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Biomedical subjects

F Albers

Publications and source records attributed to F Albers.

6 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2004

[Cost-of-illness Study for the Treatment of COPD in Germany].

The present cost-of-illness study is focused on the costs of COPD in Germany. In a pre-study, data on 814 randomly selected patients were collected to achieve reliable figures for the distribution of COPD severity grades and the frequencies of exacerbations. The main study was performed on 321 randomly selected patients from the pre-study. Data on resource use were collected in a face-to-face interview with the respective physicians using the patient records as a basis. Costs associated with resource consumption were weighted with the frequencies of COPD severity grades as assessed in the pre-study to determine the costs of COPD. Annual COPD-related costs per patient were 3,027 from the societal perspective. Main cost components were hospitalisations (26 %), medication (23 %) and early retirement (17 %). Annual COPD-related costs from the perspective of the German health insurance system (GKV) were 1,944 euros per patient.

Cost of Illness↗
PubMed1998

Survival in renal vascular disease.

Renal artery stenosis (RAS) is a relatively uncommon but important potentially reversible cause of renal failure. Little is known about the natural history of ischemic renal disease secondary to RAS. In previous reports, these researchers examined the incidence and risk factors associated with RAS. The study presented here investigates the long-term follow-up of these patients, specifically the effect of RAS on 4-yr, all-cause mortality in a group of 1235 patients undergoing diagnostic cardiac catheterization and abdominal aortography. A total of 1235 consecutive patients undergoing cardiac catheterization also underwent an abdominal flush aortogram. Significant RAS was considered present if one or more renal artery had 50% or greater narrowing in luminal diameter. Four-year unadjusted survival for patients with RAS was 65% compared with 86% for patients undergoing catheterization without significant RAS. Factors associated with decreased 4-yr survival included increased age, increased serum creatinine, presence of RAS, peripheral vascular disease, congestive heart failure, diabetes, hypertension, and reduced ejection fraction. Using the Cox proportional hazards model, the factors associated with decreased 4-yr survival were the presence of significant RAS, reduced ejection fraction, elevated serum creatinine, and symptoms of congestive heart failure. These observations indicate that the presence of significant RAS is a strong independent predictor of 4-yr survival in this patient population.

Age Distribution↗
PubMed1995

Clinical and pathologic features of familial focal segmental glomerulosclerosis.

The occurrence of focal segmental glomerulosclerosis (FSGS) in a familial pattern has been rarely reported previously. Over the last 10 years we have treated 31 patients among eight families with familial FSGS. The diagnosis was confirmed by renal biopsy in 18 cases, and each family had at least two members in whom the diagnosis was confirmed histologically. Both males and females were affected, as were both blacks and whites. The mean age at presentation was 28 years, with a range of 8 to 56 years. The mean serum creatinine at presentation was 3.7 mg/dL. Twenty-five of the 31 patients progressed to end-stage renal disease; and treatment with prednisone did not appear to retard the progression to end-stage renal disease. Seven patients received a cadaveric renal transplant and none of them showed evidence of recurrence of disease in the graft. The pattern of inheritance in two families appeared to be autosomal dominant; in the other families the pattern of inheritance was less clear and may have been autosomal recessive, although a familial exposure to an unidentified environmental toxin cannot be excluded. Histologic examination of the renal tissue revealed a variety of changes previously described as occurring in FSGS. We conclude that FSGS may occur in a familial pattern that carries a poor prognosis. Further studies of these families may shed light on the pathogenesis of sporadic FSGS.

Adolescent↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Cochlear blood flow in endolymphatic hydrops.

There is no animal model for Meniere's disease but by obliteration of the endolymphatic duct, endolymphatic hydrops may be achieved in several animal species. In order to measure the cochlear blood flow in ears with endolymphatic hydrops the endolymphatic duct was obliterated in 9 guinea pigs. The blood flow was measured with the microsphere method and the cochlear histology was studied. The regional and total blood flow was determined in the serially sectioned cochleas 2, 4 and 8 months after obliteration of the endolymphatic duct. No change in regional or total cochlear blood flow was observed in the hydropic ears.

Animals↗