The American journal of the medical sciences
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Chronic diseases account for three-quarters of the U. S. health care expenditures and a majority of early deaths and lost of productive years of life. ⋯ Strategies to eliminate these disparities in chronic diseases need to be multidisciplinary and focus on increasing access to all aspects of health care, including prevention. This article discusses the impact of health disparities on chronic diseases and offers some factors to consider for solutions to the problem.
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Factors contributing to heart failure (HF) in African Americans (AA) are under investigation. Reduced 25(OH)D confers increased cardiovascular risk, including HF. ⋯ Hypovitaminosis D is prevalent amongst AA residing in Memphis, with or without HF. Elevations in serum PTH in keeping with secondary hyperparathyroidism are only found in AA with decompensated HF, where hypovitaminosis D and other factors are contributory.
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Having local health data is critical to combat health disparities, and zip code-level data are an underutilized source of such information. We sought to use zip code-level mortality data to determine where health disparities existed in our local area. ⋯ Using zip code-level data provides an accurate foundation from which to design local interventions to address health disparities.
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We are presenting a case of a 19-year-old college student with sudden-onset, asymmetric polyarticular arthritis with Neisseria meningitidis 10 days after an acute upper respiratory infection consisting of fevers, chills, pharyngitis, and productive cough. Primary meningococcal septic arthritis is a rare entity. ⋯ This entity, although rare, should be considered in the differential diagnosis of septic arthritis of large joints, especially since N. meningitiditis does not grow well on routine culture media. A literature review on the diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of primary meningococcal septic arthritis is presented.