The Medical journal of Australia
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A retrospective study was carried out of 116 consecutive patients with anorexia nervosa to ascertain the extent and nature of vegetarianism in this population. Sixty-three (54.3%) patients were found to be avoiding red meat. ⋯ Pseudovegetarianism was associated with a longer duration of anorexia nervosa, a lower weight during the course of their illness, and living away from the parental home. The reintroduction of red meat into the diet was more likely if vegetarianism were of a short duration.
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In a study of 1216 pregnancies, 427 (35%) patients reported hand symptoms. Symptoms of the same quality and distribution were reported by 40 (30%) of 132 control subjects within the previous year, and although invariably mild, these symptoms suggest that pregnancy may aggravate a pre-existing condition. Fewer than 20% of the 427 affected patients described a classic median-nerve symptom distribution (carpal tunnel syndrome), while 12% of patients described an ulnar-nerve distribution, which is thought to represent a genuine and previously underestimated occurrence of ulnar-nerve neuropathy in pregnancy. ⋯ Most symptoms were bilateral, commenced in the third trimester and resolved soon after delivery. There was a significant correlation of hand symptoms in pregnancy with the presence of preeclampsia, tight rings, the weight at confinement, the birth weight and a history of premenstrual bloating. Operative intervention was not required for any patient.
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While a mismatch is evident in the age distribution of women who are smear-tested by the Victorian Cytology (Gynaecological) Service (VC(G)S) and the women who are developing and dying of invasive cancer of the cervix, evidence is presented that the screened population have significant morbidity from precursor lesions. Women whose cervical cytological examination is undertaken by the VC(G)S have higher detection rates for carcinoma-in-situ than does the general population; a more than three-fold excess over the SA Cancer Registry rates is evident. During 1984 one in 148 of the women who were screened by the VC(G)S had histologically-proved dysplasia or carcinoma-in-situ in contrast with one in 5606 Australian women who were diagnosed as having invasive cancer of the cervix. These results indicate that the women who are currently screened should not be considered an intrinsically low-risk group for cervical malignancy.
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Of 1947 Aboriginal women who resided in non-metropolitan regions of Western Australia and gave birth during January 1983 to February 1985, 42% of women were screened prenatally for the presence of hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg). The proportions of Aboriginal women who were screened varied from 17% in the southern divisions to 72% in the Kimberley region. ⋯ On this basis, the estimated prevalence of HBsAg among non-metropolitan Aboriginal women was 3.6% (95% confidence interval, 2.5%-5.1%). According to the geographical location of the mother's residence, the observed prevalence of HBsAg varied from 0 in the southern divisions to around 4%-5% in the central and eastern divisions.