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Petru A Mircea

Publications and source records attributed to Petru A Mircea.

2 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2006

Trends of mortality rates from gastric cancer and colorectal cancer in Romania, 1955-2003.

BACKGROUND: Steady and persisting falls in gastric cancer (GC) mortality rates have been observed worldwide in the last 50 years, and in Romania too. Colorectal cancer (CRC) is presently the most frequent digestive neoplasia in the Western countries. An increase of CRC incidence and mortality rates has been reported recently in Eastern European countries, including Romania. METHODS: Mortality data from GC and CRC, derived from population based mortality statistics, have been available on a national scale for 1955-2003. The data were identified from the statistics of the Ministry of Health (Bucharest, Romania) and of IARC/OMS (Lyon, France). GC and CRC mortality rates global and/or per gender were registered by time intervals. After 1995, only data on general mortality rates were available. RESULTS: Between 1955-59 and 1990-92, GC mortality rates/100,000 decreased from 33.14 to 17.70 in males and from 18.77 to 7.00 in females. Between 1995 and 2003, general mortality rates/100,000 from GC remained stable (17.54 and 17.74, respectively). Between 1955-59 and 1990-92, CRC mortality rates/100,000/gender increased from 4.65 to 10.10 in males and from 4.57 to 7.40 in females. Between 1995 and 2003, CRC general mortality rates/100 000 increased from 14.90 to 19.20. CONCLUSIONS: Our study reports opposite trends in GC and CRC mortality rates in the period under study, with GC declining and CRC increasing. A male predominance was registered in both neoplasms under study, more obvious in GC (male/female ratio: 2-3/1) than in CRC (male/female ratio: 1.5/1).

Cohort Studies↗
PubMed2005

Pill esophagitis.

Pill esophagitis is a rare clinical diagnosis. We report a series of two patients who experienced ulcerative esophagitis while taking doxycycline (patient 1) and alendronate (patient 2). Both patients presented with retrosternal pain, odynophagia and dysphagia. Symptoms developed after 3 days of treatment with doxycycline in patient 1 and after 3 months of treatment with alendronate in patient 2. Endoscopy revealed ulcerative lesions in the mid-esophagus, sparing the distal esophagus. Biopsies showed inflammatory infiltrate (patient 1) and ulceration and hyperplastic cells (patient 2). Patient 1 recovered completely endoscopically after discontinuation of the antibiotic and a one month course of sucralfate treatment. Patient 2 did not accept the discontinuation of alendronate therapy. She also had a course of one month treatment with sucralfate. At one, two and even at seven months after the first diagnosis, endoscopy still showed the persistence of millimetric defects of epithelisation. She is still under endoscopical survey. In conclusion, doxycycline and alendronate can cause chemical esophagitis when taken improperly. In adults and elderly patients exclusion of esophageal carcinoma by histology is necessary. Continuation of treatment with the offending drug can delay healing. Pill esophagitis is a preventable cause of morbidity that consists of giving simple advice of how and when to take medication.

Alendronate↗