Aim: Our aim was to assess the independent association between blood glucose level and health literacy (HL) adjusting for many socio-demographic characteristics and body mass index (BMI) in an adult population in Albania, a transitional country in the South Eastern Europe. Methods: A cross-sectional study was carried out in Tirana in 2012-2014 including a population-based sample of 1,154 individuals aged ≥18 years (57% women; mean age: 45.5 ± 16.4 years; response rate: 88.6%). HL was assessed by use of HLS-EU-Q instrument. Blood glucose level was measured in a fasting state by use of rapid finger stick method. Information on socio-demographic characteristics was collected, and BMI was calculated based on measurement of height and weight in all participants. General Linear Model (GLM) and binary logistic regression were used to assess the independent association of blood glucose level and HL adjusting for all socio-demographic factors and BMI. Results: One-third of participants had pre-diabetes (100-125.9 mg/dl) and further 11% had diabetes (≥126 mg/dl) based on the measured blood glucose level. In fully-adjusted GLM, mean blood glucose level was significantly lower among individuals with excellent HL compared with their counterparts with inadequate HL (99.3 vs. 106.0, respectively). Furthermore, the odds for the presence of diabetes in the group of study participants whose HL was "inadequate" were 2.6 times higher (95% CI = 1.3-5.4) compared to those whose HL was "excellent." Conclusion: We obtained evidence of a strong and significant inverse relationship between measured blood glucose level and HL, independent of many socio-demographic characteristics and measured BMI in a population-based study in a country of the Western Balkans.

Assessing quality of life in patients with varying degrees of chronic kidney disease is an important issue because of its impact on clinical decision-making as increasing the efficiency of resources in the health system. Through this survey provided an attempt to assess the quality of life of patients with chronic kidney disease undergoing dialysis. Commitment to maximize their functioning and well-being constitutes the essence of the purpose of health care. In recent decades elaborate SF 36 is cut by a gauge derive so simple and basic that helps to evaluate the function of the target of researchers, a certain age group, a disease or a treatment group. Short questionnaire forms SF36 instrument gauge is used to determine the level of quality of life in patients with chronic renal failure under the different stages of treatment with dialysis. The study involved 206 people, 112 from patients to Tirana and Shkodra and 94 healthy persons, who collaborated consensually for completing the questionnaires. Based on the results, the quality of life of dialysis patients is significantly worse than that of the healthy population and patients with other injuries less severe of renal function. Survey indicates that a more holistic approach to be used in the treatment of patients with chronic kidney disease including clinical decision making and patient perception. Precisely for this it is recommended to enter the practice of clinical interest that a set of questionnaires that provide information on patients' perception of health as an important indicator that facilitates the physician-patient collaboration in order to better treatment of the disease and increase the quality the life of the patient.

No abstract

Systemic erythematosus lupus is a chronic inflammatory disease of autoimmune nature. This illness can affect all organs, but one of the most common illnesses is lupus nephritis. Patients with renal impairment, despite aggressive immunosuppressive medication carry the risk of developing terminal renal disease and doing dialysis or renal transplant. The purpose of this study is to reflect global statistics on the frequency of the development of terminal renal disease in lupus nephritis patients as an awareness-raising way to stimulate studies that present a successful treatment or screening protocol in preventing this complication. This study is a review based on the research of world studies and literature regarding the prevalence of terminal renal disease in lupus nephritis patients. Over 50% of patients with LES, depending on different regions of the world, race / ethnicity develop lupus nephritis. 10-30% of lupus nephritis cases develop terminal renal disease where among the major risk factors are new age, nephrotic proteinuria, disease activity index, histological class of renal impairment, high creatinine, lack of remission, etc. Performing as early as possible the renal transplant increases the lifespan of patients with terminal renal disease. It is very difficult to prevent renal impairment in patients with LES, more so when some of them have lupus nephritis as the initial manifestation. However, since more than 50% of LES patients develop lupus nephritis and 10 to 30% of lupus nephritis cases develop terminal renal disease, studies should be encouraged to determine a successful treatment or screening protocol in preventing this complication.

Chronic kidney disease is recognized as a major health problem. Numbers of prevalent SRK patients will continue to rise, reflecting the growing elderly population and increasing numbers of patients with diabetes and hypertension. As numbers of SRK patients increase, primary care practitioners will be confronted with management of the complex medical problems unique to patients with chronic renal impairment. As well documented in the literature, the nephrologist rarely manages the medical needs of SRK patients until renal replacement therapy is required. The most frequent complications associated with SRK: anemia, hyperlipidemia, nutrition, osteodystrophy, and cardiovascular risk. Patients with SRK present several complex management issues to health care providers. The staging system introduced by the National Kidney Foundation is a significant accomplishment, which stratifies patients according to disease severity. In addition, the guidelines are an excellent tool for management of SRK and dialysis patients and recommend treatments according to disease stage. These interventions may reduce morbidity and mortality in these patients. With early identification and treatment of anemia, renal osteodystrophy, uremia, hyperlipidemia, and cardiovascular disease, primary care physicians and nephrologists together are making significant strides toward extending and improving the lives of patients with chronic renal disease.

No abstract

Vasculitis is an inflammation of the blood vessels. It can affect any blood vessel in the body by manifesting a variety of systemic, non-specific symptoms that make difficult the diagnosis of this pathology and especially its specific form. In front of any patient suspected of being affected by vasculitis, some questions are asked: Is the vasculitis or other pathology that camouflages, whether it is primary or secondary vasculitis, in which vessels this pathology extends, how can the diagnosis be confirmed and how can it be determined the type of vasculitis?The purpose of this study is to inform about the protocols to be followed to perform differential diagnosis of vasculitis types.This study is a review based on the research of world studies and literature regarding the recommendations for performing differential diagnosis among the variety of vasculitis forms.Primary patient assessment involves taking the history of the medications it uses, risk factors for infectious pathology, history of cardiac valve pathologies, and autoimmune pathologies. Then laboratory and imaging studies are carried out, aiming at setting the diagnosis, determining the affected organ and the degree of disease activity. And recently we refer to algorithms to make differential diagnosis between the varieties of vasculitis forms.Despite the diagnostic difficulties of vasculitis, the variety of its forms, the separation of responsibilities among many specialities, there are protocols that need to be followed rigorously to arrive at a safe diagnosis as well as auxiliary algorithms to distinguish the type of vasculitis.

Vasculitis is an inflammation of the blood vessels. It can affect any blood vessel in the body by manifesting a variety of systemic, non-specific symptoms that make difficult the diagnosis of this pathology and especially its specific form. In front of any patient suspected of being affected by vasculitis, some questions are asked: Is the vasculitis or other pathology that camouflages, whether it is primary or secondary vasculitis, in which vessels this pathology extends, how can the diagnosis be confirmed and how can it be determined the type of vasculitis? The purpose of this study is to inform about the protocols to be followed to perform differential diagnosis of vasculitis types. This study is a review based on the research of world studies and literature regarding the recommendations for performing differential diagnosis among the variety of vasculitis forms. Primary patient assessment involves taking the history of the medications it uses, risk factors for infectious pathology, history of cardiac valve pathologies, and autoimmune pathologies. Then laboratory and imaging studies are carried out, aiming at setting the diagnosis, determining the affected organ and the degree of disease activity. And recently we refer to algorithms to make differential diagnosis between the varieties of vasculitis forms. Despite the diagnostic difficulties of vasculitis, the variety of its forms, the separation of responsibilities among many specialities, there are protocols that need to be followed rigorously to arrive at a safe diagnosis as well as auxiliary algorithms to distinguish the type of vasculitis.