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Summary: The aim of our study was to explore the aetiology and the outcome of acute renal failure (ARF) during the war in Croatia. of the 2132 patients admitted to our hospital between April 1990 and November 1992 due to war related trauma, 11 (0.5%) developed ARF. We believe that the development of ARF in these patients was secondary to an overwhelming septic process. Most of our patients suffered from multiple organ failure. of the 11 patients suffering from ARF due to war related trauma only four recovered (63.6% had died). We attribute the lethal outcome to the progression of the septic process. Patients who developed ARF due to infectious diseases unrelated to trauma had a different prognosis. Acute renal failure caused by the Hantan virus ran a benign course, in both its oliguric and non-oliguric form. Patients who developed ARF as a complication of leptospirosis also had a good prognosis. Although ARF is usually of a multifactorial genesis, our study aimed to emphasize the importance of disseminated septic processes as a cause of ARF.

Although at present there is no prospective randomized study which could show significantly better survival of patients on continuous procedures, the majority of intensivists advocate this technique of renal function replacement due to generally accepted opinion that it has less effect on circulation of already hemodynamically unstable patients. In our prospective randomized study with 104 patients, we also did not observe any difference in 28 days survival, in total survival, as well as in circulatory instability between two treatment modalities. Even in subgroup of 80 patients with sepsis and septic shock there were no difference in survival. Sepsis was the underlying disorder in 52 and septic shock in 28 patients out of 104 patients analyzed in this study. Our prospective randomized study did not show a statistically significant difference between the two methods of renal replacement therapy. Survival rates were not affected and neither was the occurrence of hemodynamic instability. We believe that both methods are complementary; IHD for faster elimination of electrolytes and waste products elimination, CRRT for regulation of higher calories requirements and for hemodynamically unstable patients. The expectations that one method is superior to the other in the term of better survival have not been corroborated by the current data available in the literature. The choice of the method should be individualized. ARF, which is an integral part of MOF, is a problem frequently encountered in critically ill patient treated in the ICU, but outcome of these patients depends closely on the control of basic event. Evaluation of each of the supportive procedures is therefore hindered by the fact that the underlying disease has the crucial effect on survival and the type of supportive procedure less so.

Early diagnosis and management of patients with Fabry disease (FD) requires a multidisciplinary approach of several different experts. The aim of this document is to provide health care professionals with guidelines for management of adult patients with Fabry disease. These guidelines were produced by the staff of the Division of Metabolic Diseases, Department of Internal Medicine, University Hospital Center Zagreb, which is the Referral Expert Center for Rare and Metabolic Diseases of the Ministry of Health, Republic of Croatia. The first guidelines ever published in Croatia concerning a rare metabolic disease are presented. This document provides a short summary on Fabry disease, how to diagnose Fabry disease, management of patients with this disease, follow-up of the patients, and gives recommendations on therapy and genetic testing.

Gaucher disease is an autosomal recessive disorder, characterized by decreased levels of the lysosomal enzyme glucocerebrosidase. This deficiency results in a decreased breakdown of this glycosphingolipid glucocerebroside, which accumulates in the lysosomes of the monocyte-macrophage system. It is the most common form of sphingolipidosis. Clinically, the principle signs of Gaucher's disease are hepatosplenomegaly, bone involvement, hematological changes and CNS involvement. The diagnosis of Gaucher disease has to be confirmed by the measurement of the activity of the enzyme glucocerebrosidase in leukocytes or fibroblasts and genetic testing. An effective therapy for Gaucher disease has now been available for more than 10 years. It consists of life-long intravenous replacement of the deficient enzyme--glucocerebrosidase. If enzyme replacement therapy is started early enough, it leads to significant improvement in patient's general condition and quality of life. The aim of this document is to provide to the Croatian medical audience the guidelines for diagnosis and management of adult patients with Gaucher disease. These guidelines are produced by specialists who have long lasting experience with patients with rare metabolic diseases working in the Division of Metabolic Diseases, Department of Internal Medicine, University Hospital Center Zagreb which is the Referral Center for Rare and Metabolic diseases of the Ministry of Health, Republic of Croatia. They were endorsed by the Croatian Society for Rare Diseases, Croatian Medical Association. These are the first guidelines published in Croatia on diagnosis, treatment and follow-up of Gaucher disease.

Hyperlipidaemia and diabetes are among the major risk factors for cardiovascular diseases (CVD). The incidence of CVD, as evidenced by the respective mean incident rate for each of the risk factor, is quite high throughout the European countries. Of late, these risk factors for CVD, especially for hyperlipidaemia and diabetes are setting in at an alarming rate in many of the low- and medium-income countries also, particularly among their urban populations. Therefore, planning and implementing programmes for prevention of CVD, particularly for controlling risk factors like hyperlipidaemia and diabetes should be accorded high priority.

Rano postavljanje dijagnoze i liječenje bolesnika s Fabryjevom bolesti zahtijeva multidisciplinarni pristup niza stručnjaka. Cilj je ovog dokumenta predstaviti našoj medicinskoj javnosti smjernice za dijagnozu i liječenje odraslih bolesnika s Fabryjevom bolesti. Smjernice su sastavili stručnjaci iskusni u radu s bolesnicima koji boluju od rijetkih bolesti metabolizma i plod su iskustva rada s rijetkim bolestima u Zavodu za bolesti metabolizma Klinike za unutarnje bolesti KBC-a Zagreb, Referentnog centra Ministarstva zdravlja i Socijalne skrbi Republike Hrvatske za rijetke i metaboličke bolesti. Ove su smjernice jednoglasno prihvaćene na Godišnjoj skupštini Hrvatskog društva za rijetke bolesti Hrvatskoga liječničkog zbora. Radi se o prvim takvim smjernicama u Republici Hrvatskoj pa se ovom inicijativom Hrvatska priključuje ostalim europskim državama koje su donijele smjernice iz područja rijetkih bolesti metabolizma. Ove smjernice daju sažetak o Fabryjevoj bolesti, o tome kako dijagnosticirati, liječiti i pratiti bolesnike koji boluju od ove rijetke lizosomske bolesti nakupljanja., Early diagnosis and management of patients with Fabry disease (FD) requires a multidisciplinary approach of several different experts. The aim of this document is to provide health care professionals with guidelines for management of adult patients with Fabry disease. These guidelines were produced by the staff of the Division of Metabolic Diseases, Department of Internal Medicine, University Hospital Center Zagreb, which is the Referral Expert Center for Rare and Metabolic Diseases of the Ministry of Health, Republic of Croatia. The first guidelines ever published in Croatia concerning a rare metabolic disease are presented. This document provides a short summary on Fabry disease, how to diagnose Fabry disease, management of patients with this disease, follow-up of the patients, and gives recommendations on therapy and genetic testing.

Gaucherova bolest autosomno je recesivna bolest koju karakteriziraju snižene vrijednosti enzima glukocerebrozidaze u lizosomima. Ovaj nedostatak ima za posljedicu smanjenu razgradnju glukocerebrozida koji se nakupljaju u lizosomima monocita i makrofaga. Ova je bolest najčešći oblik sfingolipidoza. Klinički, najvažniji znakovi Gaucherove bolesti jesu hepatosplenomegalija, promjene kostiju, hematološke promjene, kao i promjene središnjega živčanog sustava. Dijagnoza Gaucherove bolesti potvrđuje se mjerenjem aktivnosti enzima glukocerebrozidaze u leukocitima ili fibroblastima i genskom analizom. Unatrag više od deset godina postoji učinkovita terapija za liječenje Gaucherove bolesti. Radi se o doživotnoj terapiji, intravenskoj primjeni enzima glukocerebrozidaze. Ako se enzimsko nadomjesno liječenje započne na vrijeme, dolazi do znatnog poboljšanja stanja bolesnika i kvalitete života. Cilj je ovog članka predstaviti medicinskoj javnosti smjernice za dijagnozu i liječenje odraslih bolesnika s Gaucherovom bolešću. Smjernice su sastavili stručnjaci iskusni u radu s pacijentima s rijetkim bolestima metabolizma i plod su dugogodišnjeg iskustva na radu s rijetkim bolestima u Zavodu za bolesti metabolizma Klinike za unutarnje bolesti Kliničkoga bolničkog centra Zagreb. Zavod je ujedno Referentni centar Ministarstva zdravlja i socijalne skrbi Republike Hrvatske za rijetke i metaboličke bolesti. Navedene smjernice prihvaćene su na Godišnjoj skupštini Hrvatskog društva za rijetke bolesti Hrvatskoga liječničkog zbora. Radi se o prvim takvim smjernicama u Republici Hrvatskoj pa se Hrvatska priključuje ostalim europskim zemljama koje su donijele smjernice iz područja rijetkih bolesti i metabolizma., Gaucher disease is an autosomal recessive disorder, characterized by decreased levels of the lysosomal enzyme glucocerebrosidase. This deficiency results in a decreased breakdown of this glycosphingolipid glucocerebroside, which accumulates in the lysosomes of the monocyte-macrophage system. It is the most common form of sphingolipidosis. Clinically, the principle signs of Gaucher’s disease are hepatosplenomegaly, bone involvement, hematological changes and CNS involvement. The diagnosis of Gaucher disease has to be confirmed by the measurement of the activity of the enzyme glucocerebrosidase in leukocytes or fibroblasts and genetic testing. An effective therapy for Gaucher disease has now been available for more than 10 years. It consists of life-long intravenous replacement of the deficient enzyme – glucocerebrosidase. If enzyme replacement therapy is started early enough, it leads to significant improvement in patient’s general condition and quality of life. The aim of this document is to provide to the Croatian medical audience the guidelines for diagnosis and management of adult patients with Gaucher disease. These guidelines are produced by specialists who have long lasting experience with patients with rare metabolic diseases working in the Division of Metabolic Diseases, Department of Internal Medicine, University Hospital Center Zagreb which is the Referral Center for Rare and Metabolic diseases of the Ministry of Health, Republic of Croatia. They were endorsed by the Croatian Society for Rare Diseases, Croatian Medical Association. These are the first guidelines published in Croatia on diagnosis, treatment and follow-up of Gaucher disease.

Klasična homocistinurija je aminoacidopatija prvi put opisana 1962. godine. Nastaje kao posljedica nemogućnosti razgradnje i povećane koncentracije aminokiseline homocisteina u cirkulaciji. Do povećane koncentracije homocisteina u plazmi/serumu i urinu mogu dovesti različiti nasljedni metabolički poremećaji kao i neka stečena stanja. Od nasljednih metaboličkih poremećaja koji dovode do homocisteinemije i homocistinurije najučestalija je autosomno recesivna bolest klasična homocistinurija (McKusick 236200) uzrokovana nedostatkom enzima cistationin beta-sintaze (CBS; EC 4.2.1.22). Ako se ne počne pravodobno liječiti, bolest može dovesti do ozbiljnih komplikacija koje se manifestiraju promjenama na središnjem živčanom sustavu, očima, kostima i krvnim žilama, a poglavito u vidu tromboembolijskih procesa. Novorođenački probir, koji bi prethodio procesu liječenja, ne provodi se u mnogim zemljama, pa tako niti u Republici Hrvatskoj. S postavljanjem dijagnoze u kasnijoj životnoj dobi značajno se kasni zbog nedovoljne osjetljivosti liječnika na postojanje ove bolesti te njenom povezanošću s čitavom lepezom kliničkih simptoma. Bolesnici se dugo upućuju raznim specijalistima koji se posvećuju liječenju pojedinih kliničkih manifestacija, uglavnom bez rezul tata. Bez liječenja osnovne bolesti promjene stalno napreduju. Poseban dijagnostički problem su bolesnici s nedostatkom CBS-a u kojih karakteristična vanjska klinička obilježja nisu prisutna. Homocistein je samo intermitentno povišen, i to u situacijama kad ne uzimaju piridoksin, a najčešće su tromboembolijski događaji jedina manifestacija bolesti. Na osnovi vlastitih iskustava prikazanih u ovom radu, kao i podataka iz dostupne literature, možemo zaključiti da je u bolesnika dječje, adolescentske ili odrasle dobi s visokom ili brzoprogredirajućom miopijom, subluksacijom leća, marfanoidnim izgledom i/ili tromboembolijskim incidentom potrebno izmjeriti koncentraciju homocisteina u plazmi te provesti obiteljski probir., Classical homocystinuria is aminoacidopathy fi rst described in 1962. It results from the inability of degradation and consequential accumulation of the amino acid homocysteine in the circulation. Increased plasma/serum and urine homocysteine levels can be caused by diff erent inherited metabolic disorders or by some acquired conditions. Classical homocystinuria (McKusick 236200) is a pathologic condition that arises from elevated concentrations of homocysteine in the plasma, most frequently due to cystathionine β-synthase defi ciency (CBS; EC 4.2.1.22). If not treated in time, the disease can lead to serious central nervous system, eye, bone and blood vessel complications, mainly thromboembolism. However, newborn screening for homocystinuria is not routinely performed in many countries, including Croatia. In spite of various reasons that may cause delay in the diagnosis of homocystinuria, the predominant one is that physicians often fail to connect a cluster of common symptoms with this rare disease. Patients are referred to various specialists who focus on the treatment of diff erent clinical manifestations of homocystinuria, mostly without success. Without treatment of the underlying disease, chronic complications of homocystinuria progress and patients are jeopardized by sometimes even life-threatening thromboembolism. Patients with CBS defi ciency in whom typical clinical phenotype is absent, represent a particular diagnostic problem, as homocysteine is usually only periodically increased when pyridoxine is omitted from therapy. Within these patients recurrent episodes of thromboembolism are commonly the only clinical feature of homocystinuria. Based on our experience and data from the literature, early recognition of severe or rapidly progressing myopia, subluxation of ocular lenses, ‘marphanoid’ appearance and/or thromboembolism should be an indication for plasma homocysteine measurement and family screening.

Thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura (TTP) either occurs in a congenital form caused by ADAMTS13 gene mutations or it is acquired and most often due to ADAMTS13 inhibitory autoantibodies. In congenital TTP siblings are often affected, while acquired TTP occurs sporadically and familial clustering has not been described so far. We report identical twin sisters suffering from acquired TTP due to immunoglobulin G (IgG) autoantibodies inactivating ADAMTS13, suggesting an important role of hitherto unidentified genetic determinants of ADAMTS13 inhibitor formation. These cases also demonstrate that familial clustering is not sufficient for unambiguously diagnosing hereditary ADAMTS13 deficiency and congenital TTP. (Blood. 2004;103:4195-4197)

The clinical picture of classical homocystinuria is diverse. This is the first report of an adult homocystinuric patient with non-traumatic spontaneous small bowel perforation. A 47-year old man presented with abdominal rebound tenderness, hypotension and tachycardia, anemia, and elevated markers of inflammation. Other routine laboratory tests were normal. Abdominal x-ray showed no free air. An emergency laparotomy revealed jejunal perforation in the left upper quadrant. Histologic specimen showed full-thickness nonspecific inflammation of the intestinal wall with granulocytic infiltration, hemorrhage and necrosis. Tuberculosis, actinomycosis and typhus were histologically and clinically excluded. After excluding all known possible causes of perforation, we presumed a causative relationship between homocystinuria and small bowel perforation. It could be hypothesized that connective tissue weakness in homocystinuria is a result of homocysteine interference with recombinant human fibrillin-1 fragments or cross-linking of collagen through permanent degradation of disulfide bridges and lysine amino acid residues in proteins. DNA analysis showed three detectable mutations in the cystathionine beta-synthetase gene, 1278T:c.833TC, and two new mutations, V372G:c.1133TG, and D520G:c.1558AG in the aternatively spliced exon 15.

Findings BMI was increased (>25) in 22% of young healthy subjects. Increased cholesterol values (>5.0 mmol/L) were found in 23% of subjects, LDL-C (>3.0 mmol/L) in 23%, triglycerides (>1.7 mmol/L) in 11% of subjects. We found statistically significant differences in subjects' weight (p = 0.015), BMI (p = 0.023), and waist-hip ratio (WHR) (p = 0.015) in regard to their diet type; subjects with Mediterranean diet had the lowest values compared to those on continental and mixed diet. Significant associations were found for: LPL genetic polymorphic variant and abdominal obesity (p = 0.013), APO epsilon4 allele and hypercholesterolemia (p = 0.003), and ESR1-TA long allele and hypercholesterolemia (p = 0.011). Background Human obesity is a multifactorial syndrome influenced also by genetic factors. Among gene variants found to be involved in body weight regulation and development of obesity, particular attention has been paid to polymorphisms in genes associated with obesity-related metabolic disorders. We explored the association of genetic polymorphisms of: estrogen receptor alpha (ESR1-TA repeats); interleukin-6 (IL-6 G-174C); apolipoprotein E (APO epsilon2, epsilon3, epsilon4); lipoprotein lipase Pvu II (LPL P+/-), with clinical variables: gender, age, body mass index (BMI), diet type and biological variables: triglycerides, cholesterol, HDL-C, LDL-C, CRP, homocysteine, urate, and glucose in 105 healthy young subjects (20-35 yrs) of Croatian origin. Methods Genotyping of IL-6, LPL was performed by PCR-RFLP, of APOE by real-time PCR, and of ESR1 by PCR and capillary electrophoresis. Association analyses were performed of alleles and genotypes with biological variables. Conclusion ESR-1, LPL, and APO E genetic polymorphic variants could represent predictive genetic risk markers for obesity-related metabolic disorders in young healthy subjects. Mediterranean type of diet is also an important protective factor against abdominal obesity.

Thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura (TTP) and hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS) are classical diseases characterized by thrombocytopenia and microangiopathic hemolytic anemia. Microangiopathic hemolytic anemia is also a part of clinical picture in patients with hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome (HFRS). Some overlap in other elements of clinical picture between TTP and HFRS is possible, which could pose difficulties in differential diagnosis. Early treatment of patients with TTP is essential and significantly improves the outcome, whereas the treatment of HFRS is mainly supportive. In the last ten years, we treated 13 patients with TTP and 17 patients with HFRS. Two patients with HFRS were initially treated as TTP because it was not possible to exclude TTP on the basis of clinical picture. Further clinical course and serologic tests excluded TTP and suggested HFRS.Sometimes it is difficult to distinguish HFRS from TTP because thrombocytopenia and microangiopathic hemolytic anemia are present in both diseases and overlaps in other parts of clinical picture are possible. The serious consequences of delay in the efficacious treatment of patients with TTP could also influence the physicians' decisions.

Acute renal failure is a clinical syndrome characterized by high mortality. There have been numerous attempts to improve survival in this condition, such as the use of drugs, vasoactive medication, biocompatible membranes, high flux, etc. Nevertheless, mortality remains high (1-4). Some promising preliminary results in this field have already been published by our team (5, 6). ARF is on the one side mostly a part of MOF and rare independent clinical event. As has been previously documented, the greater the number of organ systems involved in MOF the higher the mortality rate. In a randomized prospective study we tried to answer whether biocompatibility, or high flux, or both, have any effect on survival of dialysis dependent patients with multiple organ failure.

Poisoning is a clinical condition where one or more organ systems are suddenly or graduahy threatened by exposure to a toxic agent. Accidental poisonings are most frequent (herbicides, carbon monoxide, nicotine, alcohol), followed by suicidal poisonings (drugs, less commonly other poisons), while criminal poisonings occur rarely. Acute poisonings are often emergencies demanding an appropriate approach (identification of poison, prevention of further absorption, removal of poison, symptomatic measures as maintenance of vital functions and administration of antidotes).

Acute renal failure remains associated with high mortality rates. Different attempts to increase survival have not been successful [1,2]. The use of biocompatible polyacrylonitrile membrane gave promising, but controversial results [3,4]. This paper compares the results of treatment of patients with ARF by hemodialysis using polysulfonate (BC) and cellulose diacetate membrane (BIC).