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Biomedical subjects

A D Harries

Publications and source records attributed to A D Harries.

At least 163 records · Page 9Linked to original sources
PubMed1988

Malaria prophylaxis amongst British residents of Lilongwe and Kasungu districts, Malawi.

Questionnaires on various aspects of malaria prophylaxis were distributed to all British residents (adults and children) of Lilongwe and Kasungu districts, Malawi, and were completed and returned by 293 (response rate 89%). Almost all residents used some measures to reduce mosquito contact, and 96% used chemoprophylaxis. Eight different chemoprophylactic regimens were used. Proguanil, alone or with chloroquine, was the most popular agent despite being associated with mouth ulcers in 25% of residents. Residents on this regimen had in general obtained their advice from a British source, and 75% considered they were adequately informed on the subject. This regimen was the most effective in preventing malaria attacks in the previous 12 months, even though over half those on proguanil alone were taking an inadequate dose. Residents on other chemoprophylactic regimens in general obtained their advice elsewhere, considered they were inadequately informed, and had a higher incidence of malaria. Whatever the regimen, 27% of adult residents would discontinue prophylaxis prematurely on return to the United Kingdom. Results suggest that more needs to be done to provide regular, precise and up-to-date information on malaria prophylaxis to British residents in malaria endemic areas.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1988

Nutritional status in Malawian patients with pulmonary tuberculosis and response to chemotherapy.

Anthropometric measurements, hand-grip dynamometry and serum albumin determinations were performed on 122 (73 m, 49 f) Malawian patients, aged 16-68 years, who were consecutively admitted to the chest wards, Kamuzu Central Hospital, Lilongwe, with sputum-positive pulmonary tuberculosis. Nutritional findings were compared with those obtained in healthy age- and sex-matched controls, and were also related to clinical and radiographic features. All patients received chemotherapy under supervision in hospital for 8 weeks, and nutritional status was monitored at 4-week intervals. Weight, muscle mass and function, subcutaneous fat and serum albumin were all significantly reduced compared with controls (P less than 0.001), and the nutritional deficit increased with the extent of radiographic disease. With chemotherapy there was a significant improvement at 4 weeks, and again at 8 weeks, in all nutritional indices (P less than 0.05), and this occurred irrespective of clinical, radiographic and nutritional features which were observed on admission. The results indicate that pulmonary tuberculosis is associated with a high degree of undernutrition, but this improves with effective chemotherapy.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1986

Schistosomiasis in expatriates returning to Britain from the tropics: a controlled study.

Clinical features in 173 white expatriates returning to Britain with the sole diagnosis of schistosomiasis were compared with those in non-infected control subjects, matched for age and sex, returning from similar endemic areas. Infection was, with one exception, acquired in Africa. Schistosoma mansoni was found in 135 patients, S haematobium in 29, and mixed infection in 9. 79% of patients with S haematobium had symptoms, compared with 47% of patients with S mansoni. Tiredness, headache, and gastrointestinal disturbance were no more frequent in symptomatic patients than in control subjects. In over 50% of patients with schistosomiasis the diagnosis was established from snips of rectal mucosa, and this raises the question of how best to look for infection in those who have been exposed. Urine examination and schistosomal serology appear to be the best screening methods; patients with haematuria or seropositivity should be investigated further.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1986

Eosinophilia in Caucasians returning from the tropics.

A retrospective study was carried out on 119 Caucasians who were admitted to the Hospital for Tropical Diseases, London, for investigation of eosinophilia on return from the tropics. In 46 patients (38.7%) a definite parasitological diagnosis was made, and in all those followed up eosinophilia decreased with appropriate chemotherapy. In those patients where no cause for eosinophilia could be found, results suggest that empirical treatment with a broad spectrum anthelmintic agent may be justified in an attempt to produce a normal blood picture.

Adult↗
PubMed1986

Chloroquine-induced pruritus in Nigerian medical and nursing students.

Two hundred and fifty-one Nigerian medical and nursing students from the University of Maiduguri Teaching Hospital completed a questionnaire on chloroquine-induced pruritus. One hundred and thirty (51.8) students experienced itching, and in 71 the symptoms were so distressing that chloroquine was no longer used for treating febrile malarial episodes. Antihistamines taken before chloroquine or a change in the route of administration were helpful in preventing or a ameliorating symptoms in some of the students. Significantly more students with chloroquine-induced pruritus had parents or siblings similarly affected compared with students who did not get pruritus, and this supports the concept of a pharmacogenetic basis to the disorder.

Administration, Oral↗
PubMed1986

Urinary schistosomiasis in Maiduguri, north east Nigeria.

From January to December 1983, 12,207 specimens of urine were examined for ova of Schistosoma haematobium and 753 (6.17%) were positive. From this group, 44 adult patients were investigated for urinary tract abnormalities. Haematuria was the commonest presenting symptom (81.8%) followed by lower abdominal pain (77.3%) and dysuria (68.2%). Urinalysis revealed proteinuria in 55.5%, leucocyturia in 90.9% and microhaematuria in 88.6% of patients. Twenty-four hour protein excretion ranged from 230 mg to 2.2 g (mean 960 mg). Serum creatinine was raised in one patient (2.2 mg dl-1), Urological abnormalities included calcification of the bladder in 36.4%, ureteric strictures and dilatations in 65.9%, hydronephrosis in 9.1%, squamous cell carcinoma of the bladder in 4.5%, vesicle calculus in 2.3%, and multiple granulomatas in the bladder in 2.3% of the patients. The results of the study suggest that a sizeable population of this area is at risk of developing urological complications and consequently chronic renal insufficiency.

Adolescent↗