The Medical journal of Australia
-
Descriptive study of trends in the drug therapy for acute myocardial infarction. ⋯ These trends in the pharmacological management of myocardial infarction mirror the emerging evidence from clinical trials, although the increases in the use of certain types of drugs antedated publication of the results of major randomised studies. The changes in therapy would partly explain observed improvements in case fatality and may have contributed to the decline in coronary mortality observed in the Perth community.
-
Comparative Study
Mortality of former prisoners of war and other Australian veterans.
This second summary article from an epidemiological review of the health of former prisoners of war (POWs) and other Australian veterans, commissioned by the Sir Edward Dunlop Medical Research Foundation, reports on studies of mortality. ⋯ Elevated early postwar mortality of young former POWs implicates diseases with short latent periods (including psychiatric disorders). This is consistent with the greater health risks of this group of survivors that were identified in the earlier review of morbidity. Mortality among former POWs and other veterans requires continued surveillance because a "healthy worker effect" (or exclusion of unfit persons from the armed forces) may partly conceal increased morbidity or mortality that should be attributed to war service.
-
To determine normal values for haematological parameters in healthy elderly persons, and document any changes in these over a 12 month period. ⋯ Haematological reference values for healthy elderly Australians are consistent with normal values reported in younger populations for both sexes. As a result recommendations are provided for normal reference values among this group in an Australian setting.
-
To describe changes in medications administered to patients with acute myocardial infarction between 1984/1985 and 1988/1990 and changes in case fatality. ⋯ Large changes in drug treatment of patients with acute myocardial infarction have occurred in the second half of the 1980s. These may be responsible for the reduction in case fatality. Nevertheless, use of drugs of proven effectiveness in acute care and for secondary prevention is surprisingly low in this population.