This study aimed to examine the importance of fatigue as a clinical indicator in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), by analysing its relationship with COPD severity and ability to predict risk of hospitalisation, and by comparing the intensity of fatigue in stable COPD patients with levels of fatigue reported by patients with other chronic conditions. We studied 100 consecutive patie...

In SERAPHIN, a long-term, randomised, controlled trial (NCT00660179) in pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH), macitentan significantly reduced the risk of morbidity/mortality and PAH-related death/hospitalisation. We evaluated disease progression and the effect of macitentan in treatment-naïve incident and prevalent cohorts.Patients allocated to placebo, or macitentan 3 mg or 10 mg were classi...

BACKGROUND This study evaluates the epidemiological impact of RVGE hospitalisation in the Veneto Region during the period spanning from 2000-2007 along with the associated costs. The analysis was conducted in an area where rotavirus vaccination is not included into immunization programmes and is an attempt to assess the potential benefits of such introduction. METHODS To update the estimates ...

OBJECTIVE To report on risk factors for severe events (hospitalisation or infant death) within the first half of infancy amongst HIV-unexposed infants in South Africa. METHODS South African data from the multisite community-based cluster-randomised trial PROMISE EBF promoting exclusive breastfeeding in three sub-Saharan countries from 2006 to 2008 were used. The South African sites were Paarl...

BACKGROUND The inverse association between socioeconomic position (SEP) and health has been extensively explored in Italy; however few studies have been carried out on the relationship between income inequalities and health status or health services utilisation, particularly at a local level.The objective of this study is to test the association between the demand for hospital care and a small ...

BACKGROUND A community-based health insurance scheme operated by the Self-Employed Women's Association in Gujarat, India reported that the leading reasons for inpatient hospitalisation claims by its members were diarrhoea, fever and hysterectomy - the latter at the average age of 37. This claims pattern raised concern regarding potentially unnecessary hospitalisation amongst low-income women. ...

BACKGROUND Acute respiratory infections are a leading cause of infectious disease-related morbidity, hospitalisation and mortality among children worldwide, and particularly in developing countries. In these low-income countries, most patients with acute respiratory infection (ARI), whether it is mild or severe, are still treated empirically. The aim of the study was to evaluate the risk factor...

BACKGROUND Exposure to air pollution in early life contributes to the burden of childhood asthma, but it is not clear whether long-term exposure to air pollution can lead to asthma onset or progression in adulthood. OBJECTIVES The authors studied the effect of exposure to traffic-related air pollution over 35 years on the risk for asthma hospitalisation in older people. METHODS 57 053 parti...

OBJECTIVE We report inequity in out-of-pocket payments (OOPP) for hospitalisation in India between 1995 and 2014 contrasting older population (60 years or more) with a population under 60 years (younger population). METHODS We used data from nationwide healthcare surveys conducted in India by the National Sample Survey Organisation in 1995-96, 2004 and 2014 with the sample sizes ranging from ...

BACKGROUND To investigate the associations of secondhand smoke (SHS) exposure with medical consultation and hospitalisation among adolescents in Hong Kong. METHODS A total of 35827 secondary 1 (US grade 7) to secondary 5 students from 85 randomly selected schools completed an anonymous questionnaire on smoking, SHS at home, SHS outside home, medical consultation in the past 14 days, hospitali...