The Medical journal of Australia
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To assess the clinical impact on generally healthy older Australians of changing from the 2009 CKD-EPI (CKD-EPI2009) to the 2021 CKD-EPI (CKD-EPI2021) equation for calculating the estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR). ⋯ Using CKD-EPI2021 would yield higher eGFR values than the CKD-EPI2009, substantially reducing the proportion of older Australian adults classified as having CKD, without any overall difference in long term health outcomes for people reclassified to less advanced CKD stages. Using the CKD-EPI2021 could markedly reduce the number of referrals of generally healthy older adults to specialist nephrology services.
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To examine bulk-billing rates and out-of-pocket costs for non-bulk-billed general practitioner services in Australia at the Statistical Area 3 (SA3) level; to assess differences by area-level socio-economic disadvantage and remoteness. ⋯ Although most general practitioner services are bulk-billed, out-of-pocket costs for non-bulk-billed services are relatively high, particularly for people in remote and socio-economically disadvantaged areas of Australia.
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To assess the distribution of blood pressure levels and the prevalence of hypertension and pre-hypertension in young Indigenous people (10-24 years of age). ⋯ Blood pressure was within the normal range for most young Indigenous people in our study, but one in three had elevated blood pressure or hypertension. Community-level, culturally safe approaches are needed to avoid the early onset of cardiovascular risks, including elevated blood pressure.
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To describe myocarditis as an adverse event after coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccination, including a detailed description of clinical phenotypes and diagnostic test results and differences by age, sex, and degree of troponin level elevation. ⋯ The clinical severity of COVID-19 vaccine-associated myocarditis in Victoria was generally mild. Markers of a more severe phenotype were more frequently recorded for male patients and people aged 24 years or younger. A threefold troponin increase could be used as a threshold for risk stratification of people with COVID-19 vaccine-associated myocarditis, especially in hospitals with limited access to cMRI facilities.