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Artur Mierzecki

Publications and source records attributed to Artur Mierzecki.

5 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2005

Prevention and health promotion in clinical practice: the views of general practitioners in Europe.

BACKGROUND: Disease prevention and health promotion are important tasks in the daily practice of all general practitioners (GPs). The objective of this study was to explore the knowledge and attitudes of European GPs in implementing evidence-based health promotion and disease prevention recommendations in primary care, to describe GPs' perceived barriers to implementing these recommendations and to assess how GPs' own health behaviors affect their work with their patients. METHODS: A postal multinational survey was carried out from June to December 2000 in a random sample of GPs listed from national colleges of each country. RESULTS: Eleven European countries participated in the study, giving a total of 2082 GPs. Although GPs believe they should advise preventive and health promotion activities, in practice, they are less likely to do so. About 56.02% of the GPs answered that carrying-out prevention and health promotion activities are difficult. The two most important barriers reported were heavy workload/lack of time and no reimbursement. Associations between personal health behaviour and attitudes to health promotion or activities in prevention were found. GPs who smoked felt less effective in helping patients to reduce tobacco consumption than non-smoking GPs (39.34% versus 48.18%, P < 0.01). GPs who exercised felt that they were more effective in helping patients to practice regular physical exercise than sedentary GPs (59.14% versus 49.70%, P < 0.01). CONCLUSIONS: Significant gaps between GP's knowledge and practices persist in the use of evidence-based recommendations for health promotion and disease prevention in primary care.

Alcohol Drinking↗
PubMed2005

[Effect of low doses of folic acid on selected biochemical atherosclerosis risk factors--preliminary study].

UNLABELLED: The aim of the present paper was evaluation of the impact of the three-months' supplementation with low doses of folic acid on concentration of homocysteine and other biochemical atherosclerosis risk factors with patients endangered with ischemic stroke or other disease being atherosclerosis-derivative. MATERIAL AND METHODS: The examined group consisted of 34 adult children of parents of which at least one fell ill at a young age with ischemic stroke. There were examined 9 men and 25 women aged from 19 to 36 years (average age 24.8 years). The testing procedure consisted in three-months' supplementation with folic acid (a 0.4 mg a day) and in check-up of blood parameters. The tests were performed prior to and after 3 months of taking folic acid. There were following laboratory tests performed: lipid profile [triglycerides, total cholesterol as well as LDL-cholesterol and HDL-cholesterol fractions, apolipoprotein B and Al, lipoprotein(a)] and folic acid, homocysteine, fibrinogen, von Willebrand factor as well as blood cell count, thrombocytes, ESR and basic biochemical parameters. RESULTS: Increased average concentration levels were detected for folic acid by 5.4 ng/dl (increase by 62.8%), apolipoprotein Al by 2.3 mg/dl (1.5%) and for fibrinogen by 0.2 g/l (7.1%). Decreased average concentration levels were detected for: homocysteine by 2.1 micromol/ l (drop by 18.9%) and for LDL-cholesterol by 4.4 mg/dl (4.4%/1). Furthermore, a significant increase in average concentration level of uric acid was detected as well as drop in average hemoglobin value, erythrocytes, creatinine and urea. Other blood cell count elements, thrombocytes, ESR and biochemical parameters did not show, in a check test, any significant differences. CONCLUSIONS: Low doses of folic acid, owing to its reducing influence on some risk factors, may be recommended with precautions in the atherosclerosis prevention, e.g. for families with past premature cardiovascular episode. However, insufficient number of tested persons does not permit to draw more radical conclusions. The tests should be conducted on a bigger group of patients.

Adult↗
PubMed2005

[Assessment of metabolic atherosclerosis risk factors in progeny of patients with past ischemic stroke].

Early diagnosing and modification or elimination of atherosclerosis risk factors with the descendants of the ill with past ischemic stroke (IS) might reduce risk of subsequent stroke incidence in the family, or myocardial infarction or other disease being atherosclerosis - derivative. This subject seems to be essential because it concerns young people. The purpose of the present study is identification and assessment of metabolic atherosclerosis risk factors with adult progeny of the ill with past IS at young age. There were examined 43 adult children of the parents who fell ill at young age (between 39 and 55 years in case of men and 60 years in case of women) with IS. The test group included 21 men and 22 women aged from 19 to 39 years (average age - 26.3 years). The reference group consisted of 40 persons, including 18 men and 22 women aged from 22 to 39 years (average age - 26.8 years). The persons from reference group were corresponding (in respect of structural aspects, such as age and sex) to the test group, their parents had negative history towards atherosclerosis - derivative illnesses. None of the patients under examination was a cigarette smoker. Examination of both groups consisted in conducting anamnesis, measurement of body weighing and height, blood pressure as well as evaluation of biochemical atherosclerosis risk factors. Blood testing (blood serum or plasma) consisted of blood cell count and ESR as well as blood glucose level, creatinine, urea, transaminase and bilirubin levels as well as total cholesterol, LDL cholesterol and HDL cholesterol fractions, apolipoprotein B, apolipoprotein AI, lipoprotein (a), triglycerides, homocysteine, folate, fibrinogen, von Willebrand factor and C-reactive protein level. Among persons whose parents were affected, at young age, with IS higher average level of BMI (24.2 +/- 3.8 kg/m2) was detected as compared with that in the reference group (22.4 +/- 2.5 kg/m2), LDL cholesterol fraction (2.7 +/- 0.8 mmol/l vs 2.4 +/- 0.6 mmol/l) and triglycerides (1.1 +/- 0.4 mmol/l vs 0.8 +/- 0.4 mmol/l) as well as lower level of apolipoprotein Al (1.5 +/- 0.2 g/l vs 1.6 +/- 0.2 g/l). Average values of other factors in the blood serum were not significantly different in both with compared groups. In case of women, whose parents were affected with IS, higher levels of the following indicators were detected: BMI (24.3 +/- 3.9 kg/mz vs 21.5 +/- 2.3 kg/m2), total cholesterol (5.1 +/- 0.7 mmol/l vs 4.4 +/- 0.5 mmol/l, LDL cholesterol (2.7 +/- 0.6 mmol/l vs 2.1 +/- 0.4 mmol/l), apolipoprotein B (1.0 +/- 0.1 g/l vs 0.8 +/- 0.1 g/l), lipoprotein (a) (0.3 +/- 0.2 g/l vs 0.2 +/- 0.1 g/l) and triglycerides (1.0 +/- 0.4 mmol/l vs 0.7 +/- 0.2 mmol/l). In group of men whose parents were affected with IS lower levels of apolipoprotein Al (1.3 +/- 0.2 g/l vs 1.5 +/- 0.2 g/l) and of von Willebrand factor (71.4 +/- 23.9% vs 87.1% +/- 16,8%) were detected. Descendents of the ill with past IS should be treated as higher risk group especially when supranormative values of metabolic atherosclerosis risk factors are detected with them. In case of persons with positive family history of IS, having higher values of metabolic atherosclerosis risk factors, it is necessary to apply intensive actions towards change of their life styles, and if necessary - also to include pharmacological treatment.

Adult↗
PubMed2005

[Physiological skin changes during pregnancy].

Associated with pregnancy skin changes appear at approximately 90% pregnant. For the necessity of proper and complex care of the pregnant woman. The actualization of this knowledge among the family doctors and the obstetricians is crucial. The ability of precise diagnosis of physiological skin changes allows specifying the suspected cases of pathologic etiology and referring them to the dermatological referral centers for in-depth diagnosis and eventual treatment. The physiologic changes of skin appendies were discussed in the presented paper, vascular alterations color, as well as the generative alterations and the changes in the skin.

Adult↗