title: Value of the history in diagnosis of histological osteomalacia among Asians presenting to the NHS.
abstract: A questionnaire screening for osteomalacia was used to obtain histories from 53 consecutive Asian patients referred to a gastroenterology unit. 15 of the patients were found to have osteomalacia on subsequent histology. The questions that best distinguished between osteomalacic and non-osteomalacic patients were identified by discriminant analysis. These questions were used to derive discriminant functions by which a second sample of 45 Asian patients presenting to other parts of the National Health Service were classified as osteomalacic or non-osteomalacic. Bone histology showed false-negative and false-positive rates of 10% and 11%; the predictive value of the negative result was 97%. A short questionnaire would be a cheaper and more convenient method than biochemical screening for osteomalacia case-finding among Asian patients presenting to the NHS.
mesh_terms: D000469:Alkaline Phosphatase / Q000097:blood; D001208:Asia / Q000208:ethnology; D001706:Biopsy; D001842:Bone and Bones / Q000473:pathology*; D002118:Calcium / Q000097:blood; D005188:False Negative Reactions; D005189:False Positive Reactions; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008487:Medical History Taking; D010018:Osteomalacia / Q000097:blood / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000473:pathology; D010710:Phosphates / Q000097:blood; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D006113:United Kingdom
chemical_list: D010710:Phosphates; D000469:Alkaline Phosphatase; D002118:Calcium