Samj South African Medical Journal最新文献

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR), in which microbes adapt to and resist current therapies, is a well-recognised global problem that threatens to reverse gains made by modern medicine in the last decades. AMR is a complex issue; however, at its core, it is driven by the overuse and inappropriate use of antimicrobials. Socioeconomic factors have been identified as significant contributors to the emergence and exacerbation of AMR, especially in populations facing inadequate access to healthcare, poor sanitation services and high morbidity and mortality rates. Weak healthcare systems and water, sanitation and hygiene have been highlighted as fundamental risk factors for AMR emergence and transmission. Behavioural factors, such as purchasing antibiotics without a prescription from a registered healthcare professional, not completing the prescribed course or overly prolonged courses of antibiotics, using antibiotics to treat viral infections, lack of access to quality antibiotics, and the proliferation of substandard or falsified (SF) drugs, have also been identified as significant contributors to AMR. Low- and middle-income countries have a higher incidence of antibiotics being dispensed without a prescription than higher-income countries.

On 15 May 2024, the National Health Insurance Act No. 20 of 2023 (the Act) was signed into law, and South Africa (SA) officially adopted a national health insurance (NHI) system as part of its efforts to achieve universal healthcare across the country. While NHI has been controversial and much talked about, plenty of how the scheme will operate remains an unknown, and has not been defined within the Act. However, it is evident that, with SA's limited healthcare budget, the NHI scheme is not going to cover everything for everyone. Some decisions will need to be made about what kinds of healthcare and other benefits South Africans can expect to have covered by the scheme - in other words, decisions about what will be included under NHI and what will be excluded. This paper does not aim to discuss the constitutionality or legality of the NHI Act, but focuses only on the issue of how government ought to consider making decisions about what services the NHI covers.

Background: Smoking and alcohol misuse are lifestyle factors that can be controlled and have significant health effects. Both these factors increase the risk of developing conditions such as diabetes mellitus because they affect glucose metabolism and can interfere with blood glucose control in individuals with diabetes. Research on tobacco and alcohol use and specific health outcomes among adults with prediabetes or type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) could provide valuable information leading to more efficient treatment and management of this disease.

Objectives: To assess the association between tobacco and alcohol use and specific health outcomes among South African adults with prediabetes or T2DM.

Methods: Data from the 2016 South African Demographic and Health Survey were analysed using Stata v17. Participants were classified into prediabetes or T2DM groups, based on a glycated haemoglobin cut-off of 5.7% or self-report of a previous diagnosis of T2DM. Exposures of interest were self-reported current tobacco smoking and problem/risky alcohol use. The associations between these exposures and health outcomes in the different groups were assessed using multivariable logistic regression analysis. We adjusted for specific confounders in the regression models.

Results: Of a total of 6 108 participants (mean (standard deviation) age 41 (19) years), 72.2% (n=4 409) had prediabetes and 27.8% (n=1 699) T2DM; 17.7% (n=1 084) were current smokers and 9.3% (n=565) reported problem/risky alcohol use. Current smoking was significantly associated with 40% increased odds of shortness of breath (adjusted odds ratio (aOR) 1.40; 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.1 - 1.7; p<0.001) and 67% increased odds of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)/asthma (aOR 1.67; 95% CI 1.2 - 2.2; p<0.001). Problem/risky alcohol use was significantly associated with 40% increased odds of COPD/asthma (aOR 1.40; 95% CI 1.1 - 1.7; p=0.001) and 92% increased odds of having cancer (aOR 1.92; 95% CI 1.5 - 2.5; p<0.001).

Conclusion: There is a need for targeted smoking cessation programmes and alcohol misuse counselling among individuals living with diabetes and prediabetes.

Biologic and targeted synthetic disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (b/tsDMARDs) target a specific pathway of the immune system, and are usually prescribed after failure of conventional synthetic disease-modifying antirheumatic drug therapy. The choice of b/tsDMARD depends on the disease profile and comorbidities, patient preference, registered indications of the drugs, and risks associated with therapy. It is recommended that b/tsDMARDs for immune-mediated inflammatory rheumatic diseases are prescribed by a rheumatologist, and all patients must be included in the South African Rheumatism and Arthritis Association biologic registry. Knowledge of and vigilance for adverse events, particularly infections, associated with b/ts DMARD therapies are of paramount importance.

Effective pandemic decision-making depends on scientific expert evidence, transparency about public health policy decision-making, its rationales and the evidence on which it is based. The South African government laudably committed its COVID-19 response to be guided by science and evidence. Yet, the expert advice that it received was not always readily made available to the public. This submission analyses the time elapsed between the submission of COVID-19 Ministerial Advisory Committees memoranda to the Minister of Health, and the Department of Health's subsequent publication of these for the period August 2020 - January 2024. It also summarises the outcomes of the Health Justice Initiative's access to information legal action against the department on expert advice and government decision-making during the pandemic.

Background: Pathology of the hand causes functional impairment, with downstream effects for patient occupation, and consequently presents a socioeconomic burden. Investigation of the epidemiology of hand pathology in KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) can help reduce the burden of disease. Identifying where the greatest need is can direct patient awareness initiatives, medical training and appropriate allocation of resources.

Objectives: To establish the prevalence of hand pathology at regional hospitals that offer orthopaedic services in KZN, to describe the patients most commonly affected by these pathologies and to identify the most common pathologies.

Methods: A cross-sectional investigation of hospital records and charts of patients presenting for orthopaedic care across all 10 regional hospitals in KZN that offer orthopaedic services was undertaken for 1 week's duration (June 2022). Patients were categorised into hand pathology (HP) and general orthopaedic pathology (OP) groups, which were each subdivided into trauma and non-trauma subgroups. Demographic details were collected for all patients. For HP patients, additional detail was collected regarding diagnosis, mechanism, admission and management. The prevalence of HP was calculated as a factor of all orthopaedic presentations.

Results: During the investigation, 2 335 patients presented to orthopaedic services. HP represented 21% of these cases. The majority (17%, 406/2 335) were related to trauma and represented 23% of all the traumatic orthopaedic presentations. Distal radius (DR) fractures were the most common hand injury (46%, 188/406) and a large proportion of trauma to the bony elements of the hand were open injuries (23%, 93/406). The remainder of HP cases comprised the non-traumatic group (4%, 91/2 335) and were predominantly infections (68%, 62/91), and many patients with non-traumatic hand pathology required surgery (60%, 55/91) and admission (56%, 52/91).

Conclusion: HP represents approximately one-fifth of all orthopaedic presentations to regional health facilities in KZN offering orthopaedic care, and close to a quarter of orthopaedic trauma occurs in the hand. Based on these findings, targeted efforts to improve community awareness of precautions against trauma to the hand, osteopaenia and hand hygiene are suggested as preventive measures. Medical training should emphasise the appropriate management of DR fractures and hand infections, and resources should be differentially allocated to the management of these debilitating HPs to decrease the burden of disease.