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Biomedical subjects

H Bedford

Publications and source records attributed to H Bedford.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2001

Meningitis in infancy in England and Wales: follow up at age 5 years.

OBJECTIVE: To describe important sequelae occurring among a cohort of children aged 5 years who had had meningitis during the first year of life and who had been identified by a prospective national study of meningitis in infancy in England and Wales between 1985 and 1987. DESIGN: Follow up questionnaires asking about the children's health and development were sent to general practitioners and parents of the children and to parents of matched controls. The organism that caused the infection and age at infection were also recorded. SETTING: England and Wales. PARTICIPANTS: General practitioners and parents of children who had had meningitis before the age of 1 year and of matched controls. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: The prevalence of health and developmental problems and overall disability among children who had had meningitis compared with controls. RESULTS: Altogether, 1584 of 1717 (92.2%) children who had had meningitis and 1391 of 1485 (93.6%) controls were successfully followed up. Among children who survived to age 5 years 247 of 1584 (15.6%) had a disability; there was a 10-fold increase in the risk of severe or moderate disability at 5 years of age among children who had had meningitis (relative risk 10.3, 95% confidence interval 6.7 to 16.0, P<0.001). There was considerable variation in the rates of severe or moderate disability in children infected with different organisms. CONCLUSION: The long term consequences of having meningitis during the first year of life are significant: 32 of 1717 (1.8%) children died within five years. Not only did almost a fifth of children with meningitis have a permanent, severe or moderately severe disability, but subtle deficits were also more prevalent.

Age Factors↗
PubMed2000

"They should have them all over the place": a health program for children of illicit drug users.

A peer-based support and advocacy group for illicit drug users in collaboration with a community nurse developed an innovative program for the children of users. The program provides well-baby checks, immunization monitoring, parenting advice, monitoring of children's safety, a free lunch and education about nutrition, as well as activities for the children and mothers. In addition, it allows mothers to have time out in a friendly, relaxed, safe, and nonjudgmental environment. The program has been running for more than 7 years, costs little, and gives a hard-to-reach population access to valuable health care.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1999

Bacterial meningitis in the newborn: a prospective study of mortality and morbidity.

Neonatal bacterial meningitis is a serious disease around the world, with the incidence changing little in the past 30 years. Group B streptococci, Escherichia coli, and Klebsiella pneumoniae are common causative organisms and lumbar puncture remains the definitive method of diagnosis. The mortality rate has declined in industrialized countries over the years, from almost 50% in the 1970s to less than 10% in 1997. However, neurological sequelae are still frequently observed despite major changes in treatment. Preliminary analysis of our own data from a prospective study of cases in the United Kingdom suggests that treatment with third generation cephalosporins is related to a decrease in mortality but not morbidity.

Cephalosporins↗
PubMed1993

Immunisation. Facts and fiction.

Immunisation is widely acknowledged to be one of the most effective public health interventions of this century. Very few parents positively refuse immunisation for their child, but their objections are fuelled by national media and professional journal coverage of the counter arguments. Helen Bedford reviews the case for immunisation. Health professionals need to be able to discuss the issues from an informed, balanced base if they are to advise those parents who believe it is of no benefit and may even harm their child, she writes.

Child Welfare↗