to our pulmonology outpatient clinic and volunteered to participate. 120 clinically stable asthma patients (71 females and 49 males) and 35 healthy controls (19 females and 16 males) with similar age, gender, and body mass index distributions were admitted to the study. The levels of osteopontin, interleukin 6 (IL-6), interleukin 8 (IL-8), interleukin 13 (IL-13), eosinophilic cationic protein, adiponectin, and high-sensitivity C-reactive protein of the individuals were evaluated using commercial ELISA kits by taking venous blood samples.
Of 120 asthmatic subjects, 47 (39,2%) had comorbidities and allergic rhinitis (15%) coexisted most frequently. Other comorbidities associated with asthma were gastroesophageal reflux, sinusitis, hypertension, diabetes, gastritis, and peptic ulcus respectively. There was no physician-diagnosed comorbidity in the control group. The levels of IL-6 and IL-8 were found higher in asthma group with comorbidities when compared to those with no comorbidities (p values were 0.032 and 0.046, respectively).
Comorbidities interfere with the diagnosis and treatment of asthma, besides affecting the disease control. Our findings suggest the possibility of the impact of comorbidities on systemic inflammation markers, especially IL-6 and IL-8. To evaluate the impact of comorbidities on asthma control and systemic markers, further studies are needed.
Bloodspot screening in newborns is an exemplary public health intervention as it is essential secondary prevention with proven efficacy and benefit for the early diagnosis and prompt treatment of rare diseases. In this mini review, newborn bloodspot screening (NBS) programs of 12 countries were examined in terms of the extent of diseases/disorders screened to form recommendations for Turkey's expanded newborn screening program. Essentially, Turkey and 11 selected countries' official policies/ national programs or strategies in terms of newborn screening and the number of diseases/conditions screened were examined. The current status of spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) screening was also checked through the SMA NBS Alliance. In addition, WHO and EURORDIS guidelines for newborn screening were also reviewed. On the Pubmed database, following the search strategy "((newborn screening
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