Journal of general internal medicine
-
To document the prevalence of tuberculosis (TB) skin test positivity among homeless adults in Los Angeles and determine whether certain characteristics of homelessness were risk factors for TB. ⋯ Homeless adults living in congested inner-city areas are at high risk of both latent and active TB. Endemic risk factors and limited access to medical care support the need for aggressive treatment of active TB cases and innovative programs to ensure completion of prophylactic regimens by homeless individuals with latent infection.
-
Comparative Study
Racial differences in the medical treatment of elderly Medicare patients with acute myocardial infarction.
To compare the use of medications in African-American and Caucasian elderly Medicare patients hospitalized with acute myocardial infarction (AMI) in Alabama. ⋯ According to this analysis, Alabama physicians used beta-adrenergic blockade and aspirin equivalently in African Americans and Caucasians. African Americans received thrombolysis less often according to the crude analysis. The multivariable analysis suggests less use of thrombolytics, even after adjusting for several covariates including indication by clinical algorithm. However, the small number of African-American patients deemed ideal candidates for thrombolysis attenuates the precision of this finding.
-
Randomized Controlled Trial Clinical Trial
Does treatment with L-thyroxine influence health status in middle-aged and older adults with subclinical hypothyroidism?
To determine if health-related quality of life (HRQL) in patients of middle age and older with elevated thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) and normal total thyroid hormone levels-subclinical hypothyroidism-improves with L-thyroxine replacement therapy. ⋯ In middle-aged and older patients with elevated TSH and normal T4, it may not be harmful to follow biochemical and clinical status even in the presence of nonspecific symptoms potentially associated with hypothyroidism.
-
Comparative Study
Sleep history is neglected diagnostic information. Challenges for primary care physicians.
Sleep problems are treatable causes of morbidity and mortality, but little is known about how often the history fundamental to diagnosis is obtained. We recorded the frequency of sleep histories during encounters with simulated patients by 20 experienced primary care practitioners, 23 uninstructed medical interns, and 22 interns who had previous instruction about sleep disorders. ⋯ If sleep problems are to be prioritized, major changes in physician education and behaviors are essential. Focused instruction about sleep influences physician behavior.