Thorax
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Little is known of the epidemiology of pneumothorax. Routinely available data on pneumothorax in England are described. ⋯ There is evidence of two epidemiologically distinct forms of spontaneous pneumothorax in England. The explanation for the rise and fall in mortality for secondary pneumothorax is obscure.
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Seasonal variations in asthma are widely recognised. This study was undertaken to investigate the relative differences in seasonal patterns by age as they impact on episodes of care in general practice, hospital admissions, and deaths. ⋯ The seasonal pattern of asthma evolves with age. There are important differences in the seasonal pattern of general practice episodes, admissions to hospital, and deaths. Individual seasonal histories are important for the management of asthma. The combined analysis of these three data sets provides a new perspective on the epidemiology of asthma.
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With increasing life expectancy, issues of fertility and pregnancy are pertinent to patients with cystic fibrosis. For this reason, the four Scottish Cystic Fibrosis centres asked men and women with cystic fibrosis about their attitudes to fertility and to information given to them by health professionals. ⋯ Parenting and fertility issues are important for men and women with cystic fibrosis but many patients do not find out what they want to know from discussion with health professionals. Patients want discussion to begin in early adolescence. Men in particular are likely to be reluctant to introduce these issues; health professionals should be aware of the need actively to initiate discussion.