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Biomedical subjects

S R Benatar

Publications and source records attributed to S R Benatar.

At least 127 records · Page 7Linked to original sources
PubMed1983

Smoking in White high-school children in Cape Town.

A questionnaire was completed by 1716 White high-school children in Cape Town as part of an investigation into the smoking habits and respiratory symptoms in South African schoolchildren. Of the children surveyed 51% had never smoked, 28% claimed to be ex-smokers and 21% were smoking at the time of the survey. The average cigarette consumption by current smokers was 170 cigarettes per month, and 39% of smokers smoked more than 150 cigarettes per month; 71.3% admitted to inhaling. Peer influence was the single most important determinant of the smoking habit. Chronic cough and sputum production, symptoms suggesting asthma, dyspnoea on exertion, and a parental history of lung disease were all more common in ex-smokers and current smokers than in children who had never smoked.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1982

Subacute cor pulmonale in hypersensitivity pneumonitis. A case report.

A 37-year-old non-smoking woman exposed to avian antigens developed progressive respiratory symptoms over several months, culminating in cor pulmonale. Transient nodular shadowing was noted on the chest radiograph, and pulmonary function tests showed a predominantly obstructive pattern. Elimination of antigenic exposure and treatment with diuretics and subsequently corticosteroids resulted in marked but incomplete improvement.

Adult↗
PubMed1982

Tuberculosis in the 1980s, with particular reference to South Africa.

Tuberculosis is a major health problem in South Africa. More than 40 000 new cases are notified annually and there is good evidence that this represents only a proportion of all patients with active disease. Despite the fact that approximately R35 million is spent on tuberculosis control in South Africa each year. In the 1970s our death rate from this disease probably approximated that which pertained in the UK in the 1940s just before antituberculosis drugs came into general use. Current concepts in tuberculosis and its control are reviewed and the suggestion made that a specialized task force be set up to improve control measures in South Africa.

Black or African American↗
PubMed1982

Pulmonary fibrosis following long-term nitrofurantoin therapy.

Three patients who developed pulmonary fibrosis following prolonged treatment with nitrofurantoin for chronic urinary tract infections are presented. They had received the drug for 3--4 years; all gave histories of 2--3 years of progressive shortness of breath and an unproductive cough. On examination, all 3 patients had bilateral crackles and 1 had finger clubbing. Chest radiographs showed bilateral shadowing and lung function tests a restrictive defect with reduced gas transfer. Lung biopsies showed extensive fibrosis in 2 patients and advanced honeycomb formation in 1. The response to steroid therapy in 2 patients was excellent, with resolution of symptoms, clearing of the chest radiographs and improvement in lung function. It is proposed that nitrofurantoin has no place in the long-term treatment of chronic urinary tract infections and that its use in acute infections should be questioned.

Adult↗
PubMed1982

The effect of beta-blockers on ventilatory function in chronic bronchitis.

The effect of propranolol and atenolol on air-flow obstruction in patients with chronic bronchitis was evaluated by means of a double-blind, placebo-controlled cross-over trial. Fifteen patients with chronic bronchitis and mild air-flow obstruction, in whom there was no clinical suggestion of asthma, were studied. Two patients developed symptomatic increases in air-flow obstruction on propranolol and were withdrawn from the study. A symptomatically insignificant but statistically significant increase in air-flow obstruction was observed during treatment with both propranolol and atenolol.

Adult↗
PubMed1982

Use of the flexible fibreoptic bronchoscope in diagnosis of sputum-negative pulmonary tuberculosis.

In four years' use of the flexible fibreoptic bronchoscope in diagnosing sputum-negative pulmonary tuberculosis, of 275 patients with tuberculosis suspected from chest radiographic appearances, 89 (32.4%) were shown to have active disease. In 60 (67.4%) of these patients the diagnosis was made from samples obtained through the fibreoptic bronchoscope (56 from bronchial brushings, four from transbronchial biopsy samples). Of the 56 positive bronchial brushings, 35 were positive on direct smear and 21 only on culture. Transbronchial biopsy exclusively accounted for only four of the 60 positive diagnoses. In the remaining 29 patients, the diagnosis was made from further sputum or biopsy specimens in 15, from the response to treatment in 12, and at necropsy in two. In six of 10 patients with military tuberculosis, bronchial brushings were positive on direct smear.

Biopsy↗
PubMed1981

Fibre-optic bronchoscopy. Experience at Groote Schuur Hospital.

The 4-year experience with flexible fibre-optic bronchoscopy at Groote Schuur Hospital is presented. A total of 809 patients were bronchoscoped, follow-up data on 705 being available. The procedure was performed for a wide variety of indications, suspected malignant disease and tuberculosis being the two most common. The diagnostic rate in these conditions was 74% and 71% respectively. Other indications included the evaluation of diffuse pulmonary lesions, shadows on the chest radiographs in immunocompromised patients, use in the intensive care unit, investigation of haemoptysis with a normal chest radiograph, inspection of the airway, bronchography and clearance of secretions.

Biopsy↗
PubMed1981

Anaesthesia for the asthmatic.

Acute attacks of asthma developing during induction of anaesthesia or intra-operatively are greatly feared by anaesthetists, because of the severity of these attacks when they do occur. All patients with asthma should receive optimal therapy aimed at producing maximal reversal of airways obstruction before being submitted to anaesthesia and surgery. Intubation under light anaesthesia without prior local analgesia of the upper airways is undoubtedly the greatest danger for the asthmatic patient and should be avoided at all costs. An understanding of the principles underlying the assessment and management of asthma is important for the anaesthetist, not only for the safe conduct of anaesthesia but also because he will frequently need to give advice on such aspects in the pre- and postoperative periods.

Airway Obstruction↗
PubMed1981

Surgical treatment of bullous lung disease.

Clear guidelines for the selection of patients with large pulmonary bullae and severely impaired lung function for surgery remain to be defined. Twenty-one such patients operated on between 1971 and 1977 are reviewed in an attempt to shed some light on this difficult problem. Four of six patients with preoperative hypercapnia survived and were improved by surgery. There was no mortality among the remaining 15 patients of whom 14 were improved symptomatically by surgery (with improvement in FEV1 and vital capacity in 9). Preoperative bronchograms were used to help identify patients suitable for surgery. The presence of bronchiectasis was predictive of postoperative complications. Better results were obtained in those patients in whom plication of bullectomy could be performed than in those requiring lobectomy.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1980

Disseminated tuberculosis. A study of 62 cases.

Sixty-two cases of disseminated tuberculosis seen over a 6-year period in a large teaching hospital are reviewed. The commonest symptoms were cough, loss of weight and appetite, fever and general malaise. Headache, when present, was highly specific for meningeal involvement. Pyrexia, hepatomegaly, evidence of weight loss and adventitious chest sounds were the commonest physical signs. Hyponatraemia, hypo-albuminaemia and abnormal liver function were common. Severe haematological abnormalities were not present in any of the patients. The best diagnostic sources were sputum, bronchial brushings and biopsies of liver and bone marrow. Forty patients (64%) died, 31 deaths being directly attributable to disseminated tuberculosis. Twenty-five patients had associated diseases. More female patients and Black patients died than did males, Whites or Coloureds (mixed race). The duration of symptoms prior to admission was, in general, long in comparison with the interval between admission and death. We should like to re-emphasize the need to consider disseminated tuberculosis early in the differential diagnosis of a wasting pyrexial illness with chest symptoms and signs, even in the absence of a miliary or miliary-like chest radiograph.

Adult↗
PubMed1980

Aspergillus hypersensitivity in asthmatics in Cape Town.

An analysis of skin prick reactions in 500 consecutive patients referred for investigation and management of asthma showed that 240 patients had multiple positive reactions. Of these patients 46% had positive reactions to Aspergillus and they differed from patients with multiple positive reactions excluding Aspergillus by having onset of asthma at a younger age and being more atopic. Precipitins to Aspergillus were present in the serum of twenty-six of seventy-one consecutive patients in whom these were looked for. Thirteen of the patients with positive precipitins had chest radiograph shadows compatible with allergic bronchopulmonary aspergillosis (ABPA) and in eight of these there was sufficient evidence to make a diagnosis of ABPA. These results were obtained in a region where ABPA had never been previously recognized and they highlight the importance of routine skin prick testing with Aspergillus antigen and of awareness of ABPA in making this diagnosis.

Adult↗
PubMed1980

Allergic bronchopulmonary stemphyliosis.

A patient is described in whom a clinical picture resembling allergic bronchopulmonary aspergillosis was found to be caused by hypersensitivity to the fungus Stemphylium lanuginosum. Bronchopulmonary reactions to antigens other than Aspergillus may be more frequent than is currently believed.

Adult↗