ABSTRACT
Background: To investigate the clinical characteristics of Addison's disease caused by adrenal tuberculosis in Tibet. After the anti-tuberculosis treatment, the clinical features between continuous glucocorticoid therapy and glucocorticoid withdrawal were analyzed. Methods: Clinical data of patients with Addison's disease caused by adrenal tuberculosis diagnosed in The People's Hospital of Tibet Autonomous Region from January 2015 to October 2021 were collected and analyzed. All patients were taking anti-tuberculosis and glucocorticoids replacement therapy, and the root cause of the disease was analyzed following prognosis observations. Results: There were 25 patients (24 Tibetan and 1 Han patient) with Addison's disease caused by adrenal tuberculosis, including 18 males and 7 females. A total of 21 cases were followed up successfully, of which 13 cases discontinued anti-tuberculosis drugs successfully, 6 cases discontinued glucocorticoid therapy among the rest, 6 cases continued anti-tuberculosis + glucocorticoid replacement therapy, and 2 cases died. Conclusion: Early diagnosis and proper anti-tuberculosis treatment can improve the prognosis of patients with adrenal tuberculosis. Moreover, screening and educating Tibetan people regarding the potential risk and adversities of adrenal tuberculosis is crucial for eradicating the disease.
ABSTRACT
Concentrations and variations of fine particulate matter (PM2.5) and carbon monoxide (CO) within tents from the Nam Co and Ando regions were observed at summer 2009, in order to understand the concentrations and variations of PM2.5 and CO in these tents (or in rooms) and their main affect factors, as well as the exposure of different residents. The result indicates that the twenty-four hour average concentrations of PM2.5 and CO (V/V) in the tents without chimney are 1.272 mg x m(-3) and 5.035 x 10(-6), which are significantly higher than those of tents installed chimneys (0.097 mg x m(-3) and 0.089 x 10(-6)). Diurnal variations of PM2.5 and CO are similar and show multiple peaks, which is different with those in the eastern rural areas of China and closely connected with the behaviors of the residents within the tents. Generally, women and children spend three or four hours longer in tents than other family members every day. Children have the highest exposure of 0.972 mg x m(-3) and 0.132 x 10(-6) for PM2.5 and CO, respectively. Therefore, although the outdoor air in the Tibetan Plateau is very clean, the air of the Tibetan tents are seriously polluted and mainly caused by yak dung combustion.
