Psycho-emotional impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on nursing professionals in Ecuador: a cross-sectional study.

AIM AND OBJECTIVES: To analyse the levels of anxiety, depression, post-traumatic stress, and burnout among nursing professionals working in the Imbabura region of Ecuador during the COVID-19 pandemic and identify the contributing socio-occupational factors. BACKGROUND: The high demand for care of COVID-19 patients led to increased work pressure on nurses, owing to increased demands for care and shortages of medical supplies and protective equipment. DESIGN: A cross-sectional study was conducted from September to December 2022 using a self-administered questionnaire addressed to nursing professionals who cared for COVID-19 patients. METHODS: The questionnaire included socio-demographic characteristics, the Spanish adaptation of Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS-Spanish), Impact of Event Scale-Revised (IES-R) for the evaluation of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and the Spanish adaptation of the Maslach Burnout Inventory-Human Services Survey (MBI-HSS-Spanish) for burnout assessment. Univariate and multivariate analyses were performed. RESULTS: Of the 782 participants, 88.6% had a high level of burnout (MBI-HSS-Spanish scale score > 27). Female nurses, nurses with eight-hour work shifts, and older professionals exhibited high levels of anxiety and depression. Prolonged working hours in COVID-19 patient care services were found to be a risk factor for burnout and post-traumatic stress. CONCLUSIONS: Participating nurses presented with a high level of chronic work stress and exhibited signs of anxiety and depression during the period under consideration. Providing nurses with psychological support measures and performing liaison consultations will alleviate the psychological burden on nurses. RELEVANCE TO CLINICAL PRACTICE: The study has shown that accounting for the environments where the emotional impact is greatest and how to reduce it would not only reduce anxiety, depression, and burnout in nurses but also improve the quality of care, not only in pandemic. PATIENT OR PUBLIC CONTRIBUTION: Nurses contributed to the conduct of the study by participating in the data collection via questionaries.

Medicine and the metaverse: current applications and future.

Innovative technologies such as the metaverse and chat GPT-4 (based on artificial intelligence) are present in the daily discourse of society; recently, they have been introduced into medical practice and are bringing about important changes. In the case of the metaverse ("beyond the universe"), various medical schools and departments around the world are beginning to use it as an innovative strategy for teaching subjects such as anatomy, histology, ophthalmology, and simulation in parallel (virtual) worlds for learning and supervision of surgeries, as well as for other applications in medical education and in the doctor-patient relationship. Although it should be regarded as an area of opportunity for the transformation of medicine, it is important to consider the various limitations and risks of the metaverse in medical practice, student training, and physicians' relationship with the health problems they have to deal with in their practice.

Las innovadoras tecnologías del metaverso y el chat GPT4 (basado en inteligencia artificial) están presentes en el discurso cotidiano de la sociedad; recientemente se han introducido en la práctica médica y están provocando importantes cambios. En cuanto al metaverso ("después del universo"), diversas escuelas y facultades de medicina del mundo comienzan a utilizarlo como una estrategia innovadora dirigida a la enseñanza de materias como anatomía, histología, oftalmología y simulación en mundos paralelos (virtuales) para el aprendizaje y supervisión de cirugías, así como para otras aplicaciones en educación médica y en la relación médico-paciente. Si bien debe tomarse en cuenta como un área de oportunidad para la transformación de la medicina, es importante considerar las diversas limitaciones y riesgos del metaverso en la práctica médica, la formación de estudiantes y la relación del médico con los problemas de salud a los que se enfrenta en su práctica.

ChatGPT: opportunities and risks in the fields of medical care, teaching, and research.

ChatGPT is a virtual assistant with artificial intelligence (AI) that uses natural language to communicate, i.e., it holds conversations as those that would take place with another human being. It can be applied at all educational levels, including medical education, where it can impact medical training, research, the writing of scientific articles, clinical care, and personalized medicine. It can modify interactions between physicians and patients and thus improve the standards of healthcare quality and safety, for example, by suggesting preventive measures in a patient that sometimes are not considered by the physician for multiple reasons. ChatGPT potential uses in medical education, as a tool to support the writing of scientific articles, as a medical care assistant for patients and doctors for a more personalized medical approach, are some of the applications discussed in this article. Ethical aspects, originality, inappropriate or incorrect content, incorrect citations, cybersecurity, hallucinations, and plagiarism are some examples of situations to be considered when using AI-based tools in medicine.

ChatGPT es un asistente virtual con inteligencia artificial que utiliza lenguaje natural para comunicarse, es decir, mantiene conversaciones como las que se tendrían con otro humano. Puede aplicarse en educación a todos los niveles, que incluye la educación médica, en donde puede impactar en la formación, la investigación, la escritura de artículos científicos, la atención clínica y la medicina personalizada. Puede modificar la interacción entre médicos y pacientes para mejorar los estándares de calidad de la atención médica y la seguridad, por ejemplo, al sugerir medidas preventivas en un paciente que en ocasiones no son consideradas por el médico por múltiples causas. Los usos potenciales del ChatGPT en la educación médica, como una herramienta de ayuda en la redacción de artículos científicos, un asistente en la atención para pacientes y médicos para una práctica más personalizada, son algunas de las aplicaciones que se analizan en este artículo. Los aspectos éticos, originalidad, contenido inapropiado o incorrecto, citas incorrectas, ciberseguridad, alucinaciones y plagio son ejemplos de las situaciones a tomar en cuenta al usar las herramientas basadas en inteligencia artificial en medicina.

Access to SARS-CoV-2 diagnostic tests: are there barriers for the immigrants in Italy?

OBJECTIVES: to describe the epidemiology of SARS-CoV-2 infection in relation with the use of nasal swabs in the immigrant population in Italy, using data from the COVID-19 national surveillance system and to verify if a difference is present comparing natives and immigrant. DESIGN: descriptive study based on longitudinal health-administrative data. SETTING AND PARTICIPANTS: general population of six Italian Regions (Piedmont, Lombardy, Veneto, Emilia-Romagna, Tuscany, Lazio) covering about 55% of the resident population and 72% of foreigners' population. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: regional rates of access to at least a nasal swab, separately by country of origin. RESULTS: across all the periods, a lower rate in the foreigners' group was observed, with the only exception of the period May-June 2021. Considering separately High Migratory Pressure Countries (HMPCs) and Highly Developed Countries (HDCs), a higher proportion of nasal swabs performed in people coming from HDC with respect to HMPCs and natives was noticed. This observation is consistent in males and females. CONCLUSIONS: during the first wave of the pandemic, Italians have had a higher proportion of nasal swabs compared to migrants across all Regions. This difference disappeared in the following periods, probably due to a major availability of diagnostic tests.

Impact of daily variable temperatures in life-history traits of tropical anurans.

Anuran embryos and tadpoles are daily exposed to wide thermal variations in their ponds, with maximum temperatures at midday. The aim of this research was to study the impact of three daily variable thermal environments (with maximum experimental temperatures between 10:00 and 16:00 hours), on the survival, developmental time and body size of metamorphs of four tropical anuran species from lowland habitats in Colombia. A total of 50 embryos (Gosner stage ten) to metamorphosis (Gosner stage 46) of Rhinella humboldti, Hypsiboas crepitans and Engystomops pustulosus were exposed to each one of the three daily variable temperature treatments: high temperature (mean = 27.5 °C; maximum temperature = 34 ± 1 °C; range = 23-35 °C), medium temperature (25.5 °C; 29 ± 1 °C; 23-30 °C), and low temperature (24 °C; 24 ± 1 °C; 23-25 °C). For the other species, Espadarana prosoblepon, 40 embryos to metamorphosis were exposed to each one of the following thermal treatments: high temperature (mean = 22 °C; maximum temperature = 25 ± 1 °C; range = 18-26 °C), medium temperature (20.5 °C; 22 ± 1 °C; 18-23 °C), and low temperature (19 °C; 19 ± 1 °C; 18-20 °C). For all species, the thermal variable environment with the highest temperature showed the greatest accumulated survival, reduced significantly the developmental time from embryos to metamorphs, and the snout-vent-length of metamorphs. Therefore, under field conditions where ponds are exposed to thermally variable environments, the highest temperatures may promote a decrease in the period of time to metamorphosis, and a positive increase for the anuran survival; nevertheless, extreme temperatures were also found in the microhabitat of the species studied, higher than their upper thermal limits reported, which suggest a vulnerable situation for them and other tropical anurans from similar habitats.

Spontaneous Subcapsular Renal Hematoma as Cause of Hypovolemic Shock in a Chronic Hemodialysis Patient.

Subcapsular renal hematomas may appear spontaneously in patients in chronic hemodialysis, though other causes as neoplasms, vasculitis, and infections should be excluded. Patients may present with abdominal pain and hemorrhagic shock; hence, early diagnosis is vital. Nephrectomy or renal artery embolization are suitable treatment options.

Positron emission tomography and its role in the assessment of vulnerable plaques in comparison to other imaging modalities.

The diagnosis and management of vulnerable plaques are topics of high interest in the cardiovascular field. Although imaging techniques like computed tomography angiography (MCTA) and ultrasonography (USG) can structurally evaluate atherosclerotic plaques, they are limited in examining internal cellular processes. Positron emission tomography (PET) molecular imaging, on the other hand, can highlight these cellular processes, including inflammation, angiogenesis, and lipid oxidation. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is also a valuable non-invasive imaging technique that can provide detailed anatomical and functional information on the cardiovascular system. In this review, we compare the advantages and drawbacks of MCTA, USG and MRI imaging techniques with PET molecular imaging in evaluating vulnerable plaques. PET imaging allows physicians to measure different pathophysiological events within the plaque using intravenous radiotracers, of which 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose (18F-FDG) is the most validated one. By using 18F-FDG, physicians can understand the formation of the plaque, assess the accumulation of macrophages, and predict major cardiovascular events. However, some limitations exist in using 18F-FDG, including myocardial uptake and low sensitivity in imaging coronary arteries. We also mention other radiotracers that can help in evaluating vulnerable plaques, including 18F-NaF. Although PET imaging is still challenging, it has shown promise in evaluating vulnerable plaques and could be used to intervene in high-risk patients before major cardiovascular events occur.

Role of the Antioxidant Activity of Melatonin in Myocardial Ischemia-Reperfusion Injury.

Ischemia-reperfusion injury is a common problem in the age of interventional cardiology; it is primarily mediated by oxidative stress and reactive agents. Melatonin has antioxidative properties that make its use promising for treating ischemia-reperfusion injury. Multiple experimental studies in murine and porcine models have been performed with good results. Clinical trials have also been conducted but given their heterogeneity, no conclusive results can be made. Melatonin pharmacokinetic properties are not ideal; therefore, many analogs have been proposed with improved characteristics, and some studies have evaluated their efficacy in animal models, but clinical trials are needed to recommend their use. In this review, we expose the results of the most impactful studies regarding melatonin use in ischemia-reperfusion injury.

Validation of an evaluation instrument for responders in tactical casualty care simulations.

OBJECTIVE: to construct and validate a tool for the evaluation of responders in tactical casualty care simulations. METHOD: three rubrics for the application of a tourniquet, an emergency bandage and haemostatic agents recommended by the Hartford Consensus were developed and validated. Validity and reliability were studied. Validation was performed by 4 experts in the field and 36 nursing participants who were selected through convenience sampling. Three rubrics with 8 items were evaluated (except for the application of an emergency bandage, for which 7 items were evaluated). Each simulation was evaluated by 3 experts. RESULTS: an excellent score was obtained for the correlation index for the 3 simulations and 2 levels that were evaluated (competent and expert). The mean score for the application of a tourniquet was 0.897, the mean score for the application of an emergency bandage was 0.982, and the mean score for the application of topical haemostats was 0.805. CONCLUSION: this instrument for the evaluation of nurses in tactical casualty care simulations is considered useful, valid and reliable for training in a prehospital setting for both professionals who lack experience in tactical casualty care and those who are considered to be experts.

Desarrollo linguo-comunicativo en el Inglés con fines profesionales. Un estudio de caso

Un apreciable impacto lo constituye el desarrollo linguo-comunicativo en el Inglés con fines profesionales del estomatólogo para la comunicación profesional, sus habilidades comunicativas mejoran con la práctica intensiva y extensiva del idioma extranjero, lo cual garantiza adaptar la comunicación a los contextos diversos (docencia, asistencia e investigación) y posibilita la construcción de un discurso basado en su producción oral. Presentamos el caso de una estomatóloga que ingresó en el curso de superación idiomática y descubrimos aptitudes para la lengua extranjera, se les realizaron pruebas orales y escritas en situaciones comunicativas profesionales y su trayectoria se elevó con su preparación hasta obtener los niveles B1 y B2 según el Marco Común Europeo de Referencia para las Lenguas y sus suscriptores. El desarrollo linguo-comunicativo en el Inglés con Fines Profesionales (IFP) en estomatología si no se entrena con sistematicidad implica una disminución en lo lingüístico-profesional estomatológica y reduce ampliamente el nivel científico actualizado por los resultados que el mundo de la ciencia estomatológica engloba en los circuitos internacionales de poder de información anglófonos. Ante la creciente demanda de la preparación idiomática para los profesionales de la salud de la provincia, se necesita evaluar y entrenar la capacidad lingüístico-profesional en los estomatólogos. El estudio de caso demuestra que con una intensiva y extensiva práctica del IFP se puede comunicar el estomatólogo en los contextos diversos (docencia, asistencia e investigación).

An appreciable impact is the linguo-communicative development in English for professional purposes of the stomatologist for professional communication, their communicative skills improve with the intensive and extensive practice of the foreign language, which guarantees to adapt communication to different contexts (teaching, assistance and research) and enables the construction of a discourse based on their oral production. We present the case of a stomatologist who entered the language improvement course and we discovered foreign language skills, oral and written tests were carried out in professional communicative situations and her career rose with her preparation to obtain levels B1 and B2 according to the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages and its subscribers. The linguo-communicative development in English for Professional Purposes (IFP) in stomatology if it is not trained systematically implies a decrease in the linguistic-professional stomatology and greatly reduces the scientific level updated by the results that the world of stomatological science encompasses in the international circuits of English-speaking information power. Given the growing demand for language preparation for health professionals in the province, it is necessary to evaluate and train the linguistic-professional capacity in stomatologists. The case study demonstrates that with an intensive and extensive practice of the IFP the stomatologist can communicate in the different contexts (teaching, assistance and research).

Um impacto apreciável é o desenvolvimento linguo-comunicativo em inglês para fins profissionais do estomatologista para a comunicação profissional, suas habilidades comunicativas melhoram com a prática intensiva e extensiva da língua estrangeira, o que garante a adaptação da comunicação a diferentes contextos (ensino, assistência e pesquisa) e possibilita a construção de um discurso a partir de sua produção oral. Apresentamos o caso de uma estomatóloga que ingressou no curso de aperfeiçoamento linguístico e descobrimos habilidades em língua estrangeira, testes orais e escritos foram realizados em situações comunicativas profissionais e sua carreira aumentou com sua preparação para obter os níveis B1 e B2 de acordo com o Quadro Europeu Comum de Referência para Línguas e seus assinantes. O desenvolvimento linguo-comunicativo em Inglês para Fins Profissionais (IFP) em estomatologia, se não for treinado sistematicamente, implica uma diminuição da estomatologia linguístico-profissional e reduz sobremaneira o nível científico, atualizado pelos resultados que o mundo da ciência estomatológica engloba nos circuitos internacionais de poder informacional de língua inglesa. Dada a crescente demanda de preparação linguística para os profissionais de saúde na província, faz-se necessário avaliar e treinar a capacidade linguístico-profissional em estomatologistas. O estudo de caso demonstra que com uma prática intensiva e extensiva do IFP o estomatologista pode se comunicar nos diferentes contextos (ensino, assistência e pesquisa).

Comorbilidades relacionadas con la severidad de la COVID-19 en adultos. Hospital San Vicente de Paúl. 2021

Fundamento: el estudio de las características clínicas de las personas contagiadas por COVID-19 ha evidenciado que factores como la edad avanzada, sexo masculino y la presencia de comorbilidades están asociados a la variabilidad clínica de esta enfermedad. Objetivo: determinar las comorbilidades relacionadas con la severidad de la COVID-19. Métodos: investigación realizada en el Hospital San Vicente de Paúl, que incluyó 200 pacientes ingresados por COVID-19. La recolección de información se realizó a través de las historias clínicas y se categorizó el grado de severidad de COVID-19. Se empleó el Chi cuadrado de Pearson con un nivel de significación del 95 %, p≤ 0,005 y la prueba Odds Ratio para estimación de riesgo. Resultados: el 53 % de los pacientes pertenece al sexo masculino y el 61,5 % presentó al menos una comorbilidad; la hipertensión arterial fue la más reportada (35 %); el 70 % predominó con una enfermedad grave y el 2,5 % falleció. Además, la enfermedad pulmonar obstructiva crónica se asoció a mayor riesgo de desarrollar una enfermedad leve a moderada de COVID-19. Conclusiones: el estudio propició realizar un seguimiento acerca de la asociación entre comorbolidades conforme avanzaba la pandemia y utilizar la información como factor pronóstico para orientar la intervención temprana y un abordaje terapéutico adecuado.

Foundation: the study of the clinical characteristics of people infected with COVID-19 has shown that factors such as advanced age, male gender and the presence of comorbidities are associated with the clinical variability of this disease. Objective: to determine the comorbidities related to the severity of COVID-19 infections. Methods: research carried out at the San Vicente de Paul Hospital, which includes 200 patients admitted for COVID-19. The collection of information was carried out through the medical records and the degree of severity of COVID-19 was categorized. Pearson's Chi square was used with a significance level of 95%, p≤ 0.005 and the Odds Ratio test for risk estimation. Results: 53% of the patients belong to the male sex and 61.5% presented at least one comorbidity, and arterial hypertension was the most reported (35%); 70% predominated with a serious disease and 2.5% died. Furthermore, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease was associated with an increased risk of developing mild to moderate illness from COVID-19. Conclusions: the study favors monitoring the association between comorbidities as the pandemic progressed and using the information as a prognostic factor to guide early intervention and an appropriate therapeutic approach.

Complicaciones neurológicas asociadas a la COVID-19. Hospital San Vicente de Paúl, 2021

Fundamento la COVID-19 es causada por el virus del SARS-Cov-2 y presenta una amplia sintomatología, tanto en su fase aguda como en su fase crónica. Entre los sistemas que afecta se encuentra el Nervioso, debido a su mecanismo neurotrópico. Objetivo determinar el riesgo de complicaciones neurológicas asociadas a la severidad de la COVID-19 en pacientes adultos. Métodos se realizó un estudio descriptivo y transversal, que incluyó a 143 pacientes positivos a COVID-19 atendidos en el Hospital San Vicente de Paúl, de Ibarra, Ecuador, durante el año de 2021. Se analizaron las complicaciones neurológicas y la severidad de la COVID-19. Como medida de asociación para dichas variables, se utilizó Test de Fisher (p = ≤ 0,05) y se realizó un análisis bivariado. Resultados el 54 % de los pacientes presentó complicaciones neurológicas del Sistema Nervioso Central, mientras que el 46 % fue del Sistema Nervioso Periférico; y fue la severidad leve-moderada la de mayor frecuencia (41 %), y la alteración auditiva la que mayor probabilidad estadística tuvo de presentarse (OR= 74,968; IC: 95 %). La tasa de letalidad en estos pacientes fue de 7,1 %; y en aquellos con complicaciones neurológicas, de 8,4 %. Conclusión las secuelas neurológicas con mayor probabilidad de presentarse fueron la alteración auditiva y la alteración del gusto, en pacientes con severidad leve y severidad grave, respectivamente; además de polineuropatía en pacientes con severidad crítica, la cual también se presentó en pacientes fallecidos.

Background COVID-19 is caused by the SARS-Cov-2 virus and presents a wide range of symptoms, both in its acute phase and in its chronic phase. Among the systems that it affects is the Nervous, due to its neurotropic mechanism. Objective to determine the risk of neurological complications associated with the COVID-19 severity in adult patients. Methods a descriptive and cross-sectional study was carried out, which included 143 positive patients for COVID-19 treated at the San Vicente de Paúl Hospital, in Ibarra, Ecuador, during 2021. Neurological complications and the severity of the COVID-19 disease were analyzed. As a measure of association for these variables, the Fisher Test was used (p = ≤ 0.05) and a bivariate analysis was performed. Results 54% of the patients presented neurological complications of the Central Nervous System, while 46% were of the Peripheral Nervous System; and mild-moderate severity was the most frequent (41%), and hearing impairment had the highest statistical probability of occurring (OR= 74.968; CI: 95%). The case fatality rate in these patients was 7.1%; and in those with neurological complications, 8.4%. Conclusion the neurological sequelae most likely to occur were hearing impairment and taste impairment, in patients with mild severity and serious severity, respectively; in addition to polyneuropathy in patients with critical severity, which also occurred in deceased patients.

Dx-Care: A Device to Help in the Diagnosis of Care Problems.

The diagnosis of care problems is a complex process that involves many variables and inferences. This competence begins to acquire during the student stage, but matures later. The qualified professional continues to settle and perfect this judgment ability. Expert Systems are technologies that can help in making decisions such as diagnosis. The objective of this study is to build an Expert System in order to help in diagnosis of care problems by means of taxonomic triangulation technique. The deductive method follows three phases that result in the representation of expert knowledge through an associative network, the construction of a verified and validated prototype and, finally, the design of an app through a document of requirements specification in IEEE standard.

The Dimensions of Care: Big Data Analysis in Health Information Systems.

The axioms of care postulate energy and time as underlying entities that allow us to study the dimensions of the person as care: the sorge. Logic allows to formalize the deductive study of sorge knowledge in order to determine what are the dimensions of care. These dimensions will be the guiding framework in the analysis of big data contained in health information systems.

La medicina y el metaverso: aplicaciones actuales y futuro / Medicine and the metaverse: current applications and future

Resumen Las innovadoras tecnologías del metaverso y el chat GPT4 (basado en inteligencia artificial) están presentes en el discurso cotidiano de la sociedad; recientemente se han introducido en la práctica médica y están provocando importantes cambios. En cuanto al metaverso ("después del universo"), diversas escuelas y facultades de medicina del mundo comienzan a utilizarlo como una estrategia innovadora dirigida a la enseñanza de materias como anatomía, histología, oftalmología y simulación en mundos paralelos (virtuales) para el aprendizaje y supervisión de cirugías, así como para otras aplicaciones en educación médica y en la relación médico-paciente. Si bien debe tomarse en cuenta como un área de oportunidad para la transformación de la medicina, es importante considerar las diversas limitaciones y riesgos del metaverso en la práctica médica, la formación de estudiantes y la relación del médico con los problemas de salud a los que se enfrenta en su práctica.

Abstract Innovative technologies such as the metaverse and chat GPT-4 (based on artificial intelligence) are present in the daily discourse of society; recently, they have been introduced into medical practice and are bringing about important changes. In the case of the metaverse ("beyond the universe"), various medical schools and departments around the world are beginning to use it as an innovative strategy for teaching subjects such as anatomy, histology, ophthalmology, and simulation in parallel (virtual) worlds for learning and supervision of surgeries, as well as for other applications in medical education and in the doctor-patient relationship. Although it should be regarded as an area of opportunity for the transformation of medicine, it is important to consider the various limitations and risks of the metaverse in medical practice, student training, and physicians' relationship with the health problems they have to deal with in their practice.

Coronary Artery Disease in Women: Getting to Know Gender Related Disparities

Abstract Coronary artery disease (CAD) and ischemic heart disease (IHD) are often indistinctly used terms. Both combined have generated, over the past years, concerns about sex disparities in their presentation. From an epidemiological perspective, females have several disadvantages regarding the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of CAD. Most of the general cardiovascular risk factors affect women more frequently, or with a higher morbidity and mortality association. Besides, atypical manifestations of the disease and uncommon forms of CAD represent a diagnostic challenge for clinicians. Even if current treatments for CAD have no apparent sex bias, women representation in clinical trials and treatment patterns analyzed in clinical practice refuse this statement. Several disparities are caused by inevitable sex-particularities, but many of them are more social, cultural, and dogmatic beliefs that have to be addressed and overhaul.

Autoanticuerpos y sistema de histocompatibilidad en pacientes con diagnóstico de artritis reumatoide / Autoantibodies and histocompatibility system in patients diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis

RESUMEN Introducción: La artritis reumatoide es una enfermedad autoinmune con patrón genético consistente en alteraciones del sistema de histocompatibilidad; el HLA DR4 es el patrón más frecuentemente reportado. Objetivo: Identificar la existencia de relación entre alteraciones genéticas y seropositividad en pacientes con diagnóstico de artritis reumatoide. Métodos: Investigación observacional, transversal y descriptiva con universo de 157 pacientes con diagnóstico de artritis reumatoide, de los cuales 113 formaron parte de la muestra de investigación. Se determinó la presencia de anticuerpos tipo factor reumatoide y antipéptido citrulinado cíclico y se realizó estudio genético para identificar la presencia de HLA-DR3 y HLA-DR4. Se utilizó la prueba de correlación de Pearson para determinar correlación entre el patrón genético y seropositividad. Resultados: Promedio de edad de 58,74 años con desviación estándar de 18,26 años y predominio de pacientes femeninas (72,57 %). El 38,05 % presentó al menos una comorbilidad asociada. El factor reumatoide fue positivo en el 60,18 % de los pacientes, mientras que el antipéptido citrulinado cíclico positivo fue identificado en el 41,59 % de los casos estudiados. Se identificó alteraciones del patrón genético en el 66,37 % de los pacientes; el HLA DR4 estuvo presente de forma independiente en el 38,67 % de los casos positivos y combinado con el HLA DR3 en el 20,66 %. Conclusión: Se identifica correlación positiva significativa entre las alteraciones del patrón genético y la seropositividad. La presencia de alteraciones del patrón genético triplica el riesgo de seropositividad en los pacientes con artritis reumatoide.

ABSTRACT Introduction: Rheumatoid arthritis is described as an autoimmune disease in which there is a genetic pattern with alterations in the histocompatibility system; HLA DR4 being the pattern that is most frequently reported in this disease. Objective: To identify the relationship between genetic alterations and seropositivity in patients diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis. Methods: Observational, cross-sectional and descriptive research with a universe of 157 patients diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis, of which 113 were part of the research sample. The presence of rheumatoid factor and anti-cyclic citrullinated peptide antibodies was determined, and a genetic study was performed to identify the presence of HLA-DR3 and HLA-DR4. The non-parametric Pearson correlation test was used to determine the correlation between the genetic pattern and seropositivity. Results: Average age of 58.74 years with a predominance of female patients (72.57 %); 38.05 % presented at least one associated comorbidity. Rheumatoid factor was positive in 60.18 % of the patients, while positive anti-cyclic citrullinated peptide was identified in 41.59 % of the cases studied. Genetic pattern alterations were identified in 66.37 % of the patients; HLA DR4 was present independently in 38.67 % of the positive cases and combined with HLA DR3 in 20.66 %. Conclusion: A significant positive correlation was identified between alterations in the genetic pattern and seropositivity. The presence of genetic pattern alterations triples the risk of seropositivity in patients with rheumatoid arthritis.