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Biomedical subjects

Pierre Bégué

Publications and source records attributed to Pierre Bégué.

2 recordsLinked to original sources

[What vaccination has brought].

The vaccines have improved obviously and constantly the struggle against infectious diseases. When the immunisations have been well applied some diseases fell down dramatically: i.e. diphtheria, poliomyelitis and smallpox which was eradicated. Actually some efficacious vaccines as measles or rubella vaccines could eliminate the diseases. Nevertheless in many developed countries the immunisation coverage is not properly reached and the diseases are always circulating, with a shift of age towards adults, with more severe diseases or new epidemiology (i.e. pertussis). However measles have been eliminated from some countries as Finland, Sweden, United States. The adverse events of vaccines are nowadays enhanced and discourage immunisation among some doctors or patients. The benefit-risk ratio has to be made very clear to avoid a lack or a denial of immunisation after false fears about risk of some vaccines. An improvement of surveillance and of correct information is highly required.

Communicable Diseases↗

[Sickle cell disease in childhood in 2004].

Sickle cell disease is a genetic autosomal recessive disease of hemoglobin. The disease results from a mutation of the sixth codon of the beta-globin gene, which induces the synthesis of an abnormal hemoglobin called hemoglobin S (HbS). The polymerisation of deoxy HbS molecules causes a chronic hemolytic anemia and vaso-occlusive phenomena. The disease affects mainly people from West Indies and Sub Saharan Africa. Due to recent movements of these populations over the past years, sickle cell disease has spread across all continents. Painful crises, severe infections such as septicemia, meningitis, osteomyelytis, acute anemia episodes, and severe vaso-occlusive events, mainly neurological, are the most frequent complications affecting children. Recent progresses in the care of patients have deeply modified the prognosis. The mean life expectancy of patients is now above 40 years. The conventional treatment includes antibiotics and immunizations, analgesics, and blood transfusion. The effects of chronic blood transfusion, hydroxyurea and bone marrow transplantation are the subject of current comparative evaluations.

Adolescent↗