Symptom burden among patients with Renal Cell Carcinoma (RCC): content for a symptom index

© 2007 Harding et al; licensee BioMed Central Ltd. This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Licens

Systematic literature review assessing tobacco smoke exposure as a risk factor for serious respiratory syncytial virus disease among infants and young children

BACKGROUND: The role of environmental tobacco smoke (ETS) exposure as a risk factor for serious respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) disease among infants and young children has not been clearly established. This systematic review was conducted to explore the association between ETS exposure and serious RSV disease in children younger than 5 years, including infants and young children with elevated risk for serious RSV disease. METHODS: A systematic review of English-language studies using the PubMed and EMBASE databases (1990-2009) was performed to retrieve studies that evaluated ETS as a potential risk factor for serious RSV illness. Studies assessing risk factors associated with hospitalization, emergency department visit, or physician visit due to RSV (based on laboratory confirmation of RSV or clinical diagnosis of RSV) in children under the age of 5 years were included. RESULTS: The literature search identified 30 relevant articles, categorized by laboratory confirmation of RSV infection (n = 14), clinical diagnosis of RSV disease (n = 8), and assessment of RSV disease severity (n = 8). Across these three categories of studies, at least 1 type of ETS exposure was associated with statistically significant increases in risk in multivariate or bivariate analysis, as follows: 12 of 14 studies on risk of hospitalization or ED visit for laboratory-confirmed RSV infection; 6 of 8 studies of RSV disease based on clinical diagnosis; and 5 of the 8 studies assessing severity of RSV as shown by hospitalization rates or degree of hypoxia. Also, 7 of the 30 studies focused on populations of premature infants, and the majority (5 studies) found a significant association between ETS exposure and RSV risk in the multivariate or bivariate analyses. CONCLUSION: We found ample evidence that ETS exposure places infants and young children at increased risk of hospitalization for RSV-attributable lower respiratory tract infection and increases the severity of illness among hospitalized children. Additional evidence is needed regarding the association of ETS exposure and outpatient RSV lower respiratory tract illness. Challenges and potential pitfalls of assessing ETS exposure in children are discussed

Residential crowding and severe respiratory syncytial virus disease among infants and young children: A systematic literature review

Abstract Background The objective of this literature review was to determine whether crowding in the home is associated with an increased risk of severe respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) disease in children younger than 5 years. Methods A computerized literature search of PubMed and EMBASE was conducted on residential crowding as a risk factor for laboratory-confirmed RSV illness in children younger than 5 years. Study populations were stratified by high-risk populations, defined by prematurity, chronic lung disease of prematurity, hemodynamically significant congenital heart disease, or specific at-risk ethnicity (i.e. Alaska Native, Inuit), and mixed-risk populations, including general populations of mostly healthy children. The search was conducted for articles published from January 1, 1985, to October 8, 2009, and was limited to studies reported in English. To avoid indexing bias in the computerized databases, the search included terms for multivariate analysis and risk factors to identify studies in which residential crowding was evaluated but was not significant. Methodological quality of included studies was assessed using a Cochrane risk of bias tool. Results The search identified 20 relevant studies that were conducted in geographically diverse locations. Among studies of patients in high-risk populations, 7 of 9 found a statistically significant association with a crowding variable; in studies in mixed-risk populations, 9 of 11 found a significant association with a crowding variable. In studies of high-risk children, residential crowding significantly increased the odds of laboratory-confirmed RSV hospitalization (i.e. odds ratio ranged from 1.45 to 2.85). In studies of mixed-risk populations, the adjusted odds ratios ranged from 1.23 to 9.1. The findings on the effect of residential crowding on outpatient RSV lower respiratory tract infection were inconsistent. Conclusions Residential crowding was associated with an increased risk of laboratory-confirmed RSV hospitalization among high-risk infants and young children. This association was consistent despite differences in definitions of residential crowding, populations, or geographic locations.</p

Symptom burden among patients with Renal Cell Carcinoma (RCC): content for a symptom index-1

<p><b>Copyright information:</b></p><p>Taken from "Symptom burden among patients with Renal Cell Carcinoma (RCC): content for a symptom index"</p><p>http://www.hqlo.com/content/5/1/34</p><p>Health and Quality of Life Outcomes 2007;5():34-34.</p><p>Published online 14 Jun 2007</p><p>PMCID:PMC1929060.</p><p></p>main as "Somewhat" to "Very much" relevant to their lives. Percentages listed above each domain use all patients as the denominator (localized and metastatic). Not all domains were included into the final Index due to the importance rankings of each question within the domain

Symptom burden among patients with Renal Cell Carcinoma (RCC): content for a symptom index-0

<p><b>Copyright information:</b></p><p>Taken from "Symptom burden among patients with Renal Cell Carcinoma (RCC): content for a symptom index"</p><p>http://www.hqlo.com/content/5/1/34</p><p>Health and Quality of Life Outcomes 2007;5():34-34.</p><p>Published online 14 Jun 2007</p><p>PMCID:PMC1929060.</p><p></p>main as "Somewhat" to "Very much" relevant to their lives. Percentages listed above each domain use all patients as the denominator (localized and metastatic). Not all domains were included into the final Index due to the importance rankings of each question within the domain