CMAJ : Canadian Medical Association journal = journal de l'Association medicale canadienne
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People with diabetes mellitus are more likely to have cardiovascular, renal and ophthalmic comorbidity than those without diabetes. Information on the economic impact of diabetes and its complications on the Canadian health care system is limited. ⋯ In 1996, 36.4% of health care expenditures for people with diabetes was attributable to major comorbidity. Actions to prevent or control such comorbidity will yield significant cost savings.
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Severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) has only recently been described. We provide individual patient data on the clinical course, treatment and complications experienced by 14 front-line health care workers and hospital support staff in Toronto who were diagnosed with SARS, and we provide follow-up information for up to 3 weeks after their discharge from hospital. ⋯ SARS is a very serious illness even in healthy, relatively young people. The clinical course in our patients, all of whom met the case definition for SARS (which requires pulmonary involvement), resulted in dyspnea and, in some individuals, severe hypoxemia. Severe hemolytic anemia may be a feature of SARS or may be a complication of therapy, possibly with ribavirin.