PubMed Health⌕ Search

Biomedical subjects

E J Gray

Publications and source records attributed to E J Gray.

6 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1995

Prevalence and severity of childhood asthma and allergic sensitisation in seven climatic regions of New South Wales.

OBJECTIVE: To compare the prevalence and severity of asthma and of allergic sensitisation in children in different regions. We hypothesised that regions with different standardised hospital admission rates would have different prevalences of childhood asthma and that diverse climates would result in a range of sensitisations to different allergens. DESIGN AND SETTING: We studied large random population samples of children in seven regions in New South Wales (NSW) in 1991-1993. Hospitalisation rates were obtained from NSW Department of Health data. PARTICIPANTS: 6394 children aged 8-11 years. OUTCOME MEASURES: History of respiratory symptoms by self-administered questionnaire; airway hyperresponsiveness by histamine inhalation test; and sensitisation to allergens by skin-prick tests. RESULTS: Children in all regions had a high prevalence of recent wheeze (22%-27%), of diagnosed asthma (24%-38%) and of use of asthma medications (22%-30%), but no region was consistently higher or lower for all measurements. The prevalence of current asthma in children living in three coastal regions (where sensitisation to house-dust mites was high) and in the far west (where sensitisation to alternaria was high) was 12%-13%, which was significantly higher than the prevalence of 7%-10% in children living in three inland regions (where sensitisation to these allergens was lower) (P < 0.01). CONCLUSIONS: We found significant variations in the prevalence and severity of childhood asthma in NSW. The prevalence of hospitalisations, diagnosed asthma, recent symptoms and medication use may relate to different regional diagnostic patterns, whereas current asthma prevalence may relate to different levels of allergic sensitisation.

Asthma↗
PubMed1994

Differences in airway responsiveness between children and adults living in the same environment: an epidemiological study in two regions of New South Wales.

The aim of the present study was to compare the severity of asthma in children and adults living in the same home environments. In winter 1991 and 1992, we studied two large random samples of children living in two different regions; and, three months later, we conducted a study of adults who lived with enrolled children. A total of 805 children and 814 adults attended in Lismore, and 850 children and 711 adults in Wagga Wagga. Questionnaires were used to measure symptom history, histamine inhalation challenge to measure airway hyperresponsiveness (AHR) and skin-prick tests to measure allergy. There was a higher prevalence of asthma in children than in adults: recent wheeze was 1.5 times higher; asthma medication use was 1.5 times higher; diagnosed asthma was 1.6 times higher; and AHR was two times higher. Current asthma (AHR and recent wheeze) was 9.5-11.3% in children and 5.4-5.6% in adults. These differences were statistically significant. In both regions, airway responsiveness was more severe in children who were sensitized to common allergens than in similarly sensitized adults. These results suggests that airways can develop protective mechanisms with age, or that recent environmental changes in factors such as allergen levels, diet or treatment practices have led to immunological changes and to increased airway responsiveness in this generation of children.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1978

Efficacy of systemic heparinization in maintaining patency of the incised and cannulated brachial artery.

Alternate members of a group of 100 cardiac patients subjected to right and left heart catheterization studies and angiography received 5000 units of heparin intravenously prior to arterial cannulation. There was no instance of arterial occlusion among these 50 patients, while in 6 of the control group the incised brachial artery became occluded. No complications of heparinization were observed. It is recommended that, where no contra- indications exist, all patients subjected to brachial artery incision and cannulation receive systemic anticoagulation.

Adolescent↗