BACKGROUND: The value of the 12-lead electrocardiogram (ECG) to provide prognostic information in the deadly and disabling syndrome peripartum cardiomyopathy (PPCM) is unknown. AIMS: To determine the prevalence of major and minor ECG abnormalities in PPCM patients at the time of diagnosis, and to establish whether there are ECG correlates of persistent left ventricular dysfunction and/or cli...

OBJECTIVES: To determine the proportion of Aboriginal Controlled Community Health Service (ACCHS) patients tested according to three national diabetes testing guidelines; to investigate whether specific patient characteristics were associated with being tested. DESIGN, SETTING AND PARTICIPANTS: Cross-sectional study of 20 978 adult Indigenous Australians not diagnosed with diabetes atten...

OBJECTIVE: Hospital and laboratory data indicate that human T-lymphotropic virus type 1 (HTLV-1) is endemic to central Australia, but no community-based studies of its prevalence or disease burden have been reported. We determined the prevalence rates of HTLV-1 infection and of HTLV-1-associated diseases in a remote Indigenous community. SETTING: A remote Northern Territory community. D...

OBJECTIVE: To examine the factors associated with psychological distress in parents and carers of Aboriginal children living in urban communities in New South Wales. DESIGN: Cross-sectional survey (phase one of the Study of Environment on Aboriginal Resilience and Child Health [SEARCH], November 2007 - December 2011). SETTING AND PARTICIPANTS: Primary care; 589 parents and carers of ...

OBJECTIVES: To systematically review the evidence on whether statin therapy, commonly used in clinical practice to treat hypercholesterolaemia for primary and secondary prevention of cardiovascular disease, contributes to tendinopathy; and to examine causality according to the Bradford Hill criteria. STUDY DESIGN: A systematic review of studies examining the relationship between statin t...

OBJECTIVES: To compare regional differences in the prevalence of rheumatic heart disease (RHD) detected by echocardiographic screening in high-risk Indigenous Australian children, and to describe the logistical and other practical challenges of RHD screening. DESIGN: Cross-sectional screening survey performed between September 2008 and November 2010. SETTING: Thirty-two remote commun...

OBJECTIVE: To estimate the current and future prevalence of atrial fibrillation (AF) in the Australian adult population according to age and sex. DESIGN: Application of international AF prevalence statistics to Australian adult population data (for people ≥ 55 years) to estimate population prevalence; use of population projections to estimate potential future prevalence of AF. MAIN OUTC...

OBJECTIVE: To assess the clinical epidemiology of chlamydia among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander (Indigenous) people attending sexual health services around Australia. DESIGN: Retrospective analysis of routine demographic, behavioural and clinical data, between 1 January 2006 and 31 December 2011. SETTING: 18 sexual health services in major cities and regional centres in five jurisd...

OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the utility of auscultatory screening for detecting echocardiographically confirmed rheumatic heart disease (RHD) in high-risk children in the Northern Territory, Australia. DESIGN: Cross-sectional screening survey. SETTING: Twelve rural and remote communities in the NT between September 2008 and June 2010. PARTICIPANTS: 1015 predominantly Indigenous schoolchildre...

OBJECTIVE: To determine the utility of exercise electrocardiography testing (EET) in evaluating suspected coronary artery disease in a remote Australian setting where a significant proportion of patients are Indigenous Australians. DESIGN: Retrospective cohort study with grouping based on EET results. PATIENTS AND SETTING: 268 patients with suspected coronary artery disease who underwent E...

Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) is progressive; the more intensively it is treated, the greater is the risk of hypoglycaemia and weight gain. Achieving treatment intensification while mitigating these risks presents a challenge to patient management. Basal insulins provide control of fasting glucose; however, their utility in the control of postprandial glucose excursions is limited. Glucagon-l...

OBJECTIVES: To assess notification trends for chlamydia and gonorrhoea infections in Indigenous Australians compared with non-Indigenous Australians in 2000-2009. DESIGN AND SETTING: We assessed trends in national notification rates using univariate Poisson regression and summary rate ratios. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Crude notification rates and summary rate ratios, by Indigenous status, sex, a...

OBJECTIVE: To measure the prevalence of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) among people aged 40 years or older in Australia. DESIGN, SETTING AND PARTICIPANTS: A cross-sectional study of people in the community aged ≥ 40 years, selected at random using electoral rolls, in six sites chosen to reflect the sociodemographic and geographic diversity of Australia, conducted between 2006 a...

OBJECTIVE: To assess the extent of diagnosed and undiagnosed pelvic inflammatory disease (PID) in Aboriginal women in remote central Australia. DESIGN, SETTING AND SUBJECTS: Retrospective cross-sectional study in five remote central Australian primary health care centres. Medical records of all resident Aboriginal women aged 14-34 years were examined. Data were from presentations with document...

OBJECTIVE: To determine the effectiveness of an intensive quit-smoking intervention on smoking rates at 36 weeks' gestation among pregnant Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women. DESIGN: Randomised controlled trial.Setting and participants: Pregnant Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women (n = 263) attending their first antenatal visit at one of three Aboriginal community-controlled...

STUDY OBJECTIVES: To compare the use of sleep diagnostic tests, the risks, and cofactors, and outcomes of the care of Indigenous and non-indigenous Australian adults in regional and remote Australia in whom sleep related breathing disorders have been diagnosed. METHODS: A retrospective cohort study of 200 adults; 100 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander and 100 non-indigenous adults with a ...

RATIONALE: Obesity is a major risk factor towards the development of obstructive sleep apnea, while significant weight loss (both conservatively managed and surgically assisted) has a variable effect upon its severity. Differences in the effect of weight loss on obstructive sleep apnea may be due to underlying craniofacial characteristics. OBJECTIVES: To determine whether craniofacial charac...

STUDY OBJECTIVES: To describe the growth of publicly funded polysomnography (PSG) in Australia since 2004 and to compare this with earlier growth. METHODS: Longitudinal census-level data stratified by jurisdiction were retrieved from the Medicare Australia online database. RESULTS: There has been a near doubling in provision of PSG since the introduction of publicly funded in-home PSG unde...