SUMMARY C reactive protein (CRP) was measured serially in 29 patients with infective endocarditis. Twenty one patients were initially treated with antimicrobial drugs. In 13, serial measurement ofCRP concentrations showed a progressive return to normal (less than 10 mg/l), which correlaWd with a satisfactory recovery. Of the remainder (eight patients), five had persistently high concentrations of CRP, indicating a failure to respond to antimicrobial treatment alone. Two of these five patients died and three underwent valve replacement. Of 11 patients treated with antibiotics and valve replacement, CRP concentrations returned to normal in nine. Two patients had infective complications and the CRP concentration did not return to normal. A transient rise in CRP concentration during an otherwise uneventful fall to normal was a sign of allergic reaction in two and of intercurrent infection in three more patients. Serial measurements of CRP concentrations in patients with infective endocarditis may be useful to monitor treatment and also to detect other infections and complications.
Correspondence to: Mr 0 . Sethia
intra-abdomi nal sepsisOver the past 9 years, ten patients have presented to the Thoracic Unit, Glasgow Royal Injirmary, with 12 empyemas secondary to intraabdominal sepsis. In eight patients, the presenting signs and symptoms were wrongly attributed to primary intra-thoracic pathology. All were subsequently found to have intra-abdominal sepsis. The presence of empyema afer recent abdominal surgery or abdominal pain strongly suggests a diagnosis of ipsilateral subphrenic abscess. Adequate surgical drainage is essential. In our experience, limited thoracotomy with subdiaphragmatic extension offers the best access to both pleural and subphrenic spaces and provides the greatest chance of eradicating infection on both sides of the diaphragm.
The experience with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection of a private inner-city sexually transmissible diseases (STD) clinic in Sydney was quantified. Between February 1984 and March 1988, 2073 of the Clinic's patients were tested for antibodies to HIV on 5095 occasions. Of those tested, 538 (26%) were positive for antibodies to HIV: 532 (98.9%) of the seropositives had practised male homosexual intercourse. This is the highest reported seroprevalence of HIV for any primary care service in Australia. Those individuals seropositive because of other risk behaviours were detected by voluntary contact tracing rather than by screening. Female prostitution was not found to be a risk factor for HIV. In general, rates of first HIV antibody tests were adversely affected by threatening legislation, and temporarily stimulated (among lower-risk persons) by a national television campaign. These data suggest that much of the counselling, detection and management of HIV infection in Australia is occurring in private practice, and that STD services (private and public) are at the forefront of the HIV epidemic. This has implications for disease surveillance and control, health services planning and medical education.
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