Search results

Search:
in the keywords: Clinical symptoms

Sort By:

Limit search:

Leptospirosis: possibilities of early laboratory and clinical diagnosis

100%

Cermakova Z., Kucerova P., Valenta Z., Pliskova L., Bolehovska R., Prasil P., Buchta V., Scharfen J., Polak P., Pavlis O., Voxova B.

Open Medicine

2013

vol. 8

issue 1

84-89

This retrospective study aims to identify and describe the problems associated with the laboratory and clinical diagnosis of leptospirosis. A total of 4,813 patients with suspected leptospirosis from an area of the Czech Republic, with a total population of 1.15 million, were examined during the period 2002–2010. Our study included only 855 patients: 545 men (mean age 41.03 ± 19.24) and 310 women (mean age 41.47 ± 20.3) who were examined using microscopic agglutination test (MAT) and a polymerase chain reaction (PCR). All patients and their physicians filled in questionnaires, which included anamnestic data, clinical symptoms and the results of laboratory tests. Out of total suspected, 89 patients (1.85%), tested positive for leptospirosis, of which 50 have been examined only serologically by MAT. Of 855 patients in our study undergoing both PCR and MAT tests, 39 have tested positive for leptospirosis. The most frequent symptom in patients with leptospirosis included fever (91.6%) and headache (69.4%). The correct laboratory diagnosis of leptospirosis depends on biological material being tested before the start of antibiotic treatment, since leptospires are extremely sensitive to antibiotics. Consequently, the PCR results alone may produce a false negative result after 24 hours following treatment with antibiotics.

Diagnosis of paediatric airway foreign body: is it easy?

75%

Rybojad B., Niedzielska G., Rudnicka-Drożak E.

Open Medicine

2014

vol. 9

issue 5

648-652

Foreign-body aspiration in children results in diagnostic problems, mainly because of nonspecific signs. Therefore, in this study, we placed particular stress on false-positive and -negative predictors. Charts of 139 consecutive paediatric patients aged 6.0 months to 15.5 years who underwent bronchoscopy for a suspected foreign body aspiration were analysed retrospectively. A foreign body was found in 95 cases (68%). The anamnesis was positive in 91%. Cough was the most common clinical symptom (91%) with a sensitivity and specificity of 94% and 23%, respectively. There were no significant correlations between clinical symptoms and the locations of foreign bodies. The majority of focal hyperinflation (24%) and atelectasis (15%) were seen in chest radiographs, with a sensitivity and specificity of 33% and 89% (hyperinflation) and 15% and 82% (atelectasis), respectively. Chest X-rays were normal in 46 cases; however, an object was removed in 25. Persistent infiltrates were present in 14 X-rays, and a foreign body was extracted during bronchoscopy in 4. A highly significant correlation between the type of foreign body and radiological signs was noted (p = 0.00001). Anamnesis, clinical symptoms, and radiological findings are helpful in confirming aspiration, but can be misleading. Chronic or recurrent pneumonia should prompt further bronchoscopic diagnosis.

Refine search results

2 Open Medicine

1 2014

1 2013

1 Bolehovska R.

1 Buchta V.

1 Cermakova Z.

1 Kucerova P.

1 Niedzielska G.

1 Pavlis O.

1 Pliskova L.

1 Polak P.

1 Prasil P.

1 Rudnicka-Drożak E.

1 Rybojad B.

1 Scharfen J.

1 Valenta Z.

1 Voxova B.

Search results

Leptospirosis: possibilities of early laboratory and clinical diagnosis

Diagnosis of paediatric airway foreign body: is it easy?