Biomedical subjects

Watchara Boonsawat

Publications and source records attributed to Watchara Boonsawat.

6 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed2005

Prevalence of gastroesophageal reflux symptoms in asthma patients at Srinagarind Hospital.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the prevalence of gastroesophageal reflux symptoms in asthma patients at Srinagarind Hospital and compare them with a non-asthmatic control group. MATERIAL AND METHOD: A prospective study consisted of 151 asthma patients at the outpatient asthma clinic Srinagarind Hospital and 147 non-asthmatic patients as the control group. The study group and the control group were interviewed with questionnaire. RESULTS: Among the asthmatics, 26.5%, 30.5% and 12.6% experienced heartburn, regurgitation and both symptoms, respectively. While in the control group, 15.6%, 26.5% and 10.2% experienced heartburn, regurgitation and both symptoms. CONCLUSION: The present study showed the prevalence of gastroesophageal reflux symptoms in asthmatic Thai patients and the control group to be 57% and 42.1%. Asthmatic patients had a greater prevalence than the control group but there was no statistically significant difference.

Adult↗

PubMed2005

HIV-associated primary pulmonary hypertension: a first case report in Thailand and literature review.

A 32-year-old woman had asymptomatic HIV infection diagnosed with primary pulmonary hypertension simultaneously. She presented after a three-month rapid progression of symptoms and hemodynamic change. Physical examination and laboratory findings were compatible with pulmonary hypertension. No sensible cause could be found for the pulmonary hypertension except the HIV seropositivity; therefore, HIV-associated primary pulmonary hypertension was diagnosed. She was treated with diltiazem and oral anti-coagulation. After four months, her functional status improved from a NYHA functional class of II to I and improved in right venticular function. Since HIV is epidemic, the authors recommend HIV testing in cases of primary pulmonary hypertension.

Adult↗

PubMed2004

Survey of asthma control in Thailand.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of the study was to determine whether asthma management in Thailand is succeeding in achieving the levels of control, specified in national and international asthma guidelines. METHODOLOGY: Adults with asthma in Bangkok, Chiang Mai, Songkhla, and Khon Kaen were interviewed, and we have reported on their asthma severity, morbidity, control, perception of asthma, and healthcare use. RESULTS: A total of 466 asthma sufferers were interviewed. The burden of asthma was high, with 14.8% of respondents being hospitalized for their asthma in the past year. One-quarter of those surveyed had lost workdays as a result of their asthma, and most patients felt that their lifestyle was limited. The majority of respondents had intermittent asthma (62.9%), 10.5% had mild persistent asthma, 17.6% had moderate persistent asthma, and 9.0% had severe persistent asthma; increasing severity was significantly associated with increased emergency healthcare use (P < 0.00001). Asthma sufferers greatly underestimated the severity of their condition. Only 36.0% used reliever medication, and use of inhaled corticosteroids was low at 6.7%. Understanding of the inflammatory basis of asthma was poor. Few patients underwent lung function tests or took peak flow meter readings. CONCLUSIONS: The burden of asthma is high in Thailand, and guidelines are not being followed. Encouraging greater use of inhaled corticosteroids will be an important step towards improving asthma control.

Adult↗

PubMed2004

Diagnostic yield of adenosine deaminase in bronchoalveolar lavage.

Adenosine deaminase (ADA) activity rises in various body fluids in patients with tuberculosis. A prospective study was conducted to determine the diagnostic value of ADA activity in bronchoalveolar lavage. Between March 2001 and February 2003, 148 patients were enrolled in our study, mean age 55.6 years (SD 14.6), and a male to female ratio of 2.4:1. The mean duration of symptoms was 66.2 days. All patients were either sputum-smear negative for AFB or failed to produce sputum. The final diagnosis resulted in three patient groups: 43 with pulmonary tuberculosis, 70 malignancy, and 35 miscellaneous causes. The mean ADA activity in the bronchoalveolar lavage for the pulmonary tuberculosis, malignancy, and miscellaneous causes groups was 8.98 (95% CI, 3.79-14.17), 7.63 (95% CI, 4.12-11.14), and 11.61 U/l (95% CI, 3.59-19.62), respectively. No difference was detected in the ADA level in the pulmonary tuberculosis vs other groups (p=0.56, one-way ANOVA). A high level of ADA activity was found in non-tuberculous conditions such as bronchogenic carcinoma, pulmonary hemosiderosis, chronic pneumonia with empyema thoracis and chronic myeloid leukemia. We concluded that ADA activity in the bronchoalveolar lavage was not clearly diagnostic of smear-negative pulmonary tuberculosis. Early diagnosis required histopathology of biopsied transbronchial specimens obtained by fiberoptic bronchoscopy.

Adenosine Deaminase↗

PubMed2003

Comparison of high-resolution computed tomography with pulmonary function testing in symptomatic smokers.

PURPOSE: To compare high-resolution computed tomography (HRCT) of lungs with pulmonary function in smokers diagnosed with emphysema. MATERIAL AND METHOD: The authors retrospectively reviewed 17 patients with a history of smoking and dyspnea, who underwent HRCT of the lungs and pulmonary function testing. HRCT scores were determined and compared to pulmonary function (FEV1, FEV1/FVC, and DLCO). RESULTS: The HRCT of all 17 patients (17/17; 100%) were typical of centrilobular emphysema; with a mean score of 12.88+/-9.18 (range, 4 to 34). Decreased FEV1 (<80% predicted) was found in 8 patients (47%), decreased FEV1/FVC (<70% predicted) in 13 patients (76%) and decreased DLCO (<80% predicted) in 3 patients (18%). The severity of emphysema revealed by HRCT was inversely correlated with the pulmonary function test: DLCO (r=-0.842, p=0.000) and FEV1 (r=-0.597, p= 0.011), but not FEV1/FVC (r=-0.400, p=0.112). CONCLUSION: HRCT allows detection of emphysema in symptomatic smokers even when pulmonary function appears to be normal. The greater the involvement of emphysema revealed by the HRCT, the poorer the pulmonary function. The authors, therefore, conclude that HRCT is the most sensitive modality for diagnosing early emphysema in smokers with dyspnea.

Adult↗

PubMed2002

Bronchial adenoma presenting with chronic asthma and obstructive pneumonia: a case report.

A rare case of primary pulmonary neoplasm is reported. The patient was a 38-year-old woman presenting with obstructive pneumonia. Fiberoptic bronchoscopy revealed an endobronchial mass obstructing the left main bronchus: a reddish polypoid mass which bled on contract that was suggestive of bronchial adenoma. The patient also had a long-standing history of bronchial asthma and hemoptysis and the delay in establishing the eventured diagnosis was caused by the minor symptoms mimicking those of asthma. A persistent restrictive lung and the presentation of obstructive pneumonia were important clues which warranted further investigation by computed tomography (CT) scan and bronchoscopy. The patient underwent rigid bronchoscopy with CO2-laser ablation under general anesthesia. Histopathology confirmed a bronchial adenoma. The clinical response was excellent. Bronchial adenoma should be considered in young patients presenting with asthma, hemoptysis and obstructive pneumonia. Bronchoscopic CO2-laser ablation is an effective treatment and provides an alternative to aggressive thoracotomy.

Adenoma↗