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Biomedical subjects

R Roberge

Publications and source records attributed to R Roberge.

13 recordsLinked to original sources

The Health Utility Index: measuring health differences in Ontario by socioeconomic status.

The positive relationship between socioeconomic status (SES) and longevity has long been established. Comparable evidence exists for SES and morbidity, but observations of this relationship tend to be limited to specific health indicators. In this article, a comprehensive quantitative measure of health status, the Health Utility Index (HUI), is applied to an analysis of the relationship between SES and the health status of people aged 25 and over in Ontario. The HUI, based on a set of questions included in the 1990 Ontario Health Survey (OHS), provides a summary index of the health of each respondent. The OHS data show that lower levels of education, income, and occupation are associated with lower HUI values. Health status differences across SES groups are greater in late middle-age than at younger or older ages, a pattern consistent with the findings of other studies. The development of summary indicators like the HUI is part of a larger effort to construct measures for monitoring the health of Canadians.

Adult↗

Termination of paroxysmal supraventricular tachycardia by digital rectal massage.

A 71-year-old woman with an episode of paroxysmal supraventricular tachycardia (PSVT) complicated by angina pectoris and hypotension had her arrhythmia abruptly terminated by digital rectal massage (DRM) after other vagotonic maneuvers had failed. DRM termination of PSVT has not been heretofore reported. In treating PSVT by physical vagotonic maneuvers, DRM may be preferable to other techniques because of the decreased likelihood of complications noted with other such maneuvers.

Aged↗

Myalgia cruris epidemica (benign acute childhood myositis) associated with a Mycoplasma pneumonia infection.

We report the case of a 6-year-old boy who presented with difficulty ambulating and an elevated creatinine phosphokinase level following an upper respiratory tract infection. Crural myositis was diagnosed; convalescent serum was negative for viruses, but demonstrated significant titers to Mycoplasma pneumoniae. Benign acute crural myositis has not heretofore been associated with Mycoplasmal infection.

Acute Disease↗

Hypoglycemic hemiplegic syndrome.

Hypoglycemia must be considered in any patient with an acute change of mental status or in a patient who shows a focal neurological deficit. Treatment with high IV glucose concentrations can save the patient from grave irreversible neurological sequelae and death.

Female↗