Postgraduate medical journal
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International guidelines recommend natriuretic peptide biomarker-based screening for patients at high heart failure (HF) risk to allow early detection. There have been few reports about the incorporation of screening procedure to existing clinical practice. ⋯ NT-proBNP and ECG screening could be implemented with relative ease to facilitate early detection of cardiovascular complication and improve long-term outcomes.
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Asthma, a common childhood condition, often presents with chronic cough. While evaluating for chronic cough, many specialists obtain a baseline chest radiograph (CR) to assess for other causes. Usually read as 'normal', sometimes CRs will reveal evidence of airway inflammation in the form of subtle findings, such as 'increased interstitial markings' or 'peribronchial thickening'. There is sparse literature in the outpatient setting correlating findings on baseline CRs with adverse outcomes such as systemic steroid use, emergency department (ED) visit or hospitalisation. ⋯ This study shows a positive correlation between airway inflammation findings on baseline CR and subsequent ED visits in patients with asthma.