Articles: disease.
-
Rev. Inst. Med. Trop. Sao Paulo · Mar 1993
Respiratory complications in Brazilian patients infected with human immunodeficiency virus.
To determine how often and by what means an indentifiable pulmonary pathogen can be recognized in human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infected patients with respiratory disorders in Brazil, which are the most frequently observed microorganisms and what impact specific therapy has on these agents. ⋯ We have determined that tuberculosis, P. carinii and cytomegalovirus pneumonitis are the most common respiratory opportunistic diseases in Brazilian patients infected with HIV. The histologic evaluation was crucial in order to identify the pulmonary pathogens. Tuberculosis in AIDS individuals displayed clinical and radiographic findings atypical for reactivation disease. However, most of the features observed in HIV infected patients had been previously described in infection of the normal host. Furthermore, the AIDS subjects showed a good therapeutic response to anti-tuberculous drugs.
-
The literature on breast cancer in sub-Saharan women is reviewed. In general, breast cancer is the second most common malignancy of women in the region, after cancer of the uterine cervix. ⋯ Absence of health educational programmes on cancer as well as lack of screening facilities in nearly all countries in the region are contributory factors to the late presentation of the cases. The need for more in-depth studies of the disease in the black African population has been highlighted.
-
For the purpose of surveillance of the acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) in developing countries, the World Health Organization (WHO) has recommended criteria for the clinical case definition of AIDS in adults and children. In a preliminary examination of children in Zambia a number of patients with obvious AIDS did not fit the published WHO case definition for paediatric AIDS. Based on this the Zambia National AIDS Surveillance Committee designed local criteria for the clinical case definition of paediatric AIDS. ⋯ These results give the Zambian criteria for the diagnosis of AIDS a sensitivity of 79.3%, a specificity of 91.4% and a positive predictive value of 86.8% compared to a sensitivity of 69%, specificity of 64% and a positive predictive value of 38% for the WHO criteria. The current WHO criteria are inadequate for the diagnosis of paediatric AIDS. The need to refine the WHO criteria for the diagnosis of paediatric AIDS is discussed.
-
Recent trends toward increasing physical exercise, stopping cigarette smoking, and avoiding obesity may increase longevity. We analyzed changes in the lifestyles of Harvard College alumni and the associations of these changes with mortality. ⋯ Beginning moderately vigorous sports activity, quitting cigarette smoking, maintaining normal blood pressure, and avoiding obesity were separately associated with lower rates of death from all causes and from coronary heart disease among middle-aged and older men.