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Introduction. Overweight and obesity are frequently present in both women with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) and with Hashimoto's thyroiditis (HT). This is a limited study regarding the benefits of lifestyle changes, including dietary habits, dedicated to patients with HT and PCOS. Objective.The aim of the study was to assess the effectiveness of an intervention programme based on the Mediterranean Diet (MD) without caloric restriction and increased physical activity to change selected anthropometric parameters in women with both health conditions. Materials and method. The intervention programme consisted of changing the participants diet towards MD rules and increasing physical activity for 10 weeks according WHO recommendation. The study involved 14 women diagnosed with HT, 15 with PCOS and 24 women from a control group. The intervention programme consisted of educating patients in the form of a lecture, dietary advice, leaflets and a 7-day menu based on MD. During the programme, patients were required to implement recommended lifestyle changes. The mean intervention time was 72 ± 20 days. Nutritional status was analyzed by body composition, degree of implementation of the principles of the MD by using the MedDiet Score Tool, and the level of physical activity by the IPAQ-PL questionnaire. The above-mentioned parameters were evaluated twice, before and after the intervention. Results. The intervention programme consisting in implementing the principles of the MD and increasing physical activity to effect a change in the anthropometric parameters of all groups of women studied; all women had a reduction in body fat and body mass index. A decrease in waist circumference was observed in the group of patients with Hashimoto's disease. Conclusions. An intervention programme based on the Mediterranean Diet and physical activity can be a good way to improve the health of HT and PCOS patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction and objective. Congenital herpes simplex virus infection (cHSV) is a rare entity and may pose a life-threatening disease for the newborns. Due to the public health and clinical importance of cHSV infection in infants, the recent data on this disease in Poland should be investigated. The aim of the study was to evaluate the incidence and other factors related to cHSV. Materials and method. The study is retrospective, population-based that utilised the hospital discharge records of cHSV patients. Data were obtained from National Institute of Public Health NIH -- National Research Institute in Warsaw, Poland, covering the period 2014-2019. Results. The study group consisted of 1,573 cHSV newborns (841 males and 732 females). Among this group, 70.1% were infants up to 90 days of age and 3.6% were neonates up to 28 days of age. The mean and median age was 98 days (95% CI: 94.5-101.8, SD 74) and 70 days (IQR: 53-104), respectively. Based on the hospital registry the overall average cHSV incidence over the study period was estimated to be 69 per 100,000 live births. The number of cHSV infection fluctuated over the years 2014-2019 with a significant decreasing trend from 2015-2019 (P<0.01). A significantly higher cHSV incidence was observed among patients from urban than rural areas of Poland (88 vs 40/100,000 live births; P<0.001). Conclusions. CHSV incidence may be related to multifactorial conditions for the occurrence of this disease. Further studies on changes in the incidence of cHSV are needed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction. Adult-onset Still's disease (AOSD) is a rare systemic inflammatory disorder of unknown etiology, which affects young adults and is associated with multiple organ involvement and life-threatening complications. The aim of the study was to establish the incidence and prevalence of AOSD in Poland, and factors related to this disease among hospitalized patients. Materials and method. A retrospective, population-based study was conducted, using data from hospital discharge records compiled by the National Institute of Public Health in 2009-2018. Results. Based on hospitalization records and census data in a group of the 1,050 patients included in the study, women were predominant (60%) and patients' mean and median ages at hospitalization were 42 (95% CI: 40.8-42.8) and 38 years, respectively. The average annual incidence rate of AOSD during the 10-year period was established at the level of 0.32/100,000 (95% CI: 0.30-0.34), and the point prevalence at the end of 2018 was 2.7/100,000. The most common comorbidities were: cardiovascular diseases (14%), diseases of the musculoskeletal system and connective tissue (14%), endocrine, nutritional and metabolic diseases (9%). Conclusions. AOSD is a rare disease Poland with gender and territorial differences in incidence ratek, and predominance of cardiovascular diseases among comorbidities. The presented data may be useful for comparisons of the Polish population with other geographical regions. Predominance of patients from urban regions and predominance of women may suggest environmental and personal factors in AOSD development; however, further research seems to be necessary. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction and objective. Congenital cytomegalovirus (cCMV) infections are common worldwide. CCMV infected newborns are mostly asymptomatic at birth. However, cCMV remains the major infectious cause of congenital abnormalities in the developing foetus and newborns. The aim of the study was to provide recent data on cCMV in Poland. Materials and method. Aretrospective, population-based study was conducted using data from hospital discharge records of patients hospitalized from 2009–2018. CCMV incidence rates were estimated on the basis of data taken from a Polish hospital morbidity study, carried out by the National Institute of Public Health. Results. The study group consisted of 1,916 hospitalized patients with the first-time diagnosis of cCMV. Among them, 52% were patients up to 30 days of age. The median age was 28 days. The average annual incidence of cCMV was 48 per 100,000 live births (95% CI 23.5–73.4). A significantly higher cCMV incidence rate was observed in patients from more urban than rural regions of Poland (55 per 100,000 vs 39 per 100,000; P<0.001). In the study period, 9 hospital deaths (0.5 % of all patients) were reported. The coexistence of nervous system diseases was observed in 26% of cases and hearing loss in 6% of cases. Conclusions. The significantly more cCMV cases were observed in patients from more urban than rural regions of Poland may suggest the presence of territorial factors related to the cCMV incidence in Poland. The relatively high percentage of newborns with hearing loss or neurologic diseases may require activities aimed at reducing the cCMV incidence. The epidemiological data presented may be useful for comparisons with other geographical regions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction and objective. Occupational asbestos exposure is one of the major public health issues. Although asbestos use in Poland has decreased, asbestosis continues to remain an important health concern in the area of occupational medicine. The aim of the study is to perform a descriptive analysis of hospitalization cases in patients suffering from asbestosis in Poland. Materials and method. The authors used hospital discharge records to conduct a retrospective, population-based study. To estimate the asbestosis hospitalization rate, data from the Nationwide General Hospital Morbidity Study conducted by the National Institute of Public Health were used. Events were defined as in-patient hospital discharges during 2006–2016. 1,101 hospitalization records of 764 patients were included in the study. Results. In the study group of first-time hospitalized patients, the mean and median ages were 68.1 and 69 years, respectively; CI: 67.3–68.9; SD: 11.1, min-max:16–99 years. In this group, significant gender differences were observed (560 males vs. 204 female; P<0.001). No statistical differences were observed regarding the place of residence. During the observation period, 61 in-hospital deaths were reported (8% of all patients), 40 of whom (5.2 % of all patients) took place during the first-time hospitalizations. Asbestosis hospitalizations were mainly clustered in the south-western region, whereas the highest hospitalization rates were clustered in several areas of Poland. Conclusions. The authors believe this study to be the first evaluation of asbestosis in Poland made on the basis of the hospital morbidity database. The data presented may be helpful in comparative studies on the epidemiology of asbestosis across European countries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction. Takayasu’s arteritis (TA) is a rare and potentially life-threatening granulomatous large-vessel vasculitis that involves mostly in the aorta and its proximal branches, and occurs most commonly in young females. This study measures the incidence and prevalence of TA, and assesses the gender distribution and territorial differences in the occurrences of this disease in Poland over a five-year period. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first evaluation of this rare disease in Poland based on a hospital morbidity database. Materials and method. Analyses were performed with population-based administrative data obtained from a national hospital morbidity study carried out between January 2011 – December 2015 by the Polish National Institute of Public Health. Yearly incidence rates and prevalence of TA were calculated using the number of TA patients and corresponding census data for the overall Polish population. Results. Data included 660 hospitalization records. The final study sample comprised 177 patients: 154 female (87%) and 23 male (13%) with first-time hospitalization for TA. The mean age was 45.4years (95% CI: 42.9–47.8; SD 16.8; range 4–81 years), median 47. The incidence rate of TA was estimated at 0.92 per million per year (95% CI: 0.68–1.16). Five-year TA prevalence was estimated to be 4,6 per million. Incidence rates of TA did not vary significantly between more urban and more rural regions. Conclusions. The incidence of TA in Poland was similar or lower to data reported by other European countries. The study provides epidemiological data on TA in Poland that may be useful while comparing it with other geographical regions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction. Paget's disease (PDB) is a focal disorder of bone remodeling that occurs commonly in older people with decreasing prevalence reported in European countries. This disease is most often asymptomatic, but it can cause a variety of medical complications resulting in considerable morbidity and reduced quality of life. There is little information regarding the epidemiology of PDB in Poland. To the best of the authors' knowledge, this is the first large epidemiological analysis of this disease in Poland. Objective. The aim of this study was to analyze factors that may be related to the PDB epidemiology among hospitalized patients in Poland. Materials and method. The analysis was conducted on the basis of population-based administrative data, taken from a Polish hospital morbidity study carried out by the National Institute of Public Health between January 2008 - December 2014. Results. Analyzed data covered 662 hospitalization records. The final study sample comprised 94 (41.8%) male and 131 (58.2%) female patients with first-time hospitalizations for PDB, with a significant predominance of females (P<0.02), and the predominance of patients living in urban (73%) than in rural areas (27%), P<0.001. The average age of the sample was 56.8 years (CI: 54.3-59.3; SD 18.8; range 1-93 years). The number of PDB cases hospitalized in Poland significantly decreased during the analyzed period of time. Conclusions: PDB is a rare disease with decreasing trends observed among hospitalized patients in Poland. The study results may suggest the existence of environmental risk factors for the development of PDB. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In addition to different injuries, infections are the most common reason for giving up training altogether or reducing its volume and intensity, as well as a lack of opportunities to participate in sports competitions. Nowadays, a slow but constant re-emergence of pertussis, especially among teenagers and young adults, including athletes, can be observed. This paper describes an outbreak of pertussis among professional Polish shooters, focusing on the transmission of Bordetella pertussis infection between members of the national team, its influence on performance capacity and adverse event analysis. From 9 June, 2015 to 31 July, 2015, a total of 4 confirmed and suspected cases of pertussis were reported among members of the Polish Sport Shooting National Team, their relatives and acquaintances. Pertussis significantly decreased exercise performance of the first athlete, a 35-year-old woman, interrupted her training, and finally resulted in failure to win a medal or quota place. Pertussis also significantly decreased performance of the second athlete, a 25-year-old shooter. The other cases emerged in their families. Whooping cough is a real threat to athletes and should be prevented. Preventive measures include appropriate immunization, constant medical supervision, as well as early isolation, diagnostic tests and treatment of all infected sport team members. Regular administration of booster doses of the acellular pertussis vaccine (Tdpa) every 5 years seems reasonable. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction and objective. Knowledge of the harmful influence of environmental tobacco smoke (ETS) has a positive impact on changing social behaviours worldwide. In many homes smoking is totally prohibited; in some others, partial limitations of tobacco consumption have been introduced. Objective. To study the correlation between the adopted rules of tobacco use in homes of 3-year-olds, and the kind and frequency of acute respiratory system infections within a 6-month period of attending pre-schools. Materials and methods. The study was performed among children attending municipal pre-schools in Białystok, Poland. The data was collected by anonymous questionnaires completed by the parents of 302 children aged 3 years chosen randomly from 1,200 children attending 51 pre-schools. The exposure of children to tobacco smoke was measured by determining cotinine to creatinine ratio (CCR) in urine. Results. In the 150 families of children who were surveyed, 210 were smokers. Every day, the smokers consisted of fathers (37.3%) and mothers (23.6%). The 3-year-old children were divided into 3 groups according to smoking habits in their homes: 28.5% of the children under examination came from homes where tobacco smoking was forbidden (mean CCR - 15.21ng/ mg, SD=11.86), 26.2% came from homes where tobacco was smoked in separate rooms (mean CCR - 65.75 ng/ml, SD=81.51), 45.4% lived in homes where no rules connected with smoking had been established (mean CCR - 61.75 ng/ml, SD= 70.29). During the analyzed period of 6 months, 85% of the children had at least 1 respiratory tract infection (60% - upper, 16.9% - lower, 16.5% - upper and lower, 7.1% - otitis media). Conclusions. The majority of the 3-year-old children who had lower respiratory tract infections required antibiotics and hospitalization. Living in a home where no tobacco rules were established may cause an increase of respiratory tract infections. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim. The purposes of our study were to determine the level of total social support, informational support, instrumental support, appraisal support and emotional support received by patients of primary care as well as factors related to this level with reference to health status and sociodemographic variables. Method. The sample for current analysis included 516 patients of primary care clinics in Poland cooperating with medical universities. Questionnaires: STAI (State-Trait Anxiety Inventory), SCL-90 (Symptom Checklist-90), EPQ-R (Eysenck Personality Questionnaire -Revised), GHQ (General Health Questionnaire)and SSS (Social Support Scale)were used in the study. Results from last two questionnaires are presented in the paper. Results. The highest mean levels were obtained for instrumental support, while the lowest levels were observed for emotional support. The highest means were indicated in the GHQ-28 - social dysfunction, the lowest - GHQ-severe depression. Statistically significant relation was found between the level of social support and gender. Less subjectively evaluated total social support as well as instrumental and appraisal support were obtained by women. The highest Spearman score was found in the case of total GHQ-28 score, somatic symptoms, anxiety and insomnia, severe depression and total support. Taking into account the ANOVA findings, it was observed that an increasing GHQ score was associated with intensively increasing emotional support, informative support, appraisal support and the most- instrumental support. Conclusions. The results display the underestimated role of emotional, informational and appraisal support and the overestimated role of instrumental support in primary care. The consequence may be a more frequent using health care accompanied by low level of patients' satisfaction, severity of social dysfunction disorders, particularly in patients with chronic diseases, who constitute an increasingly large group of primary health care. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction and objective. Psychiatric disorders (and their high rates of prevalence) in primary care have been widely analyzed, butthe problem ofunderdiagnosis remains unresolved. This becomes increasingly more important in rural health centres in the face of lack of epidemiological data from these centres. The aim of this study is focused on the relationship between general health, psychiatric symptomatology and personality characteristics in the context of an adequate diagnosis. Materials and methods. 518 primary care patients in 6 Polish urban clinical centres were studied using (in order of administration): a sociodemographic questionnaire, the General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-28) and Eysenck Personality Questionnaire (EPQ-R). Results. The investigated sample was representative for urban primary care patients. The findings confirmed a significant association between neuroticism and general health. The strongest relation with current functioning and mental distress of the patients (GHQ general score) was observed in case of symptoms of anxiety and insomnia. The symptoms of depression may be the most difficult to identify (psychiatric symptoms assessed using GHQ sub-scales). Conclusions. According to the GHQ assumptions and confirmed by the presented study, sub-threshold psychiatric symptomatology affects the functioning of primary care patients and their general health. This correlates with personality factors. Improving adequacy of diagnosis becomes extremely important, as it may often be the only chance for appropriate therapy of mental problems for people living in rural areas due to lower availability of specialistic mental services. Further epidemiological studies concerning rural primary care and prevalence of the spectrum of mental disorders need to be conducted. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]