ABSTRACT
<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To determine whether patterns of enterovirus 71 (EV71)-associated hand, foot, and mouth disease (HFMD) were classified based on symptoms and signs, and explore whether individual characteristics were correlated with membership in particular pattern.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Symptom-based latent class analysis (LCA) was used to determine whether patterns of EV71-HFMD existed in a sample of 433 cases from a clinical data warehouse system. Logistic regression was then performed to explore whether demographic, and laboratory data were associated with pattern membership.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>LCA demonstrated a two-subgroup solution with an optimal fit, deduced according to the Bayesian Information Criterion minima. Hot pattern (59.1% of all patients) was characterized by a very high fever and high endorsement rates for classical HFMD symptoms (i.e., rash on the extremities, blisters, and oral mucosa lesions). Non-hot pattern (40.9% of all patients) was characterized by classical HFMD symptoms. The multiple logistic regression results suggest that white blood cell counts and aspartate transaminase were positively correlated with the hot pattern (adjust odds ratio=1.07, 95% confidence interval: 1.006-1.115; adjust odds ratio=1.051, 95% confidence interval: 1.019-1.084; respectively).</p><p><b>CONCLUSIONS</b>LCA on reported symptoms and signs in a retrospective study allowed different subgroups with meaningful clinical correlates to be defined. These findings provide evidence for targeted prevention and treatment interventions.</p>
ABSTRACT
<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To evaluate the effects of traditional Chinese medicine in 461 cases of severe acute respiratory syndrome(SARS) on glucocorticoid's dosage.</p><p><b>METHOD</b>By using the polycentric nonrandomized concurrent controled trial and under the condition of glucocorticoid use, the patierts were divided into two groups: the integrated traditional Chinese and western mendicine(ITCWM) and simplicity western mendicine alone(WM). The observation indexes were time in hospital, pneumonia duration, mortality, glucocorticoid's gross dosage, glucocorticoid's average dosage of days and glucocorticoid use time.</p><p><b>RESULT</b>In the ITCWM group, average time in hospital was shortened (P = 0.058), pneumonia duration was shortened (P = 0.057), mortality fell (P = -0.001). The median of glucocorticoid' s gross dosage was 1,277.0 mg x d(-1) in the ITCWM group, and that was 1,680.0 mg x d(-1) in the WM group (P = 0.083). The median of glucocorticoid's average dosage of days was 84.40 mg x d(-1) in the ITCWM group, and that was 115.33 mg x d(-1) in the WM group (P = 0.025). According to the analysis of 461 cases divided by stages and different ponderance, within 7 days after illness, in the ITCWM group, the glucocorticoid' s average dosage decreased. In the common type, the dosage in the ITCWM and in the WM was 146.43 mg x d(-1), and 183.64 mg x d(-1), respectively (P = 0.057), in the severe type, that was 137.71 and 177.86 mg x d(-1), respectively (P = 0.001).</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>Compared with the group of simplicity western mendicine, in the group of integratived Chinese and western mendicine, time in hospital shorten, pneumonia duration shorten, mortality fall, simultaneity, glucocorticoid's average dosage is decreased. The use of TCM in the forepart of treatment can be capable of decreasing glucocorticoid's dosage.</p>