Epidemiology of paediatric moderate and severe traumatic brain injury in the Netherlands.

Introduction: Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is the main cause of death in children around the world. The last Dutch epidemiological study described the incidence over 10 years ago. Mechanism of injury seems to change with the age of the child, therefore it is important to appreciate different age groups.

Incidence, causes and consequences of moderate and severe traumatic brain injury as determined by Abbreviated Injury Score in the Netherlands.

Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is a leading cause of death and disability. Epidemiology seems to be changing. TBIs are increasingly caused by falls amongst elderly, whilst we see less polytrauma due to road traffic accidents (RTA).

Combination Therapy with Olmesartan and Amlodipine in the Treatment of Hypertension.

Background: Combination therapy with antihypertensive agents utilises different mechanisms of action and may be responsible for a more effective decrease in blood pressure.

Objective: To review the recently published trials on efficacy and safety of the combination therapy with olmesartan and amlodipine.

Results: The double-blind American COACH (Combination of Olmesartan Medoxomil and Amlopdine Besylate in Controlling High Blood Pressure) study (2008) showed in 1,940 patients that after eight weeks of treatment the BP goals were most frequently achieved in the 'combination therapy group', with 56.

Determinants of perceived severity of hypertension and drug-compliance in hypertensive patients.

Background: Severity of illness is not an important determinant of drug-compliance. In this paper we hypothesize that the perceived severity of illness rather than the true severity of illness is a determinant of drug-compliance. If this is true, then it will be worthwhile for physicians to look for factors determining this perceived severity of illness.

Reliability and validity of a twelve-minute walking test for coronary heart disease patients.

This study examined the reliability and validity of a 12-min. walking test for coronary heart disease patients. CHD patients (28 men, 18 women) were recruited out of 86 CHD patients of the Martini Hospital Groningen, The Netherlands.