PubMed · 11466821
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J Remes. 1997. [Chronic heart failure, an increasingly common problem].. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/11466821/
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Lung cancer is associated with smoking and age, both of which are associated with comorbidity. We evaluated the impact of comorbidity on lung cancer survival. Data on 56 comorbidities were abstracted from the records of a cohort of 1,155 patients. Survival effects were evaluated with Cox regression (outcome crude death). The adjusted R(2) statistic was used to compare the survival variation explained by predictive variables. No comorbidity was observed in 11.7% of patients, while 54.3% had 3 or more (mean 2.97) comorbidities. In multivariate analysis, 19 comorbidities were associated with survival: HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis, previous metastatic cancer, thyroid/glandular diseases, electrolyte imbalance, anemia, other blood diseases, dementia, neurologic disease, congestive heart failure, COPD, asthma, pulmonary fibrosis, liver disease, gastrointestinal bleeding, renal disease, connective tissue disease, osteoporosis and peripheral vascular disease. Only the latter was protective. Some of the hazards of comorbidities were explained by more directly acting comorbidities and/or receipt of treatment. Stage explained 25.4% of the survival variation. In addition to stage, the 19 comorbidities explained 6.1%, treatments 9.2%, age 3.7% and histology 1.3%. Thirteen uncommon comorbidities (prevalence <6%) affected 21.2% of patients and explained 3.5% of the survival variation. Comorbidity count and the Charlson index were significant predictors but explained only 2.5% and 2.0% of the survival variation, respectively. Comorbidity has a major impact on survival in early- and late-stage disease, and even infrequent deleterious comorbidities are important collectively. Comorbidity count and the Charlson index failed to capture much information. Clinical practice and trials need to consider the effect of comorbidity in lung cancer patients.
Parkinson's disease is a progressive neurological disorder characterized by rest tremor, bradykinesia, rigidity and postural instability. The cause is unknown, but growing evidence suggests that it may be due to a combination of environmental and genetic factors. Treatment during the early stage of Parkinson's disease has evolved, and evidence suggests that dopamine agonist monotherapy may prevent the response fluctuations that are associated with disease progression. L-dopa therapy, however, remains the most efficacious treatment. Treatment during the advanced stage focuses on improving control of a number of specific clinical problems. Successful management of motor response fluctuations (e.g., "wearing off," on-off fluctuations, nighttime deterioration, early morning deterioration and dyskinesias) and of psychiatric problems is often possible with specific treatment strategies. Surgical treatment is an option for a defined patient population.
OBJECTIVES: To evaluate a Framingham risk function for coronary heart disease in an elderly Australian cohort and to derive a risk function for cardiovascular disease (CVD) in elderly Australians. DESIGN AND SETTING: Analysis of data from a prospective cohort study (the Dubbo Study) in a semi-urban town (population, 34 000). PARTICIPANTS: 2805 men and women 60 years and older living in the community, first assessed in 1988, and a subcohort of 2102 free of CVD at study entry. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Incidence of CVD (myocardial infarction, coronary death or stroke) over 5 and 10 years. RESULTS: A Framingham risk function assessing "hard" coronary heart disease (ie, myocardial infarction or coronary death) accurately predicted 10-year incidence in men and women aged 60-79 years who were free of prevalent CVD or diabetes at study entry. In a multiple logistic model, CVD incidence was significantly predicted by age, sex, taking antihypertensive medication, blood pressure, smoking, total cholesterol level and diabetes. For a given age and cholesterol level, CVD risk over 5 years was doubled in the presence of antihypertensive medication or diabetes, increased by 50% with cigarette smoking, and halved in women compared with men. CONCLUSIONS: We have derived a simple CVD risk function specifically for elderly Australians that employs risk factors readily accessible to all medical practitioners.