Articles: disease.
-
Eur. J. Intern. Med. · Dec 2000
Differential diagnosis between community-acquired pneumonia and non-pneumonia diseases of the chest in the emergency ward.
Background: The differential diagnosis of community-acquired pneumonia and some non-pneumonia diseases involving the chest may sometimes be cumbersome. Adding some objective variables to the diagnostic strategy may be helpful. We evaluated the main objective variables that are usually available in the emergency ward and that may be valuable in this differential diagnosis. ⋯ In the multivariate analysis, only C-reactive protein remained in the equation. Conclusions: C-reactive protein, erythrocyte sedimentation rate, leukocyte count, and temperature were measurable variables that proved to be useful in the differential diagnosis between community-acquired pneumonia and non-pneumonia diseases. C-reactive protein appears to be the most suitable for this purpose.
-
J Health Serv Res Policy · Oct 2000
ReviewConditions for which onset or hospital admission is potentially preventable by timely and effective ambulatory care.
To identify, using a consensus development process, a list of common conditions likely to be ambulatory care sensitive (ACS); i.e. conditions for which practicable improvements in access to timely and effective ambulatory care in the English National Health Service would either reduce the incidence of the condition or avoid substantial proportions of current hospital admissions. ⋯ Although a consensus-based list of ACS conditions cannot be definitive, the clear view of the panels was that the scope for avoiding admission through better ambulatory care is very substantial.
-
Letter
Satellite mapping of Loa loa prevalence in relation to ivermectin use in west and central Africa.
For many years, ivermectin has been widely distributed throughout west Africa for the safe and effective control of onchocerclasis. However, recent events in Loa-loa-endemic areas of Cameroon, where severe adverse reactions have occurred, now constrain the public-health use of this drug in the forest habitat of the L. loa vector. We have created a model of L. loa prevalence to identify areas where high endemicity may be associated with the occurrence of such reactions. The model results have been mapped and the areas of overlap between high L. loa prevalence and planned ivermectin distribution for onchocerciasis control identified.