תוצאת חיפוש

נטליה בילנקו (1), דני שחר (2), איריס שי (2), שמעון ויצמן (3), דרורה פרייזר (2,3),

(1) משרד הבריאות – מחוז דרום, (2) המרכז הבינלאומי לבריאות ותזונה דניאל אברהם, אוניברסיטת בן-גוריון בנגב, (3) המח' לאפידמיולוגיה ולהערכת שירותי בריאות

ניטור האיבחון של מחלות כרוניות, כגון מחלות לב, סוכרת ויתר-לחץ-דם הוא מידע חשוב לתיכנון שירותי הבריאות ולזיהוי אוכלוסיות המצויות בסיכון.

המטרות במחקר היו לדווח על איבחון מדווח של אוטם שריר-הלב, סוכרת ויתר-לחץ-דם באוכלוסייה היהודית בנגב, דפוסי הסתייעות בשירותי בריאות והברות (diet) של הלוקים במחלות אלו.

לדגימת אשכולות אקראית ופרופורציונית לאוכלוסייה (סה"כ 1,159 בני אדם בגיל מעל 35 שנה) נערך ריאיון בביתם בין השנים 1999-1998. הריאיון כלל דיווח על מחלות כרוניות, פנייה לשירותי בריאות והרגלי תזונה וברות (nutrition and diet).

בקרב גברים נמצא שיעור כפול של אוטם שריר-הלב, וכן התערבויות פולשניות לטיפול בבעיות לב וכלי-דם. שיעור התחלואה הגבוה ביותר באוטם שריר-הלב וביתר-לחץ-דם נמצא בנכללים ילידי מרכז-ומזרח-אירופה, בעוד ששיעור התחלואה מסוכרת נמצא בקרב ילידי מערב-אירופה. מקרב הנכללים בגיל הנמוך מ-61 שנה, 19% מהמדווחים על סוכרת ו-33% מהמדווחים על יתר-לחץ-דם לא נטלו תרופות ולא היו במשטר ברות מתאים. מכאן שכשליש מהמדווחים על יתר-לחץ-דם ו-15% מהמדווחים על סוכרת לא היו בטיפול כלשהו. שיעורי התחלואה שנמצאו במחקר זה גבוהים מהנתונים הכלל-ארציים.

בסקר הבריאות והתזונה שבוצע בדרום נמצאו שיעורי תחלואה מדווחים גבוהים מאלו של אזורים אחרים בישראל. בקרב החולים בסוכרת ויתר-לחץ-דם שיעור נכבד אינו מטופל בתרופות ובברות רפואית מתאימה. המידע המוצג עשוי לסייע בתיכנון שירותי הבריאות לאזור הדרום ובאיתור אוכלוסיות הנמצאות בסיכון.

Characteristics of Nasopharyngeal Carriage of Streptococcus Pneumoniae in Children During Acute Respiratory Disease

A. Aran¹, D. Fraser², R. Dagan¹

Pediatric Infectious Disease Unit¹, Epidemiology Department², Soroka University Medical Center and Faculty of Health Sciences, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beer-Sheva

Streptococcus pneumoniae is an important cause of pediatric morbidity and its main reservoir is the nasopharynx, from which it can disseminate and cause invasive disease. From November 1997 through March 1998, nasopharyngeal carriage of S. pneumoniae was evaluated in 250 children under the age of 36 months: 123 Jews and 127 Bedouins with acute respiratory disease and in 980 healthy control children (852 Jews and 128 Bedouins).

Carriage rate was higher among sick children. Among Jewish children it was 57% and 35% of sick and healthy children respectively (p<0.01), and among Bedouin children it figured as 80% and 67% respectively (p=0.01). The difference in carriage rate was most prominent in infants under the age of 5 months: among Jewish children it was 60% and 27% of sick and healthy children respectively (p<0.001) and among Bedouins it was 82% and 65% respectively (p=0.05).

Higher carriage rate of penicillin resistant pneumococci (PRP) was also detected in sick children, with no relation to antibiotic treatment in the month prior to sampling. In Jewish children PRP was detected in 12%, 28% (p<0.001) and 36% (p<0.001) of healthy children, sick children with previous antibiotic treatment and sick children with no treatment, respectively.

The seroypes included in the newly developed 7-valent conjugate vaccine: 4, 6B, 9V, 14, 18C, 19F, 23F, that are highly pathogenic and often antibiotic resistant contributed 74% of isolates in sick Jewish children who had previous antibiotic treatment and 39% of isolates in healthy children (p<0.001). In Bedouin children vaccine types carriers rate among the sick children was not higher than in healthy children.

Acute respiratory disease increases the risk of pneumococcal carriage in general and carriage of resistant pneumococci in particular. Previous antibiotic treatment increases the risk of carring one of the pathogenic serotypes included in the 7-valent vaccine. The impact of disease is most prominent in infants under 5 months, since they are usually less exposed to S. pneumoniae carriers than older children.

Since the increase in carriage rate during illness is mostly due to the serotypes included in the newly developed conjugate vaccine, future immunization programme may decrease not only morbidity rate but also nasopharyngeal carriage rate of pneumococci in general and of antibiotic-resistant pneumococci in particular.

Epidemiology of Invasive Hemophilus Influenzae B Infections in Bedouins and Jews; Conjugate Hib Vaccines

Limor Gortzak-Uzan*, Drora Fraser, Ron Dagan

Pediatric Infectious Disease Unit and Dept. of Epidemiology, Soroka Medical Center and Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beer Sheba

From 1989 to 1996, 139 cases of invasive Hemophilus influenzae B (Hib) infections were identified in children in the Negev, 110 of which occurred before introduction of the conjugate vaccine (1989-92). At that time there were 60.5 cases of Hib per 100,000 in the Negev among children under 5 years of age. During 1995-1996, when Hib conjugate vaccine was part of the regular immunization program, Hib decreased to 6.5 cases per 100,000 in that age group. The effectiveness of PRP-OMP vaccine was 96.5% among Jews and 89% among Bedouins, and the efficacy of the immunization program was 99.99%. This degree of success exceeded all expectations based on the literature. During the whole study period, Hib infections were more frequent among Bedouins than Jews. There was no significant difference in the occurrence of Hib among Jews in the Negev before and after the vaccine was introduced. Hib among Bedouins in the Negev was significantly more frequent than in the Israeli population as a whole before the vaccine was introduced. That gap narrowed after the vaccine was introduced because of the decrease in morbidity among the 2 groups.

* Medical student.

Reporting Maternal Behavior during Diarrhea in Bedouin Children

Natalya Bilenko, Amalia Levy, Drora Fraser

Epidemiology and Health Services Evaluation Unit, S. D. Abraham International Center for Health and Nutrition, Faculty of Health Sciences, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beer Sheba

Diarrhea is still a major cause of morbidity and mortality among children in developing countries. The Bedouin population of southern Israel is in transition from a nomadic to a settled life-style. We examined maternal knowledge and reported behavior when their children had diarrhea. Mothers defined diarrhea as the passing of 4-5 stools per day. The most frequent signs of the illness were an increased number of watery stools with changes in either color or form. The most frequent symptom that prompted mothers to seek medical aid was blood in the stool. All mothers reported increasing fluid intake in their children during diarrhea, and most reported giving herbal tea. About half of the women avoided milk products and used special for the treatment of diarrhea. A quarter of the women reported stopping or decreasing the frequency of breast feeding during diarrhea. Reported cessation of breast feeding during diarrhea was associated with changing to special foods, and failure to note the onset of diarrhea or to recognize signs of dehydration. The withdrawal of breast feeding during episodes of illness and diarrhea is related to lack of knowledge regarding diarrhea. These data indicate that even in this population, with free access to preventive and curative medical care, there should be greater efforts to educate mothers to detect diarrheal disease and to maintain breast feeding during the diarrhea.

Epidemiologic Characteristics of Pediatric Emergency Room Referral and Hospitalization for Diarrhea in the Negev

Moni Benifla, Drora Fraser, Zvi Weizman, Amalia Levy, Ron Dagan

Dept. of Epidemiology and Health Services Evaluation and S. Daniel International Center for Health and Nutrition, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, and Pediatric Dept. and Pediatric Infectious Disease Unit, Soroka Medical Center and Ben-Gurion University of the Negev

Diarrheal diseases weigh heavily on the health of children, especially in developing countries, but also impose burdens on health care services worldwide. This study was performed to determine whether patterns of referrals in the Negev to the pediatric emergency room (PER) for diarrhea differ between the Jewish and Bedouin populations of the Negev, and the extent of the burden imposed on the PER and in-hospital services in the Negev. Characteristics of referrals and hospitalizations were examined from March 1994 to February 1995. Of the 27,834 referrals to the PER for children under 16, 2518 (9%) had diarrhea and there were 5,169 hospital admissions, 701 (13.6%). The annual rates of referral were 146 per 10,000 in Jews and 225 in Bedouin, giving an odds ratio (OR) of 1.5 (p<0.001). for Bedouin. The rates of hospitalization were 23 per 10,000 in Jews and 99 in Bedouin (OR 4.4, p<0.001). 1380 (54.8%) of the PER referrals were of infants under a year of age. For hospitalization, the annual rates were 164 per 10,000 in Jews and 756 in Bedouins (OR 4.9, p<0.001). During June to August referrals and hospitalizations for diarrhea were significantly higher, and from December to February significantly lower than during the remaining months. These differences arise from the marked seasonal pattern in the Bedouin population, whereas in the Jewish population there was no seasonal variation. Even in the 90's the burden on health services in the Negev as a result of diarrheal illness is considerable and the Bedouin population still contributes to that burden disproportionately. There is need both to reduce the gap in referrals and hospitalization between the populations, as well as to reduce the rates, using currently available means such as education, while developing new technologies, such as vaccines.