Issue

Vol 125 No 1363: 12 October 2012

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Issue Summary

SUMMARY

Deaths due to differentiated thyroid cancer: a South Island, New Zealand experience: 1984–2009

Bevan Brownlie, John Turner, Al S Abdelaal

We assessed differentiated thyroid cancer (DTC) deaths from the northern half of New Zealands South Island by reviewing Christchurch Hospital Thyroid Clinic and Oncology Department clinical records of patients who died of differentiated thyroid cancer of follicular cell origin over the 25-year period 1984-2009. During the 25-year study period, 25 patients died from differentiated thyroid cancer. All patients (17 female, 8 male) were Caucasian, with average age 65 years (47-86 years) at presentation. The average survival from diagnosis was 5.5 years (0.2-22 years).

SUMMARY

Bariatric surgery makes dramatic difference to health-related quality of life

Briar McLeod, Grant Beban, Jill Sanderson, Ann McKillop, Andrew Jull

We aimed to explore the impact of bariatric surgery on health-related quality of life. Patients completed questionnaires at their first preoperative clinic and at their 6-month follow-up appointment after surgery. Twenty-three patients underwent laparoscopic Roux-en-Y gastric bypass and five underwent laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy. The patients were predominantly New Zealand European, female, with a body mass index greater than 40 kg/m2. Significant improvements in health-related quality of life were observed after surgery.

SUMMARY

Gout in women: differences in risk factors in young and older women

Sunil Kumar, Rajiv Gupta, Ravi Suppiah

Gout is a common medical problem in men and postmenopausal women. Its prevalence in the community is rising and we are seeing younger women presenting with gout. This study was to look at risk factors for gout in women and see if there was any difference in the risk factors between young and older women. It showed that women who develop gout are usually over the age of 50 years and tended to have several underlying medical conditions like, hypertension, obesity, kidney disease, diabetes and use diuretic medicines. Main difference between the two groups were that younger women who developed gout had higher body mass index (more obese) and were of M ori or Pacific ethnicity.

SUMMARY

The demographics and prevalence of youth (15–24 year olds) with type 1 diabetes in the Canterbury District Health Board catchment area in 2010: has the prevalence changed since 2003?

Balsam Obaid, Eileen Britt, Mark Wallace-Bell, Shelley Johnson-Elsmore

There was no significant increase in the prevalence of type 1 diabetes in youth in the Canterbury District Health Board catchment area between 2003 and 2010. However, due to the population increase, the absolute number of adolescents and young adults with type 1 diabetes have increased, which implies an increased demand on health care associated with diabetes compared to seven years ago.

SUMMARY

A decade of serious non-fatal assault in New Zealand

John Langley, Pauline Gulliver

We studied the distribution of, and trends in, the characteristics of serious non-fatal assault injury for the period 2000-2009. Males, 15-24 year olds, M ori, Pacific Islanders, and those from deprived neighbourhoods had significantly higher assault rates. There is a disturbing level of serious assault in New Zealand and the situation is getting worse. We need to review current efforts to prevent these incidents.

SUMMARY

Biosocial profile of New Zealand prosthetic eye wearers

Keith R Pine, Brian Sloan, Robert J Jacobs

This study sought to address the lack of information about prosthetic eye wearers in New Zealand. Based on figures from Northland we estimated that approximately 1 in every 1440 people wear artificial eyes in this country and that most eye loss was through accident. In the past 20 years, however, medical conditions have become the main cause of eye loss due to a decline in accidents. This decline is consistent with decreasing workplace and traffic accidents in the general population which is due to improved workplace safety standards, safer roads and better medical management. An additional finding of this study was that in spite of good healthcare provision, mucoid discharge is prevalent amongst prosthetic eye wearers in New Zealand. No standardised treatment exists for this distressing condition and we plan further research to establish an evidence-based protocol for its management.

SUMMARY

Undetected rheumatic heart disease revealed using portable echocardiography in a population of school students in Tairawhiti, New Zealand

Geoffrey Cramp, Mary Stonehouse, Rachel Webb, Diane Fuller, Gina Chaffey-Aupouri, Nigel Wilson

A school-based echocardiography scanning programme in 2009 in Tairawhiti (Gisborne and surrounding region) of nearly 700 school students showed that 1.61% of the students scanned had established rheumatic heart disease. Just over 1% had previously undetected rheumatic heart disease. The place of echocardiograph screening for Rheumatic Heart Disease is still to be established in New Zealand. However the current programmes of primary prevention by sore throat swabbing in schools in areas at high risk of rheumatic fever is advocated particularly in Tairawhiti where anyone aged between 5 and 45 years with a sore throat should be swabbed and treated for Group A streptococcus.

ALL ARTICLES
SUMMARY

Non-traumatic spontaneous spinal subdural haematoma

Nur A B Haji Mohd Yasin, Daniella Donato-Brown, Ahmad Taha

John Burd Carman

Deaths due to differentiated thyroid cancer: a South Island, New Zealand experience: 1984–2009

Bevan Brownlie, John Turner, Al S Abdelaal

University of Otago Faculty of Medicine: Postgraduate Scholarship in Obstetrics and Gynaecology

Bariatric surgery makes dramatic difference to health-related quality of life

Briar McLeod, Grant Beban, Jill Sanderson, Ann McKillop, Andrew Jull

Gout in women: differences in risk factors in young and older women

Sunil Kumar, Rajiv Gupta, Ravi Suppiah

Medical image. Persistent fever in ulcerative colitis

Pazhanivel Mohan, Rahul Anil Kothari, Krishnaveni Janarthanan

Premature failure of artificial joint components

Geoffrey Horne

Medical Benevolent Fund

Outcomes for differentiated thyroid cancer in New Zealand: comparison of South Island and Auckland data

James H F Shaw

Presidential Address: Quackery and chemists

The demographics and prevalence of youth (15–24 year olds) with type 1 diabetes in the Canterbury District Health Board catchment area in 2010: has the prevalence changed since 2003?

Balsam Obaid, Eileen Britt, Mark Wallace-Bell, Shelley Johnson-Elsmore

Right atrial mass--a venous thrombosis in transit.

Jonathan W Hinton, John Lainchbury, Ian Crozier

A decade of serious non-fatal assault in New Zealand

John Langley, Pauline Gulliver

Medical image. The malign face of atrial fibrillation

Suleyman Ercan, Adnan Dogan, Vedat Davutoglu, Gokhan Altunbas

Thomas Derisley (Derry) Stuart Seddon

Biosocial profile of New Zealand prosthetic eye wearers

Keith R Pine, Brian Sloan, Robert J Jacobs

Undetected rheumatic heart disease revealed using portable echocardiography in a population of school students in Tairawhiti, New Zealand

Geoffrey Cramp, Mary Stonehouse, Rachel Webb, Diane Fuller, Gina Chaffey-Aupouri, Nigel Wilson

SUMMARY

Deaths due to differentiated thyroid cancer: a South Island, New Zealand experience: 1984–2009

Bevan Brownlie, John Turner, Al S Abdelaal

We assessed differentiated thyroid cancer (DTC) deaths from the northern half of New Zealands South Island by reviewing Christchurch Hospital Thyroid Clinic and Oncology Department clinical records of patients who died of differentiated thyroid cancer of follicular cell origin over the 25-year period 1984-2009. During the 25-year study period, 25 patients died from differentiated thyroid cancer. All patients (17 female, 8 male) were Caucasian, with average age 65 years (47-86 years) at presentation. The average survival from diagnosis was 5.5 years (0.2-22 years).

SUMMARY

Bariatric surgery makes dramatic difference to health-related quality of life

Briar McLeod, Grant Beban, Jill Sanderson, Ann McKillop, Andrew Jull

We aimed to explore the impact of bariatric surgery on health-related quality of life. Patients completed questionnaires at their first preoperative clinic and at their 6-month follow-up appointment after surgery. Twenty-three patients underwent laparoscopic Roux-en-Y gastric bypass and five underwent laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy. The patients were predominantly New Zealand European, female, with a body mass index greater than 40 kg/m2. Significant improvements in health-related quality of life were observed after surgery.

SUMMARY

Gout in women: differences in risk factors in young and older women

Sunil Kumar, Rajiv Gupta, Ravi Suppiah

Gout is a common medical problem in men and postmenopausal women. Its prevalence in the community is rising and we are seeing younger women presenting with gout. This study was to look at risk factors for gout in women and see if there was any difference in the risk factors between young and older women. It showed that women who develop gout are usually over the age of 50 years and tended to have several underlying medical conditions like, hypertension, obesity, kidney disease, diabetes and use diuretic medicines. Main difference between the two groups were that younger women who developed gout had higher body mass index (more obese) and were of M ori or Pacific ethnicity.

SUMMARY

The demographics and prevalence of youth (15–24 year olds) with type 1 diabetes in the Canterbury District Health Board catchment area in 2010: has the prevalence changed since 2003?

Balsam Obaid, Eileen Britt, Mark Wallace-Bell, Shelley Johnson-Elsmore

There was no significant increase in the prevalence of type 1 diabetes in youth in the Canterbury District Health Board catchment area between 2003 and 2010. However, due to the population increase, the absolute number of adolescents and young adults with type 1 diabetes have increased, which implies an increased demand on health care associated with diabetes compared to seven years ago.

SUMMARY

A decade of serious non-fatal assault in New Zealand

John Langley, Pauline Gulliver

We studied the distribution of, and trends in, the characteristics of serious non-fatal assault injury for the period 2000-2009. Males, 15-24 year olds, M ori, Pacific Islanders, and those from deprived neighbourhoods had significantly higher assault rates. There is a disturbing level of serious assault in New Zealand and the situation is getting worse. We need to review current efforts to prevent these incidents.

SUMMARY

Biosocial profile of New Zealand prosthetic eye wearers

Keith R Pine, Brian Sloan, Robert J Jacobs

This study sought to address the lack of information about prosthetic eye wearers in New Zealand. Based on figures from Northland we estimated that approximately 1 in every 1440 people wear artificial eyes in this country and that most eye loss was through accident. In the past 20 years, however, medical conditions have become the main cause of eye loss due to a decline in accidents. This decline is consistent with decreasing workplace and traffic accidents in the general population which is due to improved workplace safety standards, safer roads and better medical management. An additional finding of this study was that in spite of good healthcare provision, mucoid discharge is prevalent amongst prosthetic eye wearers in New Zealand. No standardised treatment exists for this distressing condition and we plan further research to establish an evidence-based protocol for its management.

SUMMARY

Undetected rheumatic heart disease revealed using portable echocardiography in a population of school students in Tairawhiti, New Zealand

Geoffrey Cramp, Mary Stonehouse, Rachel Webb, Diane Fuller, Gina Chaffey-Aupouri, Nigel Wilson

A school-based echocardiography scanning programme in 2009 in Tairawhiti (Gisborne and surrounding region) of nearly 700 school students showed that 1.61% of the students scanned had established rheumatic heart disease. Just over 1% had previously undetected rheumatic heart disease. The place of echocardiograph screening for Rheumatic Heart Disease is still to be established in New Zealand. However the current programmes of primary prevention by sore throat swabbing in schools in areas at high risk of rheumatic fever is advocated particularly in Tairawhiti where anyone aged between 5 and 45 years with a sore throat should be swabbed and treated for Group A streptococcus.

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