ABSTRACT
Background: Objectives of this study were to describe sociodemographic characteristics of Tunisian woman smoker and to study her respiratory functional profile
Methods: all women answered for a questionnaire and benefited of a total physical plethysmography and of a carbon monoxide lung transfer measure [TLCO]
Results: 101 smoking women were selected. These women consumed cigarettes [74%], the snuff "neffa "[10%] and the water pipe [15%]. A chronic bronchitis was present at 22 women. A proximal bronchial obstruction was found at 11 women who were consumer of the "neffa" and cigarettes. A lower airway obstruction was found in all women consumer of water pipe. The TLCO was low at "neffa" group of women
Conclusion: woman smoking has a negative influence on pulmonary function which depends on sociocultural characteristics and on the history of smoking
ABSTRACT
Background: Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease [COPD] is among the leading causes of chronic morbidity and mortality throughout the world. Potentially, COPD can be prevented by the early detection of COPD, which generally entails spirometry. Physicians in smoking cessation outpatient are in an ideal position to detect early-stage of COPD by the simple examination of the patient. They can also perform spirometry to confirm the diagnosis of COPD. The main objective of this study was to assess the frequency of COPD among smokers in smoking cessation outpatient. Secondary objectives were to Compare two methods for COPD screening, the questionnaire [clinical score] and the mini-electronic spirometer [Neo-6] and to assess the degree of motivation to stop smoking by the announcement of lung age to smokers
Methods:a prospective cross-sectional study was carried out in four consultations for smoking cessation. Inclusion criteria were male patients aged over 35 years and seen in smoking cessation outpatient. A clinical score was then calculated to detect COPD. This score is based on age, BMI, the quantity of tobacco smoking and the respiratory clinical signs. By establishing this score, we could classify our smokers on consultants with likely COPD if the clinical score>16. Secondly, a measure of the breath with a portable minispirometre "neo6" was performed with quantification of the first second forced expiratory volume [FEV1], forced expiratory volume in 6 seconds [FEV6] and their ratio [FEV1/FEV6]. A ratio FEV1/FEV6 less than 0.8 was in favor of an obstructive ventilator defect [DVO]. In this case a total body plethysmography was indicated
Results: The sample of the study consisted of 115 male smokers with a mean age of 48 +/- 12 years old. A low socio-economic level and a low level of education were found respectively in 50.4% and 58% of smokers. Cigarette smoking is the most consumed form of tobacco. A significant clinical score predicting COPD, was found in 54 patients. The measurement of the breath through the Neo-6 found that 23 [20%] smokers had FEV1/FEV6 less than or equal to 0.7 predicting bronchial obstruction and 26 had a ratio between 0.7 and 0.8. plethysmography confirmed the diagnosis of COPD for 27 patients. So the prevalence of COPD in our sample was of 23.48%. The clinical score had a sensibility of 81.48% and a specificity of 63.64 with a negative predictive value of 91.8%. The sensitivity of the Neo 6 [70.37%] is smaller than the clinical score but the specificity is better than 95.94% of the clinical score. Its negative predictive value was 91.3%. So when VEMS/VEM6 ratio is greater than 0.7, the probability of COPD remains very low. The announcement of the pulmonary patient age is an important parameter for the motivation to stop smoking
Conclusion: The combination of a standardized questionnaire to the measure of breath by Neo6 can further optimize COPD screening
ABSTRACT
Common variable immunodeficiency [CVID] is an immune defect characterized by primary hypogammaglobulinemia. The most clinical manifestations are recurrent infection of respiratory tract. We reported seven cases of DICV which showed. We reported seven cases of CVID between 1994 and 2004, included six women and one man. The mean age at the first clinical symptoms is 23 years and the mean age at diagnosis is 38. Six patients presented recurrent bacterial infection particularly of the upper and the lower respiratory tract, these infections can lead to chronic diseases such as bronchiectasis. Two patients had chronic diarrhea caused by nodular lymphoid hyperplasia, we showed two cases of granulomatous: spleen tuberculosis and pulmonary sarcoidosis. The diagnostic was confirmed by protein electrophoresis and serum levels of immunoglobulin. All patients received treatment with intravenous immunoglobulin, with a decrease in frequency and severity of infection episodes. Protein electrophoresis most be done in a young adult with recurrent low respiratory tract infections and/or diffuse bronchiectasis
Subject(s)
Humans , Male , Female , Common Variable Immunodeficiency/therapy , Retrospective Studies , Immunoglobulins , Blood Protein ElectrophoresisABSTRACT
Immediate allergy to natural latex has been on the icrease for the last decade in exposed persons and particularly the health personnel. Its prevalence is variable from one study to another. To evaluate the prevalence of later allergy in our nursing staff, we carried out an enquiry in two hospitals in Sousse. It's a prospective study involving 300 subjects and based on an anonymous questionnaire and a cutaneous prick test for latex allergy and atopy. The population was composed of 188 women an 112 men with an average age of 35 years. There were 97 nurses of either sex, 65 doctors, 58 workers, 30 heath technicians, 27 anaesthetists, 17 midwives and 6 pharmacists. Sixty subjects [5.3%] showed a positive prick test ot latex 11 women and 5 men of different professional groups. The prevalence of atopy in this latex positive population [81%] was greater than in the latex negative population [25%]. An associate alimentary allergy was identified in 10 patients allergic to latex. A study of specific immunogloblins to latex carried out in 12 cases was positive in three patients. The provocation test for gloves was positive in 38% of cases