Introduction

The data suggest that anxious drivers may engage in problem behaviors that expose them and others to an increased risk of negative traffic events.

Objectives

To study the problematic behavior taxi drivers related to anxiety in three areas exaggerated safety/caution, performance deficits, and hostile/aggressive behaviors and to determine the factors who are associated with them.

Methods

This is a cross-sectional descriptive and analytical study of 58 taxi drivers in the city of Sfax, Tunisia. We used an anonymous questionnaire that included a socio-demographic fact sheet, and a driver behavior rating scale: Driver Behavior Survey (DBS) with 21 items.

Results

The mean age of the drivers was 40.8 ± 10.2 years. The sex ratio was 0.98. 75.9% were married. 6.9% lived alone. 53.4% ​​were smokers and 25.9% drank alcohol. Coffee and tea consumption were 59% and 33% respectively. 67% had a pathological personal history, including osteoarticular pathologies. 17.2% had a history of serious accidents.

The behavior related to anxiety among taxi drivers was 74.66 ± 13.35. The hostile behavior was 18.88 ± 8, the exaggerated safety behavior was 38.31 ± 7.3 and the deficit performance related to anxiety was 17.47 ± 7.1.

The problematic behavior in our population was significantly associated with lifestyle alone, coffee consumption and with serious accidents.

Conclusions

The results of our study identified some risk factors that could lead to poorly adaptive driving behaviors among Taxi drivers. These elements reinforce us in the idea that this population requires special care with a meeting with the doctor.

Introduction

Elevated prevalence of somatic disorders (SD) in patients with mental diseases is well recognized and studied since latest years. However, their detection remains too late, which darken the prognosis of both diseases, and complicate the therapeutic management.

Objectives

We aimed to determine the prevalence of SD in psychiatric inpatients, and to assess relationships between the two diseases.

Methods

We analyzed retrospectively the medical records of 94 male patients hospitalized for the first time in psychiatry "B" department, Hedi Chaker hospital (Sfax, Tunisia), in the period from January 1^st until December 31^st, 2019.

Results

The mean age of patients was 36.88 years. Among them, 22.3% used cannabis and 37.2% consumed alcohol. Schizophrenia (41,5%) and bipolar disorders (20.2%) were the most common psychiatric diagnoses.

During their hospitalization, at list one SD was noted in 53.2%: cardiovascular diseases 21.3% (electrocardiographic anomalies 19,1%); infections 9.6% and hepatic pathologies 8.5 %.

The SD was comorbid with psychiatric disease in 90%, and represented a side effect of psychotropics in 10% of patients with SD.

Older Patients were more likely to present SD during hospitalization, without a significant association.

Patients with schizophrenia were significantly more likely to present infections (p=0.031).

Repolarization disorders are more common in patients with cannabis use (p = 0.006).

Conclusions

Our study pointed the high prevalence of SD in patients with mental illnesses, especially in those with schizophrenia and cannabis use.

Thus, the somatic assessment should be a systematic practice to identify patients at risk for somatic complications and ensure timely their transfer to a specialized setting.

Introduction

Wernicke’s encephalopathy is a potentially fatal neurological emergency caused by thiamine deficiency. Although it is often associated with chronic alcoholism, it can also occur in all situations that lead to a thiamine deficiency such as undernutrition and exclusive artificial feeding.

Objectives

In this work, we propose to study the clinical and treatment concerns of Wernicke’s encephalopathy complicating catatonic schizophrenia.

Methods

We retrospectively report the case of a patient who developed a Wernicke’s encephalopathy in the aftermath of catatonic schizophrenia.

Results

Mr H.L, a 47-year-old-male has been followed in psychiatric hospital since the age of 27 for catatonic schizophrenia. He has been hospitalized in July 2020 because of oral intake refusal, social isolation and lack of self-care with a poor compliance to treatment. Examination of the patient revealed catalepsy, mutism and negativism. He was treated with antipsychotics drugs, benzodiazepines and parenteral nutrition. About six weeks after his hospitalization, the patient developed horizontal nystagmus and ataxic gait. Magnetic resonance imaging was consistent with Wernicke encephalopathy. Vitamin B1 dosage was 32nmol/l. Parenteral thiamine replacement therapy was initiated with clinical improvement

Conclusions

Catatonic schizophrenia can be associated with severe malnutrition and thus with thiamine deficiency and Wernicke’s encephalopathy. An early intervention by supplying prophylactic thiamine given parenterally in high-risk patients is crucial to avoid Korsakoff syndrome, as well as cardiovascular and neuropsychiatric complications associated with thiamine deficiency.