The DU90% is an inexpensive, flexible, and simple method for assessing the quality of drug prescribing in routine health care. The number of products in the DU90% segment and adherence to prescription guidelines may serve as general quality indicators. The method may be adapted to provide comparative data between PHC centres, hospitals, regions etc. that may be cross-sectional and longitudinal. Other quality criteria, specific for each class of drugs, should complement these general indicators.
A questionnaire study was carried out among pensioners in Jämtland County, Sweden. The questionnaire was answered by 1,115 persons, representing a response rate of 74%. It covered various aspects of health, with emphasis on sleep, fatigue, thirst, and other symptoms that may interfere with night-time sleep. The data were analysed with regard to the stated number of night-time disturbances due to urination. Nocturnal micturition was often associated with increased sleep disorders, a poorer quality of sleep, increased thirst, particularly at night, and increased fatigue in the daytime. All the relationships were clearer in women than in men. There was no relationship between reported enuresis in childhood and an increased frequency of voiding when the subject became older.
The secretion of antidiuretic hormone (ADH) and the serum osmolality were measured at 4-h intervals throughout a 24-h period in 69 healthy elderly volunteers. In male subjects the concentrations of plasma ADH were always twofold higher than in female subjects. The normal diurnal rhythm, with increased ADH secretion during the night, was not seen in this group of elderly subjects, with the exception of elderly men who did not urinate during the night, in whom a substantial increase in plasma ADH levels occurred. In as many as 25% of all the ADH measurements performed (n = 455) ADH was not detectable by the method used. The lack of a definite diurnal rhythm in most of the elderly subjects could to some extent explain the increased diuresis during the night in the elderly.
If the true facts about exposure to tobacco smoke are not revealed, a number of women who might benefit from information and support at the antenatal clinic will miss the opportunity of such assistance, resulting in increased risks for both the woman and her fetus.
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