Background: Chronic systemic diseases (CSD) and cancer are closely related to the clinical course, severity and mortality of COVID-19 due to the immunosuppressive conditions caused by these diseases. The purpose of this study was to investigate the differences between the effects of cancer and CSD on the clinical and laboratory parameters of patients with COVID-19. Methods: The study included patients who received inpatient treatment with the diagnosis of COVID-19 at Ondokuz Mayıs University between 16 March, 2020, and 1 December, 2020. The participants were divided into four groups as follows: those without comorbidities (Group 1), those with only CSD (Group 2), those with only cancer (Group 3), and those with both CSD and cancer (Group 4). Comparative statistical evaluation was performed in terms of clinical symptoms, biochemical parameters, admission to intensive care and survival. Results: In total, 750 patients were included: 242 patients in Group 1, 442 in Group 2, 27 in Group 3, and 39 in Group 4. The mean age of the patients was 57.1 ± 9.4 years, and 53.7% were male. Patients of Group 1 were significantly different from those of the other groups in terms of age, requirement for intensive care and intubation, complications, survival, white blood cell and lymphocyte count, neutrophil/lymphocyte ratio and levels of haemoglobin, lactic acid dehydrogenase, ferritin, D-dimer and C-reactive protein (for each p < 0.001). Conclusion: No difference was observed among laboratory parameters, intensive care admission, intubation need, complication frequency and survival rates in patients with CSD or cancer.

Background: Obesity is an important, worldwide public health problem. Obesity affects all body systems, but mainly cardiovascular and respiratory systems. Aim: We aimed to investigate the change in respiratory functions due to both the decrease in body-mass index (BMI) and laparoscopic obesity surgery that is used in obesity treatment. Methods: Patients were selected who applied to Ondokuz Mayıs University General Surgery Clinics and were referred to pulmonary medicine clinics for preoperative evaluation. The mean age of patients was 35.3±9.3. 32 patients who applied for laparoscopic obesity surgery with BMI>40 kg/m2 were monitored. Pulmonary symptoms of patients were evaluated pre-operatively and post-operatively; their BMIs were calculated and pulmonary function tests, lung diffusion testing and 6 minutes walking test (6 MWT) were applied. The data obtained at the end of the study were assessed under computer setting by SPSS 15.0 program. Chi-Square, Mann Whitney U, Wilcoxon Signed Ranks, Paired T and Student T tests were used in statistical analysis of data. Results: Average age of patients was 35.3±9.3 and 28.1% of the patients (n=9) were men, 71.9% (n=23) of them were women. The fact that majority of patients who participated the study were women was related with more frequent morbid obesity in women in general; we also saw that women patients applied to the hospital for obesity surgery at a higher ratio. When data of preoperative and post-operative were compared, BMI of patients decreased by 28%; FEV₁ value, FEV₁ percentage, FVC value and FVC percentages increased by 11.9%, 14.8%, 14.8% and 17.3% respectively, and these results were accepted as statistically significant. Conclusion: Recovery in respiratory functions due to decrease in BMI was observed after laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy in obesity. More effective routes must be followed in fighting against obesity which affect all the body systems mainly including cardiovascular and respiratory systems.

BACKGROUND:There are studies reporting that uric acid elevation is a marker for hypoxemia and pulmonary hypertension secondary to some diseases. AIM: The aim of this study is to investigate the relationship between serum uric acid level and uric acid/creatinine ratio with COPD exacerbation, hypoxemia in exacerbation and development of cor pulmonale. METHODS: A total of 96 COPD patients who were admitted to Ondokuz Mayıs University Faculty of Medicine emergency department and Chest Diseases outpatient clinic and whose written consent was obtained, were included in our study. 43 of these patients were in the period of exacerbation (Group 1) and 53 were in the stable period (Group 2). Complete blood count, blood biochemistry (including serum uric acid level) and arterial blood gas analysis were performed in our patients. In addition, spirometry and echocardiography findings were examined. RESULTS: Serum uric acid level of Group 1 was 6.97 ± 1.34 and Group 2 was 4.30 ± 1.01 (p <0.05). Uric acid/creatinine ratios; in group 1; 8.00 ± 2.06, in group 2; It was 5.52 ± 1.57 (p <0.05). In patients with hypoxemia, serum uric acid level and uric acid / creatinine ratio were significantly higher than non-hypoxemic (p <0.05). Serum uric acid level and serum uric acid/creatinine ratio of Group 1 were significantly higher than Group 2 (p <0.001). Serum uric acid level and serum uric acid / creatinine ratio of patients who developed cor-pulmonale were significantly higher than patients without cor-pulmonale (p <0.05). CONCLUSION: Serum uric acid level and uric acid/creatinine ratio were found to be higher in patients with exacerbation of COPD and those developing cor pulmonale. Consequently, it suggests that serum uric acid level and serum uric acid/creatinine ratio may be a stimulating laboratory test for the severity of COPD and the development of COPD based cor pulmonale.