BACKGROUND/AIMS: Medication non-adherence is common in inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD). The short-term consequences of non-adherence include increased disease relapse but the long-term impact upon patients in terms of daily functional impairment are less well characterized. Identifying negative outcomes, such as disability, may encourage adherence. METHODS: Consecutive ambulatory IBD subjects completed the Medication Adherence Rating Scale (MARS; non-adherence defined as ≤16), Inflammatory Bowel Diseases Disability Index (IBD-DI; disability: < 3.5) and Beliefs about Medicines Questionnaire (high necessity/concerns: ≥16). The primary outcome was the association between medication non-adherence and disability. Secondary outcomes were the predictors of these outcomes. RESULTS: A total of 173 subjects on IBD maintenance medications were recruited (98 Crohn’s disease, 75 ulcerative colitis: median IBD-DI, –5.0; interquartile range [IQR], –14.0 to 4.0 and median MARS, 19.0; IQR, 18 to 20) of whom 24% were non-adherent. Disability correlated significantly with medication non-adherence (r=0.38, P < 0.0001). Median IBD-DI for non-adherers was significantly lower than adherers (–16.0 vs. –2.0, P < 0.0001). Predictors of disability included female sex (P=0.002), previous hospitalization (P=0.023), management in a referral hospital clinic (P=0.008) and medication concerns (P < 0.0001). Non-adherence was independently associated with difficulty managing bowel movements (odds ratio [OR], 3.71; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.50–9.16, P=0.005), rectal bleeding (OR, 2.69; 95% CI, 1.14–6.36; P=0.024) and arthralgia/arthritis (OR, 2.56; 95% CI, 1.11–5.92; P=0.028). CONCLUSIONS: Medication non-adherence was associated with significantly increased disability in IBD. Female gender, higher disease severity and medication concerns were additional predictors of disability.
Colitis, Ulcerative ; Compliance ; Crohn Disease ; Female ; Hemorrhage ; Hospitalization ; Humans ; Inflammatory Bowel Diseases* ; Mars ; Medication Adherence* ; Recurrence ; Referral and Consultation

A rare finding of a prostatic carcinoma metastasized in a ligamentum flavum at thoracic spine causing posterior column spinal cord compression. We reported a man with prostatic carcinoma presented with ataxic gait. Magnetic resonance imaging revealed an extradural cystic mass adjacent to the T4 intralaminar region indenting on the spinal cord. T4 posterior decompression via en bloc excision of the ligamentum flavum cyst and laminectomy was performed. Histopathology confirmed glandular tissue within the cyst wall which corresponds to prostatic adenocarcinoma cells. Two months post-operative, patient showed improvement in his muscle strength on left L2 myotome. The preoperative diagnosis is a challenge because of the ligamentum flavum cysts rarity in the thoracic spine and non-specific clinical signs and symptoms. To our best knowledge, this is the first report of metastatic adenocarcinoma of the prostate found as ligamentum flavum cysts.

INTRODUCTION: Family history of psychopathology is a risk factor for mood and anxiety disorders in children, but little is known about rates of parental psychopathology among treatment-seeking youth with affective disorders in the Asia Pacific region. This study examined patterns of emotional and behavioural problems in parents of clinically-referred youth in Singapore. We hypothesised that parents would have higher rates of affective disorders compared to the Singapore national prevalence rate of 12%. MATERIALS AND METHODS: In this cross-sectional study, 47 families were recruited from affective disorders and community-based psychiatry programmes run by a tertiary child psychiatry clinic. All children had a confirmed primary clinical diagnosis of depression or an anxiety disorder. Parents completed the Mini International Neuropsychiatric Interview (MINI) to assess for lifetime mood and anxiety disorders. They also completed the Adult Self Report (ASR) and Adult Behavior Checklist (ABCL) to assess current internalising and externalising symptoms. RESULTS: Consistent with our hypothesis, 38.5% of mothers and 10.5% of fathers reported a lifetime mood and anxiety disorder. Nearly 1/3 of mothers had clinical/subclinical scores on current internalising and externalising problems. A similar pattern was found for internalising problems among fathers, with a slightly lower rate of clinical/subclinical externalising problems. CONCLUSION Our findings are consistent with previous overseas studies showing elevated rates of affective disorders among parents - particularly mothers - of children seeking outpatient psychiatric care. Routine screening in this population may help to close the current treatment gap for adults with mood and anxiety disorders.
Adult ; Anxiety Disorders ; diagnosis ; epidemiology ; psychology ; Child ; Cross-Sectional Studies ; Family Health ; statistics & numerical data ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Mood Disorders ; diagnosis ; epidemiology ; psychology ; Parent-Child Relations ; Parenting ; psychology ; Parents ; psychology ; Psychiatric Status Rating Scales ; Psychopathology ; Singapore ; epidemiology