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Inge Axelsson

Publications and source records attributed to Inge Axelsson.

8 recordsLinked to original sources

[A Cochrane review on the umbilical cord care and prevention of infections. Antiseptic solutions are not necessary in developed countries but life-saving in developing countries].

One million newborn infants die every year by bacterial infections, which often have entered the body via the umbilicus. A Cochrane systematic review on "Topical umbilical cord care at birth" by J Zupan and P Garner is reviewed. Zupan and Garner conclude that simply to keep the umbilical cord dry and clean is sufficient for healthy, term neonates in rich countries; disinfectants do not offer any advantage. However, cleaning the umbilical cord with disinfectants may reduce the risk of serious bacterial infections in babies in poor countries or in neonatal wards. Observational studies in poor countries indicate that the life of numerous infants can be saved if pregnant women are vaccinated against tetanus and disinfectants are substituted for harmful cord care traditions. This Cochrane review is credible, but it should be updated and considered tentative since no data on sepsis are included. The search strategy should be better described and observational studies (case control and cohort studies) from poor countries should be included since there are no randomized control trials from these countries.

Anti-Infective Agents, Local↗

Upper respiratory tract infections in general practice: diagnosis, antibiotic prescribing, duration of symptoms and use of diagnostic tests.

A diagnosis/antibiotic prescribing study was performed in 5 counties in Sweden for 1 week in November 2000. As part of this study, the characteristics and clinical management of patients with upper respiratory tract infections (n = 2899) in primary care were analyzed. Almost half of the patients were aged < 15 y and one-fifth of the patients consulted out of hours. Of all patients seeking primary care for upper respiratory tract infections, 56.0% were prescribed an antibiotic. Almost all patients who were given the diagnoses streptococcal tonsillitis, acute otitis media or acute sinusitis were prescribed antibiotics, compared to 10% of patients with common cold or acute pharyngitis. The most frequently prescribed antibiotic was penicillin V (79.2%) and this was even more pronounced out of hours, when the diagnoses otitis media and streptococcal tonsillitis were more frequently used. In patients with common cold and acute pharyngitis, the percentage who received antibiotics increased with increasing length of symptoms and increasing CRP levels. In patients with acute pharyngitis or streptococcal tonsillitis, antibiotics were prescribed less frequently provided streptococcal tests were performed. The management of patients with upper respiratory tract infections in general practice seems to be in good agreement with current Swedish guidelines. However, the study indicates some areas for improvement. The diagnosis of acute sinusitis seems to have been overestimated and used only to justify antibiotic treatment.

Acute Disease↗