We conclude that the incidence of hypertension in dialysis children in Poland is high (55%). The effectiveness of antihypertensive treatment is rather low (58%) and the choice of drugs is limited.

Introduction and objective. Obesity and overweight among teenagers and young adults pose serious problems for the Polish health care system. The aim of this study was to assess the relationships between the prevalence of overweight and obesity and the level of urbanization, consumption of selected food products and socioeconomic development in the provinces in Poland. Materials and method. The material used in this study is based on data published by the Central Statistics Office (GUS) for population, components of the Human Development Index (HDI), urbanization level (URBI), average monthly consumption of selected food products per person, and the percentage of obese and overweight people in the Polish provinces. The prevalence of overweight and obesity in all 16 provinces was analysed in the context of the URBI, HDI, and the average monthly consumption of selected food products. Results. There was no a statistically significant correlation between the number of overweight and obesity cases and the levels of HDI and URBI. The negative correlations were found between the consumption of sugar and URBI (-0,710, p=0.002), bread and grain product consumption (-0.642; p=0.007) and fresh milk consumption (-0.594; p=0.015). Fish consumption correlated with URBI at a moderate level (0.550; p=0.027). The consumption of oils and fats strongly correlated with HDI (-0.788; p < 0,001). In the group of overweight woman, a moderate negative correlation was noted (-0.511; p=0.043) in cheese and curd consumption. Conclusions. The high level of economic development and urbanization have no direct impact on the prevalence of overweight and obesity in Poland. The results of the study indicate existing dependencies of the consumption of some of selected products with respect to the level of urbanization.

IntroductionPeritoneal dialysis (PD) is a preferred method of renal replacement therapy for end-stage renal disease in children. Recent advances have allowed chronic PD to be provided to children of all ages and sizes.Material and methodsThe study was designed as a national (10 dialysis centres), multicentre retrospective analysis of the medical history of 33 children who started chronic peritoneal dialysis in their infancy between 1993 and 2005, with a follow-up period of at least 24 months.ResultsThe nutritional status of the infants was unsatisfactory. The mean SDS of body weight at the start was –2.0, at 1 year of age –1.7. Only 40% of infants were adequately nourished at 1 year of age. Long-term follow-up analysis showed that 12 children received a kidney transplant, 13 were still on dialysis (4 changed method) and 6 died (mortality rate in the first year of life of 9%). In 2 children we observed an improvement of renal function. We observed a relatively high (1/8.8 patient-months) peritonitis rate in the analysed children when compared to 1 : 22 patient-months in all children undergoing PD in Poland.ConclusionsThe results of our survey have shown that the management of dialysed infants is still a challenge for the medical team and families, but long-term results of the therapy are encouraging.

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Introduction. In many countries, the concept of OTC drugs, among others, is defined in advance by the assumed maximum period of their use – usually 3-5 days. In fact, many patients often benefit from these opportunities too often, use medication for longer than 3-5 days and prefer symptomatic treatment rather than causal. OTC drugs give people a sense of freedom and subjectivity. Numerous doctors claim that too much freedom in this case can prove dangerous. Aim. The aim of this study was to analyze the changes in attitudes towards the use of OTC drugs in medicine students as they acquire knowledge and medical experience. Material and methods. The study looked at 178 students of the Faculty of Medicine, Medical University of Lublin (89 – 1 and 2 year students as well 89 – 5 and 6 year ones). A diagnostic survey was used as a tool for obtaining responses from the participants. The survey was conducted between October 2014 and November 2014. Results. Almost 90% of medical students use OTC drugs for self-medication, while only 11% of them have never used such medicine. Analysis of students’ attitudes indicate that acquired medical knowledge has no effect on the frequency using this type of treatment. Overall, students tend to use such drugs occasionally. Only some 14-23% of them use the OTC drugs on a regular basis. The motivations for the use such drugs include: convenience, the previous experiences implying the efficacy of drugs, less frequent are other reasons. Some 28% of the students participating in the study and at least 13% of graduating medical students accept prolonged use of OTC drugs. As the consequence acquisition of medical knowledge, the students are less likely to consult their self-medication attitudes with doctors, families and friends, more often and accurately read the leaflets for drugs, and are more and more reluctant to proposals for extending the assortment of available OTC drugs. Conclusions. 1. Almost 90% of medical students use OTC drugs for self-treatment. 2. 28% of polled 1-2 year medical students and at least 13% of graduating ones may have tendencies to abuse drugs. 3. Over the subsequent years of study, medical students more often read medicine leaflets, they become less reliant on the advice they receive from their family or friends regarding self-treatment or they are less willing to extend the range of available OTC drugs.