JAMA : the journal of the American Medical Association
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Symptoms suggestive of acute urinary tract infection (UTI) constitute one of the most common reasons for women to visit clinicians. Although the clinical encounter typically involves taking a history and performing a physical examination, the diagnostic accuracy of the clinical assessment for UTI remains uncertain. ⋯ In women who present with 1 or more symptoms of UTI, the probability of infection is approximately 50%. Specific combinations of symptoms (eg, dysuria and frequency without vaginal discharge or irritation) raise the probability of UTI to more than 90%, effectively ruling in the diagnosis based on history alone. In contrast, history taking, physical examination, and dipstick urinalysis are not able to reliably lower the posttest probability of disease to a level where a UTI can be ruled out when a patient presents with 1 or more symptoms.
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Comparative Study
Risk of perinatal death associated with labor after previous cesarean delivery in uncomplicated term pregnancies.
Trial of labor after previous cesarean delivery is associated with increased risk of uterine rupture. However, no reliable data exist on the effect of a trial of labor on the risk of perinatal death in otherwise uncomplicated term pregnancies. ⋯ The absolute risk of perinatal death associated with trial of labor following previous cesarean delivery is low. However, in our study, the risk was significantly higher than that associated with planned repeat cesarean delivery, and there was a marked excess of deaths due to uterine rupture compared with other women in labor.
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Higher rates of microvascular complications have been reported for minorities. Disparate access to quality health care is a common explanation for ethnic disparities in diabetic complication rates in the US population. Examining an ethnically diverse population with uniform health care coverage may be useful. ⋯ This study confirms previous reports of elevated incidence of ESRD among ethnic minorities, despite uniform medical care coverage, and provides new evidence that rates of other complications are similar or lower relative to those of whites. The persistence of ethnic disparities after adjustment suggests a possible genetic origin, the contribution of unmeasured environmental factors, or a combination of these factors.
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Complications of atherosclerosis cause most morbidity and mortality in patients with diabetes mellitus. Despite the frequency and severity of disease, proven medical therapy remains incompletely understood and underused. ⋯ Since most patients with diabetes die from complications of atherosclerosis, they should receive intensive preventive interventions proven to reduce their cardiovascular risk.