Internal medicine journal
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Internal medicine journal · Mar 2024
Ethnic differences in the characteristics of patients with newly diagnosed lung cancer in the Te Manawa Taki region of New Zealand.
Māori have three times the mortality from lung cancer compared with non-Māori. The Te Manawa Taki region has a population of 900 000, of whom 30% are Māori. We have little understanding of the factors associated with developing and diagnosing lung cancer and ethnic differences in these characteristics. ⋯ The findings point to the need to address barriers to early diagnosis and the need for system change including the need to introduce a lung cancer screening focussing on Māori. There is also the need for preventive programmes to address comorbidities that impact lung cancer outcomes as well as a continued emphasis on creating a smoke-free New Zealand.
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Internal medicine journal · Mar 2024
Case ReportsDRESS syndrome with multiorgan involvement and HHV-6 reactivation in the absence of a drug trigger.
Drug reaction with eosinophilia and systemic symptoms (DRESS) is a severe drug reaction where patients present with fever, morbilliform rash and multiorgan manifestations, which may include acute renal failure, acute respiratory distress syndrome and eosinophilic myocarditis. We present a case of a 60-year-old woman with acute heart failure, DRESS syndrome features and human herpesvirus 6 reactivation in the absence of a drug trigger. She was diagnosed with eosinophilic myocarditis and successfully treated with corticosteroid therapy.
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Internal medicine journal · Mar 2024
Clinical spectrum, biochemical profile and disease progression of Kennedy disease in an Indian cohort.
Kennedy disease (KD) is a slowly progressive lower motor neuron degenerative disease. The prevalence of KD is unknown in India. ⋯ This study showed phenotypic heterogeneity in the Indian cohort. The age of onset was earlier with a slowly progressive indolent course as compared with other ethnic cohorts. This highlights the importance of considering the KD diagnosis in patients with the indolent course and suspected ALS diagnosis even with ptosis and fatigability in an appropriate clinical context.
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Internal medicine journal · Mar 2024
Left ventricular assist devices for treatment of refractory advanced heart failure: the Western Australian experience.
Left ventricular (LV) assist devices (LVADs) can prolong survival and improve quality of life in end-stage heart failure. ⋯ Excellent outcomes can be achieved with LVADs in appropriately selected patients.