Interferon (IFN)-based therapy, the cornerstone for treatment of hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection, is generally considered to be the single most effective treatment strategy for this infection. Although most adverse effects of IFN therapy respond very well to the cessation of this drug, there are reports of serious irreversible adverse effects. This review article evaluates the adverse effects...

The epidemic of obesity, a condition defined as a body mass index (BMI) of 30.0 or more, has spread beyond the borders of high-income countries and is now dramatically on the rise also in low-and middle-income nations, particularly in urban settings [1]. One of the most concerning implications of this trend is the association between obesity and an increased risk of developing metabolic and car...

This study of 533 vascular access sites for long-term hemodialysis in patients with end-stage renal disease, accumulating more than 12,000 patient months, indicated that primary arteriovenous fistula (AVF) is the procedure of choice. The group receiving primary AVF had the greatest duration of patency: 84% at three years compared to 70% for the group receiving polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) gra...

of lumbar disc surgery. Their incidence is very low but because clinical manifestations may be extremely variable depending on the extension of trauma, is probably underestimated (1-4). Vascular injury is suspected when early signs of retroperitoneal hemorrhage appear, but may often be delayed for weeks or years due to the formation of a pseudoaneurysm or arteriovenous fistula, which may be of ...

Diabetic complications are the major causes of morbidity and mortality in patients with diabetes. Microvascular complications include retinopathy, nephropathy and neuropathy, which are leading causes of blindness, end-stage renal disease and various painful neuropathies; whereas macrovascular complications involve atherosclerosis related diseases, such as coronary artery disease, peripheral vas...

BACKGROUND Vascular complications following laparoscopic techniques may often be attributed to the incomplete control of bleeding sites at laparoscopy. When confronted with post-laparoscopy symptoms of hemodynamic insufficiency, the surgeon may infer the existence of hemorrhagic complications neglected at the laparoscopic session. METHODS The author reviewed two otherwise normal cases of lapa...

BACKGROUND Arterial access is a major site of bleeding complications after invasive coronary procedures. Among strategies to decrease vascular complications, the radial approach is an established one. Vascular closure devices provide more comfort to patients and decrease hemostasis and need for bed rest. However, the inconsistency of data proving their safety limits their routine adoption as a ...

BACKGROUND Vascular and bleeding complications remain important complications in patients undergoing percutaneous transfemoral transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TF-TAVI). Platelets play an important role in bleeding events. Mean platelet volume (MPV) is an indicator of platelet activation. The objective of this study was to assess whether low MPV is an indicator of major vascular and ble...

Chronic exposure to high glucocorticoid levels in Cushing's syndrome (CS) is often associated with alterations in the hemostatic system and the expression of prothrombotic phenotypes. Increased frequency of both atherothrombotic and venous thromboembolic events (VTE) has been reported in patients with CS. In general, cardiovascular complications in these patients cause a five-fold increase in m...