South African medical journal = Suid-Afrikaanse tydskrif vir geneeskunde
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The Modification of Diet in Renal Disease (MDRD) and Chronic Kidney Disease Epidemiology Collaboration (CKD-EPI) equations are two commonly used formulae to estimate glomerular filtration rate (GFR) in adults. The CKD-EPI equation is recommended in current international and local guidelines for the diagnosis and management of chronic kidney disease (CKD), unless an alternative equation has been shown to have superior accuracy. Validation and comparison of the equations in local populations are therefore required. Previous studies have reported on the accuracy of these prediction equations in black South Africans and those of Indian ancestry. ⋯ The MDRD and CKD-EPI equations have shown satisfactory and comparable performance in this SA mixed-ancestry adult population, with the MDRD equation marginally less biased than the CKD-EPI.
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Electronic health records (EHRs) appear to offer a number of potential benefits, but practitioners are often hesitant to make the transition to using them. ⋯ EHR systems like Discovery Health's HealthID could improve the efficiency of medical consultations by increasing access to stored health information without requiring data entry by clinicians, and thereby have the potential to indirectly improve the quality of care, provided that certain conditions are met.
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Anal carcinoma is rare. Clinicopathological features influencing outcome have not been determined in HIV-negative and HIV-positive patients in South Africa. ⋯ The prevalence of anal squamous cell carcinoma is much higher in individuals with HIV infection than in those who are HIV-negative. HIV-positive patients present at a younger age and with locally advanced disease that responds less well to standard treatment, and their survival is poorer.