PubMed · 10299336
The source did not provide an abstract. Follow the original record for more information.
Explore connections, maps & timelines
1983-11-21. Perspectives. Does AHCCCS spell access?. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/10299336/
Cite the original work for its findings. Save a collection to share your selection of sources.
KEEP EXPLORING
Coccidioidomycosis is a systemic infection caused by inhalation of airborne spores from Coccidioides immitis, a fungus found in soil in the southwestern United States and in parts of Mexico and Central and South America. Infection occurs usually following activities or natural events that disrupt the soil, resulting in aerosolization of the fungal arthrospores. Clinical manifestations occur in 40% of infected persons and range from an influenza-like illness (ILI) to severe pneumonia and, rarely, extrapulmonary disseminated disease. Persons at higher risk for disseminated disease include blacks, Filipinos, pregnant women in their third trimester, and immunocompromised persons. During 2001, the Arizona Department of Health Services (ADHS) reported a coccidioidomycosis incidence of 43 cases per 100,000 population, representing an increase of 186% since 1995. To characterize this increase, CDC analyzed data from the National Electronic Telecommunications System for Surveillance (NETSS) and the Arizona Hospital Discharge Database (AHDD), and environmental and climatic data, and conducted a cohort study of a random sample of patients with coccidioidomycosis. This report summarizes the findings of this investigation, which indicate that the recent Arizona coccidioidomycosis epidemic is attributed to seasonal peaks in incidence that probably are related to climate. Healthcare providers in Arizona should be aware that peak periods of coccidioidomycosis incidence occur during the winter and should consider testing patients with ILI.
Valley fever (coccidioidomycosis) is a disease endemic to arid regions within the Western Hemisphere, and is caused by a soil-dwelling fungus, Coccidioides immitis. Incidence data for Pima County, reported to the Arizona Department of Health Services as new cases of valley fever, were used to conduct exploratory analyses and develop monthly multivariate models of relationships between valley fever incidence and climate conditions and variability in Pima County, Arizona, USA. Bivariate and compositing analyses conducted during the exploratory portion of the study revealed that antecedent temperature and precipitation in different seasons are important predictors of incidence. These results were used in the selection of candidate variables for multivariate predictive modeling, which was designed to predict deviation from mean incidence on the basis of past, current, and forecast climate conditions. The models were specified using a backward stepwise procedure, and were most sensitive to key predictor variables in the winter season and variables that were time-lagged 1 year or more prior to the month being predicted. Model accuracy was generally moderate ( r(2) values for the monthly models, tested on independent data, ranged from 0.15 to 0.50), and months with high incidence can be predicted more accurately than months with low incidence.
Explore the source record for details and available documents.