Articles: disease.
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Aust N Z J Obstet Gynaecol · Aug 1991
Comparative StudyNeonatal outcome and its relationship with maternal age.
The relationship between maternal age and neonatal outcome was examined in 22,689 pregnancies using various determinants of neonatal well-being which included evidence of fetal distress, birth-weight, Apgar scores, the necessity for admission to the neonatal unit and other indicators of neonatal morbidity. Differences in the incidence of congenital malformations and perinatal mortality were also studied. There was a trend towards more frequent fetal heart monitoring, lower birth-weight and a higher rate of neonatal unit admission for infants delivered by younger women. ⋯ Maternal age had no effect, however, on the incidence of fetal distress, Apgar score, the development of respiratory disease, the need for intubation and ventilation nor on subsequent neonatal central nervous system complications. There was also no association between maternal age and either perinatal mortality or the incidence of congenital malformations. The favourable outcome in teenagers in this study may have been influenced by the extremely low pregnancy rate amongst young adolescents in Hong Kong, but a similar outcome in the mature age women was likely to have reflected the recognition of risk and its appropriate management.
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How can epidemiology contribute to understanding the cause of clinical disease? We discuss the nature of causality and the intrinsic limitations of all empirical science, including epidemiology, in establishing "proof" of causality. Our examples relate to eye disease: How the cause of blindness from retrolental fibroplasia was unravelled. How the congenital rubella syndrome was discovered as a cause of congenital cataract. How allopurinol was cleared from suspicion as a cause of cataract.
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The incidence, pathogenesis, staging, and treatment of endometriosis are reviewed, with an emphasis on pharmacologic management of this condition. Endometriosis--the presence of ectopic endometrial tissue--can be found in 15-25% of infertile women and may be found in 1-5% of all women between menarche and menopause. Although the pathogenesis of endometriosis is uncertain, the most tenable etiologic theory is a combination of celomic metaplasia and retrograde menstruation. ⋯ The most common adverse effect associated with nafarelin therapy is hot flashes. The GnRH agonist nafarelin is as effective as danazol or oral contraceptives for the treatment of endometriosis and causes fewer adverse reactions. GnRH agonists may replace danazol as the treatment of choice in patients with endometriosis.