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D B Coultas

Publications and source records attributed to D B Coultas.

40 records · Page 3Linked to original sources

Clinical features of a population-based series of patients with lung cancer presenting with a solitary nodule.

We assessed survival in a population-based series of patients with lung cancer presenting with a solitary nodule. Using a population-based cancer registry, we identified 674 incident lung cancer cases in Bernalillo County, New Mexico, from 1977 to 1981. Both clinical information and chest roentgenograms were reviewed to identify 83 solitary nodule cases and 479 nonsolitary nodule cases. Chest roentgenograms were unavailable for 112. There were 83 patients with solitary nodules (55 men and 28 women), and adenocarcinoma was the predominant cell type. Overall, 5-yr survival was significantly greater for the patients with solitary nodules (24%) than for those with nonsolitary nodules (8%) (p less than 0.001). Of the 41 patients with solitary nodules who had surgery and Stage I disease, 49% lived 5 yr. In contrast, none of the 39 who did not have surgery lived longer than 2 yr. Our results imply that the varying survival described in previous series of patients with solitary nodules reflects different patient selection criteria.

Adult↗

Altitude and mortality from chronic obstructive lung disease in New Mexico.

This study tested the hypothesis that altitude increases mortality from chronic obstructive lung disease (COLD) in New Mexico. A death was attributed to COLD if it resulted from chronic bronchitis, emphysema, or chronic obstructive lung disease, according to the Eighth Revision International Classification of Diseases, Adapted for Use in the United States. New Mexico's average annual ethnic and sex-specific mortality rates from COLD were calculated using death certificate data for the period 1969 to 1977. Deaths were assigned to altitude groups according to the county of residence at the time of death. Mortality rates for whites exceeded nationwide rates at all altitudes. However, mortality rates showed no increase with altitude. In fact, mortality from COLD decreased significantly with altitude for non-Hispanic white (Anglo) males (P less than .02). Immigration of Anglos to the lower altitudes of New Mexico probably explains these results.

Altitude↗

Acculturation, education, and income as determinants of cigarette smoking in New Mexico Hispanics.

Surveys of cigarette smoking among Hispanics in the Southwest have shown a pattern of smoking distinct from that of non-Hispanic whites, but determinants of smoking by Hispanics remain inadequately characterized. We have assessed household income, education, and language preference as predictors of cigarette smoking in 1072 Hispanic adults residing in a community in New Mexico. Cigarette smoking status (never, former, or current smoker) varied strongly with educational attainment, showing the anticipated gradient of increasing smoking as level of education declined. In contrast, cigarette smoking status did not vary in a consistent pattern with reported language preference. A composite measure of socioeconomic status, combining education and household income, predicted continued smoking among ever smokers, whereas language preference had no effect. In males, the age at which subjects started to smoke increased significantly with increasing education; a similar trend in females did not reach statistical significance. Determinants of numbers of cigarettes smoked daily were not identified. The findings suggest that, as in other U.S. populations, Hispanics in the Southwest with lower education and less income should be targeted for smoking prevention and cessation.

Acculturation↗