Asthma and other allergic conditions in Colombia: a study in 6 cities.

BACKGROUND: No detailed information is available on the burden and impact of allergic diseases simultaneously for adults and children in Colombia and most Latin American countries. OBJECTIVES: To investigate the prevalence of asthma, allergic rhinitis, and atopic dermatitis symptoms in 6 cities in Colombia; to measure patient expenses and school days and workdays lost; to describe disease severity; and to determine levels of total and specific IgE in asthmatic subjects. METHODS: A multistage stratified random sample selection of schools with subjects aged 5 to 18 years in each city was used. Guardian subjects selected were contacted, and home visits were arranged. Subjects aged 1 to 4 years and older than 19 years were also selected randomly by systematic sampling based on the addresses of the subjects aged 5 to 18 years. Subjects with asthma symptoms were invited to provide a blood sample. RESULTS: Information was obtained from 6,507 subjects. The prevalence of asthma, rhinitis, and atopic dermatitis symptoms in the past 12 months was 10.4% (95% confidence interval [CI], 9.7%-11.1%), 22.6% (95% CI, 21.6%-23.6%), and 3.9% (95% CI, 3.4%-4.4%), respectively. Thirty-eight percent of asthmatic subjects had visited the emergency department or have been hospitalized, and 50% reported lost school days and workdays. Seventy-six percent of sampled asthmatic patients were considered to be atopic. CONCLUSIONS: The burden of disease and societal consequences of allergic entities in urban settings in countries such as Colombia are of concern but are largely ignored, perhaps because of the misconception that these diseases are of public health importance only in industrialized nations.

Biologia de las cucarachas: agentes sensibilizantes / Biology of cockroach: sensitized agents

Basándose en evidencias fosilizadas, se calcula que las cucarachas han estado presentes en la tierra por lo menos durante 300 millones de años, adaptándose constantemente a un medio ambiente cambiante. Este indiscutible éxito les permite colonizar cualquier hábitat y lugar del mundo. Es más, están especialmente adaptadas para sobrevivir con éxito en los ámbitos humanos, concretamente son especialistas en encontrar un microclima que favorezca su reproducción, desarrollo y supervivencia en un medio que les es hostil. Mundialmente se han logrado identificar cerca de 3500 especies de cucarachas, de las cuales 19 tienen importancia médica, y de éstas solo siete se pueden considerar realmente como una plaga