[Validation of clinical and epidemiological diagnosis criterion for confirming XXXX ].

@entity3081 @entity1 @entity294 @entity1838
OBJECTIVE: To validate the clinical and epidemiological diagnosis criterion for confirming @entity3081 suspect cases. METHODS: The study comprised 2,687 and 716 @entity1 admitted with @entity294 to a public hospital in Macei , Brazil, in 1992 and 1997 respectively. Culture of @entity1838 O1 (Koch, 1884) in TCBS-agar was performed and the clinical and epidemiological criterion was applied and compared to the gold standard. The statistical analysis was carried out in two age-groups: less than five years old and five years old or more. RESULTS: There were studied 833 @entity1 , of which 517 in 1992 and 316 in 1997; 72 aged less than five years and 761 aged five years or more. In those aged less than five years in 1992, sensitivity was 40% and specificity 84.6%. For this same age-group in 1997, sensitivity was 28.6% and specificity 62.5%. In @entity1 aged five years or more in 1992, sensitivity was 99% and specificity 1.2%. For this same age-group in 1997, sensitivity was 86.9% and specificity 8.7%. CONCLUSION: The higher sensitivity of the clinical and epidemiological @entity3081 diagnosis criterion in @entity1 aged five years or more found in the study support its application during epidemics periods. In periods of lower incidence, all cases need to be confirmed using laboratory methods.
