This article reports on May Measurement Month (MMM) 2018, which consisted of the 2nd round of the hypertension screening campaign conducted in Albania, a former communist country in South Eastern Europe. The hypertension screening campaign in Albania was conducted during the period 13–31 May 2018. Overall, there were eight sites from seven districts of the country involving 7046 participants aged ≥18 years (61% women and 39% men; overall mean age 46.8 ± 15.7 years). Blood pressure was measured with OMRON sphygmomanometers (Omron Healthcare, Kyoto, Japan). Hypertension was defined as systolic blood pressure (SBP) ≥140 mmHg, or diastolic blood pressure (DBP) ≥90 mmHg, or on treatment for hypertension. Self-reported information included height and weight, diabetes, smoking status, and alcohol intake. The proportion of participants with hypertension was 37.2% of whom only 52.1% exhibited awareness. Furthermore, only a quarter of hypertensive individuals were properly treated and controlled. Significant predictors of high SBP and/or high DBP included a previous diagnosis of hypertension, being on antihypertensive medication, frequent alcohol intake, and being overweight and obese. The MMM 2018 campaign in Albania had a unique value for early detection of hypertension, particularly among younger adults. Policymakers and decision-makers in Albania and elsewhere should also rely on the MMM screening campaigns which have a great potential for prevention and control of hypertension in the general population.

Aim: Our aim was to assess the independent association between blood glucose level and health literacy (HL) adjusting for many socio-demographic characteristics and body mass index (BMI) in an adult population in Albania, a transitional country in the South Eastern Europe. Methods: A cross-sectional study was carried out in Tirana in 2012-2014 including a population-based sample of 1,154 individuals aged ≥18 years (57% women; mean age: 45.5 ± 16.4 years; response rate: 88.6%). HL was assessed by use of HLS-EU-Q instrument. Blood glucose level was measured in a fasting state by use of rapid finger stick method. Information on socio-demographic characteristics was collected, and BMI was calculated based on measurement of height and weight in all participants. General Linear Model (GLM) and binary logistic regression were used to assess the independent association of blood glucose level and HL adjusting for all socio-demographic factors and BMI. Results: One-third of participants had pre-diabetes (100-125.9 mg/dl) and further 11% had diabetes (≥126 mg/dl) based on the measured blood glucose level. In fully-adjusted GLM, mean blood glucose level was significantly lower among individuals with excellent HL compared with their counterparts with inadequate HL (99.3 vs. 106.0, respectively). Furthermore, the odds for the presence of diabetes in the group of study participants whose HL was "inadequate" were 2.6 times higher (95% CI = 1.3-5.4) compared to those whose HL was "excellent." Conclusion: We obtained evidence of a strong and significant inverse relationship between measured blood glucose level and HL, independent of many socio-demographic characteristics and measured BMI in a population-based study in a country of the Western Balkans.

Systemic erythematosus lupus is a chronic inflammatory disease of autoimmune nature. This illness can affect all organs, but one of the most common illnesses is lupus nephritis. Patients with renal impairment, despite aggressive immunosuppressive medication carry the risk of developing terminal renal disease and doing dialysis or renal transplant. The purpose of this study is to reflect global statistics on the frequency of the development of terminal renal disease in lupus nephritis patients as an awareness-raising way to stimulate studies that present a successful treatment or screening protocol in preventing this complication. This study is a review based on the research of world studies and literature regarding the prevalence of terminal renal disease in lupus nephritis patients. Over 50% of patients with LES, depending on different regions of the world, race / ethnicity develop lupus nephritis. 10-30% of lupus nephritis cases develop terminal renal disease where among the major risk factors are new age, nephrotic proteinuria, disease activity index, histological class of renal impairment, high creatinine, lack of remission, etc. Performing as early as possible the renal transplant increases the lifespan of patients with terminal renal disease. It is very difficult to prevent renal impairment in patients with LES, more so when some of them have lupus nephritis as the initial manifestation. However, since more than 50% of LES patients develop lupus nephritis and 10 to 30% of lupus nephritis cases develop terminal renal disease, studies should be encouraged to determine a successful treatment or screening protocol in preventing this complication.

Assessing quality of life in patients with varying degrees of chronic kidney disease is an important issue because of its impact on clinical decision-making as increasing the efficiency of resources in the health system. Through this survey provided an attempt to assess the quality of life of patients with chronic kidney disease undergoing dialysis. Commitment to maximize their functioning and well-being constitutes the essence of the purpose of health care. In recent decades elaborate SF 36 is cut by a gauge derive so simple and basic that helps to evaluate the function of the target of researchers, a certain age group, a disease or a treatment group. Short questionnaire forms SF36 instrument gauge is used to determine the level of quality of life in patients with chronic renal failure under the different stages of treatment with dialysis. The study involved 206 people, 112 from patients to Tirana and Shkodra and 94 healthy persons, who collaborated consensually for completing the questionnaires. Based on the results, the quality of life of dialysis patients is significantly worse than that of the healthy population and patients with other injuries less severe of renal function. Survey indicates that a more holistic approach to be used in the treatment of patients with chronic kidney disease including clinical decision making and patient perception. Precisely for this it is recommended to enter the practice of clinical interest that a set of questionnaires that provide information on patients' perception of health as an important indicator that facilitates the physician-patient collaboration in order to better treatment of the disease and increase the quality the life of the patient.