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Biomedical subjects

A M Teixeira

Publications and source records attributed to A M Teixeira.

23 records · Page 2Linked to original sources
PubMed1987

Infant mortality in southern Brazil: a population based study of causes of death.

The causes of 215 infant deaths occurring in a population based cohort of 5914 infants from southern Brazil were determined. Perinatal problems were responsible for 43% of these deaths and infectious diseases for 32%. In the group who died of infectious diseases, respiratory infections and diarrhoea were equally important, each accounting for 12% of all deaths. A total of 87% of the deaths occurred in the first six months of life, and this proportion remained high (77%) even after perinatal causes had been excluded. On the other hand, 53% of the infants who died were of low birth weight, as opposed to 7.9% of the survivors. This suggests that low birthweight infants need to be carefully followed by health workers at primary level, especially during the first six months. It was estimated that if the incidence of low birth weight was reduced from the present 8.8% to 5% the likely reduction in infant mortality would be 20%. This reduction would be 33% for deaths due to perinatal causes, 14% for respiratory infections, and only 5% for diarrhoea. Efforts for the prevention of infant deaths in southern Brazil are more likely to be effective if they concentrate on improving perinatal health care and environmental conditions.

Age Factors↗
PubMedDate not supplied

[Prescription of herbal teas for children under six months of age: the opinion of physicians from a middle size city in Southern Brazil].

A cross sectional study survey was carried out among physicians who work at children's clinics in Pelotas. The doctors were interviewed by medical students about the prescription of tea for children under six months, risk factors and breastfeeding. About half of the interviewed physicians prescribed tea. The main reasons for that were: intestinal colic (35%), diet supplementation (21%), and oral rehydration (18%). The relationship between tea and diarrhoea, tea and malnutrition, tea and weanning was acknowledged by 19%, 47% and 83% of them, respectively. These association remained significant (p<0.05) even after adjustments were allowed for graduation time and pos-graduation courses. The conclusion is that some common aspects of children's diet are not well managed by most of these doctors.

English Abstract↗
PubMedDate not supplied

[Neonatal tetanus]

OBJECTIVE: Neonatal tetanus is an infection with high mortality, constituting a problem in underdeveloped countries, where there is faulty prenatal attendance. In spite of this and of the decreasing incidence of the disease in the state of Rio Grande do Sul, we report a case of neonatal tetanus identified in 1997. METHOD: We interviewed the infantacute;s mother and verified her vaccination history. We conducted a clinical examination of the newborn, anaerobic culture of umbilical stump and review of medical records. We also reviewed the literature and verified the epidemic profile of neonatal tetanus in Rio Grande do Sul.RESULTS: Healthy mother, with complete outline of tetanus vaccination 4 years ago, prenatal uncomplicated and hospital delivery. Family of good socioeconomic level, differing from the other cases notified in the State, in that most did not have prenatal care nor hospital delivery. The patient is a boy. In the 24th day of life he presented fever, cyanosis, lower and upper limbs muscle hypertonia and opisthotonos episodes. An anaerobic culture of the umbilical stump grew Clostridium tetani. He was treated with penicillin G, gentamicin, sedation and tetanus immunoglobulin. He left hospital in good conditions.CONCLUSIONS: Faulty prenatal care in underdeveloped countries is the largest risk factor for high incidence of this disease in these areas. However, in pregnant women with good socioeconomic level and prenatal care, as in the case described here, this diagnosis should not be excluded if there are suggestive signs of it.

Journal Article↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Chagas' achalasia treated by a jejunal interposed segment.

Resection of the achalasic area and replacement by a segment of jejunal loop, associated with vagotomy and pyloroplasty, has been performed in 21 patients. The majority of these patients had Chagas' disease, with a dilated esophagus wider than 7 cm. This surgical procedure offered symptomatic relief in 20 of our 21 cases. One patient died, but the death was not necessarily related to the operation. Although disphagia and regurgitation did not disappear entirely in all cases the decrease in severity of these symptoms was such to allow the few symptomatic patients to lead an entirely normal life after the operation.

Adult↗