The Medical journal of Australia
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Comparative Study
Incidence of type 2 diabetes in two Indigenous Australian populations: a 6-year follow-up study.
To estimate the incidence of type 2 diabetes in two ethnically distinct Indigenous populations in north Queensland, Australia. ⋯ The incidence of diabetes in these Indigenous Australians is nearly four times higher than for the non-Indigenous population and 50% higher than the incidence reported 10 years ago in Australian Aboriginals. Currently used BMI cut-off points are not appropriate for Indigenous Australians to predict diabetes.
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Comparative Study
Two nations: racial disparities in bloodstream infections recorded at Alice Springs Hospital, central Australia, 2001-2005.
To compare bloodstream infection (BSI) rates, pathogens and mortality among Indigenous and non-Indigenous adults in central Australia. ⋯ Indigenous adults living in central Australia experience BSI rates that are among the highest reported in the world. These are associated with a high risk of death, and are a likely consequence of the poor socioeconomic circumstances of Indigenous people.
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To describe the impact of pandemic (H1N1) 2009 influenza (nH1N1) on Indigenous people in the Top End of the Northern Territory at community, hospital and intensive care unit (ICU) levels. ⋯ Pandemic (H1N1) 2009 influenza had a disproportionate impact on Indigenous Australians in the Top End, with hospitalisation rates higher than those reported elsewhere in Australia and overseas. These findings have implications for planning hospital and ICU capacity during an influenza pandemic in regions with large Indigenous populations. They also confirm the need to improve health and living circumstances and to prioritise vaccination in this population.
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To determine the burden of hospitalised, radiologically confirmed pneumonia (World Health Organization protocol) in Northern Territory Indigenous children. ⋯ The rates of severe pneumonia in hospitalised NT Indigenous children are among the highest reported in the world. Reducing this unacceptable burden of disease should be a national health priority.