Russo S, Factors affecting patient's perception of anticancer treatments side-effects: an observational study.Expert Opin Drug Saf. 2013 Sep 27.
Abstract
Background: Analysis of relative importance of side effects of anticancer therapy is extremely useful in the process of clinical decision making. There is evidence that patients' perception of the side effects of anticancer treatments changes over time. Objectives: Aim of this study was to evaluate the cancer patients' perceptions of physical and non-physical side effects of contemporary anticancer therapy. Four hundred and sixty-four patients entered the study (153 men and 311 women). Participants were asked to rank their side effects in order of distress by using two sets of cards naming physical and non-physical effects, respectively. Influencing factors, including treatment and patient characteristics, were also analysed. Results: Patients ranked the non-physical side effect 'Affects my family or partner' first. 'Constantly tired' and 'Loss of hair' were ranked second and third, respectively. Significant differences from previous studies on this topic emerged. In particular, 'Vomiting', a predominant concern in previous studies, almost disappeared, whereas 'Nausea' and 'Loss of hair' remained important side effects in the patients' perception. Interestingly, marital status was predominant in driving patients' perception, being associated with several side effects ('Constantly tired', 'Loss of appetite', 'Affects my work/Home duties', 'Affects my social activities', 'Infertility'). Other significant factors influencing patient's perception of side effects included age, disease characteristics and ongoing anticancer therapy. Conclusions: This study provided information on current status of patients' perceptions of side effects of anticancer treatment. These results could be used in pre-treatment patient education and counselling.
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JAMA Dermatol. 2013 May 22:1-5. doi: 10.1001/jamadermatol.2013.3049. [Epub ahead of print]
Autoimmune, Atopic, and Mental Health Comorbid Conditions Associated With Alopecia Areata in the United States.
Huang KP, Mullangi S, Guo Y, Qureshi AA.
Abstract
OBJECTIVE To evaluate the prevalence of comorbid conditions among patients with alopecia areata (AA) seen at tertiary care hospitals in Boston, Massachusetts, during an 11-year period. DESIGN Retrospective cross-sectional study. SETTING Tertiary care hospitals in Boston, including Brigham and Women's Hospital and Massachusetts General Hospital. PARTICIPANTS We identified 3568 individuals with AA seen in the Partners health care system in Boston between January 1, 2000, and January 1, 2011. We performed comprehensive searches of the Research Patient Data Repository using International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision code 704.01. We randomly selected 350 patients and manually reviewed their medical records to train and validate a novel artificial intelligence program. This program then used natural language processing to review free-text medical records and confirm a diagnosis of AA. To confirm the algorithm, we manually reviewed a subset of records and found 93.9% validity. MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES The prevalence of comorbid conditions was assessed. RESULTS Common comorbid conditions included autoimmune diagnoses (thyroid disease in 14.6%, diabetes mellitus in 11.1%, inflammatory bowel disease in 6.3%, systemic lupus erythematosus in 4.3%, rheumatoid arthritis in 3.9%, and psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis in 2.0%), atopy (allergic rhinitis, asthma, and/or eczema in 38.2% and contact dermatitis and other eczema in 35.9%), and mental health problems (depression or anxiety in 25.5%). We also found high prevalences of hyperlipidemia (24.5%), hypertension (21.9%), and gastroesophageal reflux disease (17.3%). This profile was different from that seen in a comparison psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis group. CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE We found a high prevalence of comorbid conditions among individuals with AA presenting to academic medical centers in Boston. Physicians caring for patients with AA should consider screening for comorbid conditions.
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Hair Loss Treatment
Hair-Loss-Treatment.com enough said.
Adv Nurse Pract. 1999 Apr;7(4):39-42, 83. Hair-raising. The latest news on male-pattern baldness.
Proctor PH.
The initiating event in balding seems to be an abnormal sensitivity to the male sex hormones. In addition, a multifactorial model is emerging in which hormones affect the hair follicle in a way that causes it to be perceived as a foreign body by the immune system, which then mounts an attack. Several new classes of agents have the potential to treat hair loss. More than 40 U.S. and several hundred foreign patents have been issued for hair-loss treatment agents. As is common in dermatology, no single agent works universally against hair loss, so the treatment process is often one of trial and error.
This is a paper by Dr. Proctor