Disability,depression and somatization in a low back pain population

Objective: The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of low back pain (LBP) in a primary care setting population and examine its association with the symptoms of depression and somatization. Methods: This is a cross‐sectional study, utilising a survey carried out in primary health care clinics (PHCs) in Al‐Ain, United Arab Emirates (UAE). A multistage stratified sampling design was used and a representative sample of 1304 UAE nationals aged 18–65 years who attended PHC clinics for any reason were included and 1103 (84.5%) subjects agreed to participate and responded to the questionnaire during a period from June 2001 to January 2002. A specially designed questionnaire with three parts was used for the data collection: socio‐demographic information of the studied subjects, modified version of the Roland‐Morris scale for evaluating back‐related functional disability and SCL‐90 R for depression and somatization subscales was used to assess depressive and somatic symptoms. Results: Of the total number of subjects surveyed (1103), 586 (53.1%) were men and 517 (46.9%) women. The mean age was 34.9 ± 13.4 years for men and 33.5 ± 11.8 years for women. The prevalence of LBP in the studied subjects was 64.7% (95% CI, 60.7–68.5] with 46.7% among men and 53.3% among women. There were a significant differences between the subjects with LBP and without LBP with respect to gender (P < 0.001), body mass index (BMI) (P < 0.001), occupational status (P < 0.001) and living environment (P = 0.016). Functional disability was higher in patients with LBP. Young patients in aged 15–34 years, patients with preparatory/secondary educational level and students showed higher depressive symptoms. A similar pattern was found in patients with somatic symptoms. Factor analysis revealed a strong association between depression and somatization in LBP patients. Conclusions: Functional disability was higher in with LBP. Furthermore, symptoms of depression and somatization are prevalent among LBP patients.     

福建省原发性肝癌遗传因素分析

为了探讨遗传因素与福建省原发性肝癌的关系,应用多种对照配对的病例对照研究方法,对100个原发性肝癌和200个对照家系进行了遗传流行病学分析。结果显示,原发性肝癌先证者一、二级亲属患病率明显高于对照组患病率,分离比为0.04146～0.08654,遗传度加权均值为63.52±4.22％。提示原发性肝癌系多基因遗传病,遗传易感性是原发性肝癌的危险因素之一,原发性肝癌的发生是遗传和环境多种因素共同作用的结果。     

盘龙七片治疗不稳定性冠心病心绞痛临床观察

对５８例不稳定性冠心病心绞痛患者，用盘龙七片（３８例）及复方丹参片（２０例）治疗，观察治疗前后心电图ＳＴ段，血液流变学及临床症状的变化，结果：盘龙七片组心电图ＳＴ段的缺血变化明业优于复方丹参片组（Ｐ〈０．０１），血浆粘度及纤维蛋白原下降亦明显（Ｐ〈０．０５或Ｐ〈０．０１），结论：盘龙七片虽是一种抗风湿，骨伤的中成药，但同样对治疗不稳定性冠心病心绞痛有一定的疗效。     

Do patients receive adequate pain control after discharge from the ED?

Studies on the effectiveness of pain management have uniformly concluded that health care providers underestimate or undertreat pain. In the emergency department (ED) in which this study was conducted, physicians receive formal didactic and bedside teaching on pain recognition and management in order to heighten the awareness of patient's need for pain control. The purpose of this study was to determine if this outpatient pain management of patients with acute, painful conditions is better than that reported in the medical literature. In this prospective study, 110 adult patients who had an acute, painful diagnosis were telephoned 48 hours after discharge from the ED and asked if they felt their pain at home was well controlled. Patient satisfaction with pain control was higher (91%) than that reported in the medical literature. Also, pain medication was provided more frequently by this study's ED (95%). Education on pain awareness and treatment is a way to improve pain management.     

Congenital esophageal stenosis presenting as noncardiac,esophageal chest pain

Summary A case of a 31-year-old female with congenital esophageal stenosis presenting with symptoms of chest pain caused by esophageal dysmotility is described. The involved segment in congenital esophageal stenosis has a characteristic thickening of the muscularis propria layer, as seen by EUS examination. In these patients, symptoms of dysphagia can be managed with esophageal dilation and noncardiac esophageal chest pain responds to pharmacotherapy with diltiazem.The opinions and assertions contained herein are the private ones of the authors and are not to be construed as official policy or reflecting the views of the Army or the Department of Defense.     

Identifying patients at risk for,and treatment of major psychiatric complications of cancer

A critically important aspect of supportive care in cancer is the prompt recognition and effective treatment of psychiatric complications. Psychiatric disorders such as depression, anxiety and delirium occur in a signifcant percentage of cancer patients, particularly as disease advances and as cancer treatments become more aggressive. This paper reviews factors that can be utilized to identify patients who are at increased risk for developing psychiatric complications, such as those with advanced disease, certain cancer treatments, uncontrolled physical symptoms, functional limitations, lack of social support, and past history of psychiatric disorder. Methods of diagnostic assessment and strategies for managing depression, anxiety, delirium and suicidal ideation are also reviewed.Presented as an invited lecture at the 6th International Symposium: Supportive Care in Cancer, New Orleans, La., USA, 2–5 March 1994     

丙氧氨酚与酮咯酸治疗癌痛的比较

晚期肿瘤疼痛病人３１例（男性１７例，女性１４例，年龄５０±５１４ａ），用丙氧氨酚２片，ｐｏ，ｔｉｄ，共７ｄ。相似病人３０例（男性１６例，女性１４例，年龄５１±１３ａ），用酮咯酸１０ｍｇ，ｐｏ，ｑｉｄ，共７ｄ。结果：疼痛强度（标尺法）２组均有降低；显效时间前组（丙氧氨酚）快于后组（酮咯酸）；药效维持时间后组长于前组；不良反应前组嗜睡多于后组，而胃肠道不适少于后组。