Mortality Trends Related to Bladder Cancer in Spain, 1999-2018.

Bladder cancer (BC) is an important cause of premature mortality (PM, <75 years). Spain has one of the highest BC mortality rates in Europe. The objective of this study was to analyse BC mortality trends between 1999 and 2018 in Spain. The study was based on data from the National Institute of Statistics (Instituto Nacional de Estadística-INE). Age-adjusted mortality rates (AAMRs) were calculated by sex and age group. A trend analysis was performed using Joinpoint regression models and years of potential life lost (YPLL). Mortality in men resulting from BC decreased in all age groups studied. This was not observed in women, for whom mortality only decreased in the ≥75 age group. Deaths due to BC occurred prematurely in 38.6% of men and in 23.8% of women, which indicated a greater impact on YPLL in men compared to women. Over the last 20 years, there has been a significant decrease in BC mortality rate, except in women under 75 years of age. Despite this temporal trend of decreasing mortality, BC continues to have a significant impact on YPLL, mainly in men. Given this context, it is important to direct more resources towards prevention and early diagnosis strategies to correct this situation.

Influence of Puerperal Health Literacy on Tobacco Use during Pregnancy among Spanish Women: A Transversal Study.

Background: Despite the fact that tobacco use during pregnancy produces adverse perinatal effects, some women continue to smoke. Health literacy (HL) is essential for health outcomes in adults. However, little is known about HL in pregnant women or postpartum women. The study aimed to analyse the relationship between the degree of HL of women during the early puerperium and tobacco use during pregnancy. METHODS: A multicentre, descriptive, cross-sectional study was carried out with women in the early puerperium in a region of eastern Spain, between November 2017 and May 2018. Their HL level was obtained using the Newest Vital Sign (NVS) tool. Multivariate logistic models were adjusted to estimate the magnitude of association with tobacco use in pregnancy. Odds ratios (OR) were estimated with a 95% confidence interval. RESULTS: 193 were included in the total. 29.5% (57) of pregnant women smoked tobacco during pregnancy, with a smoking cessation rate of 70.1% (40) while pregnant. 42.0% (81) of pregnant women had inadequate or limited HL. A low level of HL was strongly associated with tobacco use, adjusted by catchment area and age of first pregnancy (LRT p < 0.001; ROC curve = 0.71, 95% CI: 0.64-0.79). CONCLUSION: A low HL is associated with tobacco consumption during pregnancy. Whether low HL reflects the wide constellation of already-known socioeconomic, political and commercial determinants of tobacco use, or whether incorporating HL support interventions strengthens tobacco cessation activities in pregnancy, warrants further research. Still, it should be considered as essential to understanding the health disparities related to its consumption.

Tomografía por emisión de positrones en el diagnóstico de sarcoidosis y síndrome de Löfgren / Tomography by emission of positrons in the diagnosis of sarcoidosis and Löfgren's syndrome

La sarcoidosis es una enfermedad granulomatosa no caseificante, multisistémica, de causa desconocida, que compromete el pulmón y los ganglios linfáticos mediastinales entre el 90-95 por ciento de los casos. También puede afectar otros órganos como las glándulas salivales, piel, ojos, hígado, bazo, corazón, huesos y sistema nervioso central. El compromiso torácico representa la principal causa de morbilidad con unas 10/100 000 personas al año y mortalidad. Nuestro estudio tuvo como objetivo presentar a un paciente de 45 años de edad atendido por tener manifestaciones clínicas, paraclínicas y radiográficas que permitieron establecer, sin confirmar mediante estudio histológico, el diagnóstico de una forma aguda de sarcoidosis. Su forma clínica de expresión coincidió con el síndrome de Löfgren con ensanchamiento mediastinal bilateral por linfoadenopatía hiliar, síndrome febril, eritema nudoso y artritis aguda en miembros inferiores, que desarrollan entre un 20-30 por ciento de los pacientes con sarcoidosis. Se le realizó una tomografía por emisión de positrones, cuyos resultados ofrecieron elementos diagnósticos propios de un proceso inflamatorio pulmonar alejado de las características propias de una neoplasia maligna. Después de una profunda evaluación del riesgo-beneficio, se impuso tratamiento inmunosupresor con esteroides a dosis elevadas y seguimiento estrecho. Observamos una evolución muy positiva e inmediata desde el punto de vista clínico y radiográfico. Luego de varias semanas de tratamiento se apreciaron los cambios con marcada mejoría hasta pasados 3 meses que constatamos prácticamente una casi desaparición de las imágenes radiográficas(AU)

Sarcoidosis is a multisystemic, non-caseating granulomatous disease of unknown cause that involves the lung and the mediastinal lymph nodes in between 90 percent and 95 percent of cases. It can also affect other organs, such as the salivary glands, skin, eyes, liver, spleen, heart, bones, and central nervous system. Thoracic involvement represents the main cause of morbidity and mortality in patients with this entity, which occurs in about 10 / 100,000 people a year. Our study aimed to present a 45-year-old patient treated for presenting clinical, paraclinical and radiological manifestations that allow the diagnosis of an acute form of sarcoidosis to be established without confirming by histological study. Its clinical form of expression showed the presence of Löfgren's syndrome with bilateral mediastinal widening due to hilar lymphadenopathy, febrile syndrome, erythema nodosum, and acute arthritis in the lower limbs, which 20-30 percent of patients with sarcoidosis develop. A positron emission tomography scan was performed and its results offered us diagnostic elements typical of a pulmonary inflammatory process far from the characteristics of a malignant neoplastic process(AU)

Trends in socioeconomic inequalities in preventable mortality in urban areas of 33 Spanish cities, 1996-2007 (MEDEA project).

BACKGROUND: Preventable mortality is a good indicator of possible problems to be investigated in the primary prevention chain, making it also a useful tool with which to evaluate health policies particularly public health policies. This study describes inequalities in preventable avoidable mortality in relation to socioeconomic status in small urban areas of thirty three Spanish cities, and analyses their evolution over the course of the periods 1996-2001 and 2002-2007. METHODS: We analysed census tracts and all deaths occurring in the population residing in these cities from 1996 to 2007 were taken into account. The causes included in the study were lung cancer, cirrhosis, AIDS/HIV, motor vehicle traffic accidents injuries, suicide and homicide. The census tracts were classified into three groups, according their socioeconomic level. To analyse inequalities in mortality risks between the highest and lowest socioeconomic levels and over different periods, for each city and separating by sex, Poisson regression were used. RESULTS: Preventable avoidable mortality made a significant contribution to general mortality (around 7.5%, higher among men), having decreased over time in men (12.7 in 1996-2001 and 10.9 in 2002-2007), though not so clearly among women (3.3% in 1996-2001 and 2.9% in 2002-2007). It has been observed in men that the risks of death are higher in areas of greater deprivation, and that these excesses have not modified over time. The result in women is different and differences in mortality risks by socioeconomic level could not be established in many cities. CONCLUSIONS: Preventable mortality decreased between the 1996-2001 and 2002-2007 periods, more markedly in men than in women. There were socioeconomic inequalities in mortality in most cities analysed, associating a higher risk of death with higher levels of deprivation. Inequalities have remained over the two periods analysed. This study makes it possible to identify those areas where excess preventable mortality was associated with more deprived zones. It is in these deprived zones where actions to reduce and monitor health inequalities should be put into place. Primary healthcare may play an important role in this process.