Use of GeneXpert and the role of an expert panel in improving clinical diagnosis of smear-negative tuberculosis cases.

Setting: A high proportion of notified tuberculosis cases in the Philippines are clinically diagnosed (63%) as opposed to bacteriologically confirmed. Better understanding of this phenomenon is required to improve tuberculosis control.

Objectives: To determine the percentage of smear negative presumptive tuberculosis patients that would be diagnosed by GeneXpert; compare clinical characteristics of patients diagnosed as tuberculosis cases; and review the impact that the current single government physician and a reconstituted Tuberculosis Diagnostic committee (expert panel) may have on tuberculosis over-diagnosis.

Role of bilastine in the management of allergic rhinitis and urticaria: an Asia-Pacific consensus statement.

The prevalence of allergic diseases is increasing globally, most particularly in middle- to low-income countries. This article examines the burden of allergic rhinitis and chronic urticaria in the Asia-Pacific region, unmet clinical needs, and the potential role of bilastine in the management of these conditions. An International Advisory Group meeting was convened in association with the Asian Pacific Society of Respirology Annual Congress in November 2014, followed by a literature review, and consensus-based outcomes from the meeting and literature review are described.

Prevalence of allergic rhinitis in Filipino adults based on the National Nutrition and Health Survey 2008.

Background: There has been no documented data on the prevalence of allergic rhinitis among Filipino adults.

Objective: The objective of this study is to determine the prevalence of allergic rhinitis among adults in the Philippines.

Methods: Using a multi-staged cluster sampling methodology, this study evaluated 7,202 adults from 3,744 households, 79 provinces and 17 regions.