Effects of labeling and treatment of hypertension on perceived health

The effects of labeling a person as hypertensive have important implications for hypertension screening. The Hypertension Detection and Follow-up Program (HDFP) provides an opportunity to examine the effects of labeling, treatment, and study assignment on a large group of hypertensives (n = 10,070). Their answers to questions regarding perceived health and general well-being asked at baseline and again one year later were analyzed. There was no significant change in the perceived health status of persons who were unaware of their hypertension at baseline and remained untreated at one year (labeling alone). The effect of labeling plus treatment was associated with a significant decrease in perceived health. The effect of antihypertensive drug therapy on perceived health status was examined in persons who were aware of their hypertension but not on treatment at baseline, and on treatment at one year. The stepped care group (SC) had a significant improvement in their perceived health and a significant decrease in the amount of time spent worrying about their health. The referred care group (RC) had no change. Program assignment effects were studied in individuals aware of their hypertension and on treatment both at baseline and one year later. Both the SC and RC groups had a significant improvement in their perceptions of their health status. The SC group had a significant decrease in time spent worrying about their health, while the RC group showed no change. These reassuring results fail to support the suggestion that labeling persons as hypertensive is necessarily followed by negative psychological consequences.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)     

Simultaneous non-parametric confidence intervals for survival probabilities from censored data

In medical studies with censored data Kaplan and Meier's product limit estimator has frequent use as the estimate of the survival function. Simultaneous confidence intervals for the survival function at various time points constitute a useful addition to the analysis. This study compares several such methods. We consider in a simulation investigation two whole curve confidence bands and four methods based on the Bonferroni inequality. The results show that three Bonferroni-type methods are essentially equivalent, all being better than the other methods when the number of time points is small (3 or 5).     

Button wires in the treatment of mandibular fractures

Button wiring has been used as an alternative to eyelet wiring in the Department of Oral and Dental Surgery of Birmingham General Hospital since 1977. This clinical update reviews 65 patients with mandibular fractures in which button wires were utilised in their treatment.     

Silicosis in a grey iron foundry. The persistence of an ancient disease

An industrial hygiene and medical survey was conducted in an iron foundry to study the occurrence of silicosis. Breathing zone exposures to respirable crystalline silica had been very high in 1977 [1 045 micrograms/m3 (geometric mean) for coremakers and 198 micrograms/m3 for fettlers]; exposures in 1980 and 1982 were substantially lower. A radiographic evaluation of 188 workers revealed silicosis in 18 (9.6%). Eight had category 1 profusion of small rounded pulmonary lesions (by the 1980 classification of the International Labour Office); two had category 2; and eight had category 3. Two had progressive massive fibrosis. Four workers without silicosis in 1977 had developed lesions by 1980. The prevalence increased from 1.5% among workers employed less than 20 years to 53% among longer term workers. No association was found between the prevalence of silicosis and cigarette smoking. Chronic cough was more common in workers with heavy current dust exposure than in those with light exposure, more common in smokers than in nonsmokers, and more common in silicotics than in nonsilicotics. A multiplicative interaction existed between dust exposure and smoking in the etiology of cough. Silicosis continues to exist in American foundries. Cigarette smoking does not contribute to the causation of silicosis, but it aggravates the attendant respiratory symptoms.     

Epileptic patients refractory to drug therapy

We compared two groups of patients with idiopathic epilepsy, 41 patients whose seizure frequency was not controlled by adequate therapy and 39 patients in good seizure control, in respect of hematology, kidney and liver function tests, serum IgG, IgA and IgM concentrations and drug concentrations. The only difference that emerged were in the serum immunoglobulins, which were raised in the drug refractory group, significantly (p less than 0.01) so in the case of IgG. Failure of seizure control did not depend on inadequacy of drug dose or of blood concentration. Although the serum Ig changes do not warrant the assumption of an immunological origin for drug resistance, they do suggest a useful research line.     

A review of the psychopharmacology of panic disorder: individual differences and non specific factors

This paper critically examines the pharmacological provocation and treatment of panic disorder. An analysis of research findings on how panic attacks are induced indicates that there are psychological and non specific factors that may mediate biochemical etiological models, and these individual differences need to be investigated further. This has important implications for the psychopharmacological management of panic. A review of studies on treating panic disorder with imipramine and alprazolam emphasizes the importance of several non specific factors that include the role of self-directed in vivo exposure and changes in dysphoria and self-efficacy (subjective beliefs regarding personal competency) in predicting outcome. It is recommended that any treatment of panic-related disorders include self-directed, in vivo exposure.     

Plasma uric acid in patients receiving anticonvulsant monotherapy

In newly diagnosed adult patients with epilepsy followed prospectively on monotherapy, carbamazepine and phenytoin were associated with a fall in plasma uric acid, but sodium valproate and phenobarbitone were associated with a rise in plasma uric acid. The mechanisms and significance of these findings are discussed.     

Child psychopathology and environmental influences: discrete life events versus ongoing adversity

Patterns of exposure to distinct types of life stressors were compared between 134 children attending a military child psychiatric clinic and a matched military community control sample. Compared with the community sample, clinic-referred children had experienced significantly higher levels of normative stressful events as well as events confounded with their own adjustment and events related to parental psychosocial functioning. Differences in levels of normative stressful events were no longer significant, however, when controlling for events related to parental functioning. Ratings of stressful events during the past year significantly underestimated the lifetime stress exposure differences between clinic and community control children. Although normative stressful events, parent-related events, and parent symptomatology ratings were significantly related to child behavior problem ratings, normative stressful events did not contribute to predictions of child behavior problems beyond the variance attributable to parent-related events and parent symptomatology. Implications of these findings for life stress and child maladjustment research are discussed.     

Pediatric cardiovascular effects of imipramine and desipramine

Electrocardiograms were evaluated in 39 children and adolescents before and after the clinical use of imipramine and desipramine. The average increase in PR interval was 0.01 seconds. The PR interval increased by 0.02 seconds in 11 subjects, and a new first-degree atrioventricular block developed in two subjects. These changes were not related to the choice between imipramine and desipramine, the dose, or the method of administration. An increase in PR interval by 0.02 seconds or more did correlate with having an abnormality disclosed on a pretreatment electrocardiogram. The average increase in PR interval was 0.007 seconds for subjects with normal baseline electrocardiograms and 0.019 seconds for subjects with conduction and nonconduction abnormalities disclosed in baseline tracings. None of the electrocardiogram changes resulted in adverse clinical consequences.     

Overanxious disorder: a review of its taxonomic properties

The taxonomic properties of overanxious disorder are reviewed using the diagnostic criteria and other features listed in the DSM-III-R manual as a template. The data suggest that overanxious disorder is only a modestly reliable, distinct and valid taxon, and that adjustments to the diagnostic items and criteria and improved sources and methods of data capture are needed. Such changes should be on the basis of empirical data. Since these data are not yet extant, better psychometric-type studies are needed, coupled to assessments of validity. Recently, there has been a distinct increase in number and quality of studies. Although some adjustments are needed, to alter overanxious disorder too much in DSM-IV could make past studies of doubtful relevance and could force a fresh start instead of building on current knowledge.