tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7447544468792389936.post7239013601600089427..comments2024-02-26T21:18:23.165-08:00Comments on CHIMERAS: Antiviral drugs to fight the flu: yes or no?Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09922888671399516573noreply@blogger.comBlogger5125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7447544468792389936.post-65282413076235327112013-02-14T21:21:44.302-08:002013-02-14T21:21:44.302-08:00Thank goodness for wikipedia:
http://en.wikipedia...Thank goodness for wikipedia:<br /><br />http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sensitivity_and_specificity<br /><br />OK, so: <br /><br />sensitivity = probability of correctly identifying a positive<br />specificity = probability of correctly identifying a negative<br /><br />Thanks, Kat, that's really interesting. I pick the wash/aspirate. :-) <br />Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09922888671399516573noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7447544468792389936.post-8226037034957683152013-02-14T21:13:40.521-08:002013-02-14T21:13:40.521-08:00Ack, now I have to dust off my epidemiology book.....Ack, now I have to dust off my epidemiology book... specificity and sensitivity, shoot, could never get them straight... BRB. :-)Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09922888671399516573noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7447544468792389936.post-28725061215700918232013-02-14T21:09:33.779-08:002013-02-14T21:09:33.779-08:00I'd like to believe that doctors would be resp...I'd like to believe that doctors would be responsible but even in the face of antibiotic resistance many give out antibiotics like candy if the patient whines enough. I don't have a lot of hope on that front. <br /><br />As for the false positive/false negative thing my google-fu led me to the FDA website ( http://www.fda.gov/MedicalDevices/Safety/AlertsandNotices/TipsandArticlesonDeviceSafety/ucm109385.htm ). It was updated in November so I'm guessing it's a fairly accurate assessment of the current state of flu detection. antisocialbutterflienoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7447544468792389936.post-30187167864690135902013-02-14T20:51:20.238-08:002013-02-14T20:51:20.238-08:00Those are excellent points. I thought about that e...Those are excellent points. I thought about that exactly, by the time you "know" you have the flu, it's already too late. It's the doctor's responsibility, though, to tell you what the drug can and, most importantly, CANNOT do for you. Of course you want it to go away fast, but if the drug has a low chance of making it happen, and a low chance to harm you, why take the risk?<br /><br />The flu vs. cold thing is quite worrisome too, however, it's my understanding that they test for flu before prescribing the drug. I haven't looked this up -- do you happen to know how reliable the flu test is, in terms of false positive rate?Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09922888671399516573noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7447544468792389936.post-52504873190639342722013-02-14T20:42:47.245-08:002013-02-14T20:42:47.245-08:00Logically I agree with all the points against the ...Logically I agree with all the points against the use of antivirals. It seems unlikely that they would be used responsibly in a clinical setting. The general population doesn't understand the flu enough to even tell when they have it versus a cold. And if you think about it how likely is it that you will get to the doctor early enough for the drug to be effective? As fast as the flu mutates it's a recipe for disaster. <br /><br />However the last time I had the actual flu all I wanted to do was curl into a ball and die. I haven't missed a vaccine since. I would have given anything to make it stop. I can't really blame anyone for wanting the drugs if there was even a fraction of a chance to reduce the misery. <br /><br />I don't think there is really a winner in this debate. antisocialbutterflienoreply@blogger.com