Premium
Desarrollo y prueba de un nuevo sistema de clasificación clínica para la podoconiosis (elefantiasis endémica no filariana)
Author(s) -
Tekola Fasil,
Ayele Zewdu,
Mariam Dereje Haile,
Fuller Claire,
Davey Gail
Publication year - 2008
Publication title -
tropical medicine and international health
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.056
H-Index - 114
eISSN - 1365-3156
pISSN - 1360-2276
DOI - 10.1111/j.1365-3156.2008.02133.x
Subject(s) - elephantiasis , medicine , staging system , repeatability , surgery , statistics , filariasis , helminths , mathematics , immunology , cancer
Summary Objective To develop and test a robust clinical staging system for podoconiosis, a geochemical disease in individuals exposed to red clay soil. Methods We adapted the Dreyer system for staging filarial lymphoedema and tested it in four re‐iterative field tests conducted in an area of high‐podoconiosis prevalence in Southern Ethiopia. The system has five stages according to proximal spread of disease and presence of dermal nodules, ridges and bands. We measured the 1‐week repeatability and the inter‐observer agreement of the final staging system. Results The five‐stage system is readily understood by community workers with little health training. Kappa for 1‐week repeatability was 0.88 (95% CI 0.80–0.96), for agreement between health professionals was 0.71 (95% CI 0.60–0.82), while that between health professionals and community podoconiosis agents without formal health training averaged 0.64 (95% CI 0.52–0.78). Conclusions This simple staging system with good inter‐observer agreement and repeatability can assist in the management and further study of podoconiosis.