Risk for post-thrombotic syndrome after lower-limb deep vein thrombosis: location of the thrombus or residual thrombi? / Risk razvitiia posttromboflebiticheskogo sindroma posle tromboza glubokikh ven nizhnikh konechnostei: lokalizatsiia tromba ili rezidual'nyi tromboz?

BACKGROUND: Many works aimed to determine factors that influence the onset of postthrombotic syndrome after an acute episode of deep venous thrombosis. We aimed to compare the prognostic value of the most proximal extent of thrombus (proximal and distal DVT) versus the residual thrombosis as identified by venous ultrasonography performed during follow-up. METHOD: We conducted a retrospective study of prospectively collected 1183 consecutive cohort patients in the RIETE registry after a first episode of deep venous thrombosis and assessed for postthrombotic syndrome after 12 months. RESULTS: Multivariate analysis revealed that: residual thrombosis (OR 1.40; 95% CI 0,88-2,21), the presence of cancer (OR 1.38; 95% CI: 0,64-2,97), immobility (OR 1.31; 95% CI 0,70-2,43) and estrogen-containing drugs use (OR 2.08, 95% CI 0,63-6,83), all had a predictive value for the occurrence of PTS. CONCLUSION: Our study results revealed that ultrasound finding of residual thrombosis is more predictive than proximal location of thrombus for postthrombotic syndrome after episode of deep venous thrombosis. Real life data from a large group of patients from the RIETE registry substantiates that.

Brachial-ankle pulse wave velocity with a custom device. / Velocidad de onda de pulso brazo-tobillo con un dispositivo propio.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: The brachial-ankle pulse wave velocity (baPWV) is one of the most widely used arterial stiffness variables for assessing vascular risk. The abiPWV is a device that calculates various PWVs and the blood pressure ankle-brachial index (ABI). The device can also determine baPWV. The aim of this study was to calculate the baPWV with abiPWV, validate it with a reference device (VaSera) and study its clinical usefulness. PATIENTS AND METHODS: We studied 113 patients (mean age, 53±12years), 59 (52%) of whom were women, and 10 (8.8%) of whom had a previous cardiovascular event. The participants were classified according to cardiovascular risk factors (CRFs) into groupI (none), groupII (1 or 2 CRFs) and groupIII (3 or more CRFs). The patients with a previous cardiovascular event were included in groupIII. All participants had their baPWV measured with abiPWV and VaSera. RESULTS: The baPWV correlation between the 2 devices was r=0.93 (P<.001), and the percentage error calculated with the Bland-Altman analysis was 4.5%. The baPWV measured with abiPWV (in m/s) was as follows: groupI, 10.5±1.6; groupII, 13.8±2.9 (P<.001 when compared with groupI); and groupIII, 14.1±2.7 (P<.001 when compared with groupI). There were no differences between groupsII and III. The results with VaSera were comparable to those of abiPWV. CONCLUSIONS: Measuring baPWV with the abiPWV is safe and has a similar clinical utility to that of VaSera. Incorporating this function into the options of abiPWV makes it a complete device for assessing arterial stiffness.

Association between arterial stiffness and fat mass in patients with obesity.

OBJECTIVE: The aim is to observe whether body composition in patients with high-risk obesity (body mass index >35 or between 30 and 34.9kg/m2 with a waist circumference greater than 102cm in men or greater than 88cm in women) is related with vascular disease. METHODS: This is a cross-sectional study of patients with high-risk obesity. Their fat mass was measured through bioimpedance and arterial stiffness through pulse wave velocity (PWV). Tertiles of patients were analyzed according to PWV distribution. RESULTS: A total of 59 patients were analyzed. As PWV increased, BMI (p=0.02) and fat mass content (p<0.00) increased. There was also a significant increase in inflammation indicators. CONCLUSIONS: In patients with high-risk obesity, there were differences in their body composition which were associated with changes in arterial stiffness and inflammatory burden.

Brachial-ankle pulse wave velocity with a custom device.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: The brachial-ankle pulse wave velocity (baPWV) is one of the most widely used arterial stiffness variables for assessing vascular risk. The abiPWV is a device that calculates various PWVs and the blood pressure ankle-brachial index (ABI). The device can also determine baPWV. The aim of this study was to calculate the baPWV with abiPWV, validate it with a reference device (VaSera) and study its clinical usefulness. PATIENTS AND METHODS: We studied 113 patients (mean age, 53 ±â€¯12 years), 59 (52%) of whom were women, and 10 (8.8%) of whom had a previous cardiovascular event. The participants were classified according to cardiovascular risk factors (CRFs) into group I (none), group II (1 or 2 CRFs) and group III (3 or more CRFs). The patients with a previous cardiovascular event were included in group III. All participants had their baPWV measured with abiPWV and VaSera. RESULTS: The baPWV correlation between the 2 devices was r = 0.93 (p < .001), and the percentage error calculated with the Bland-Altman analysis was 4.5%. The baPWV measured with abiPWV (in m/s) was as follows: group I, 10.5 ±â€¯1.6; group II, 13.8 ±â€¯2.9 (p < .001 when compared with group I); and group III, 14.1 ±â€¯2.7 (p < .001 when compared with group I). There were no differences between groups II and III. The results with VaSera were comparable to those of abiPWV. CONCLUSIONS: Measuring baPWV with the abiPWV is safe and has a similar clinical utility to that of VaSera. Incorporating this function into the options of abiPWV makes it a complete device for assessing arterial stiffness.

Homocysteinemia in hypertensive patients with renal target organ damage (mild renal dysfunction).

The prevalence of high plasmatic levels of homocysteine in hypertensive patients with mild renal dysfunction (MRD) defined by 2003 European Hypertension Society Guidelines (men plasmatic creatinine between 1.3 and 1.5; women plasmatic creatinine between 1.2 and 1.4 mg/dl) has not been previously reported. To evaluate this item 18 MRD patients were recruited (54% males, mean age 59.2 +/- 17.3 years, mean plasmatic creatinine 1.30 +/- 0.12 mg/dl). They were compared with a control group of hypertensives with normal renal function (n = 87, 42,9% males, mean age 53.6 +/- 12.3 years, mean plasmatic creatinine 0.83 +/- 0.21 mg/dl) and a group of 29 chronic renal failure patients (51.7% males, mean age 56.9 +/- 15.0 years, mean plasmatic creatinine 2.39 +/- 0.95 mg/dl). Age and sex differences are not significant, plasmatic creatinine levels are different among three groups (p <0.001, t student test). Basal homocysteine levels of CRF (19.3 +/- 7.1 micromol/l) were higher than those of control group (11,0 +/- 4,3 micromol/l) and MRD patients (14.8 +/- 5.5 micromol/l; p = 0.027 vs. CRF and p = 0.007 vs. control, Mann-Whitney test). Mean creatinine clearance was 30.3 +/- 11.5 ml/min for CRF group, significantly lower than MRD patients creatinine clearance (54.5 +/- 9.4 ml/min, p <0.001, t student test) and control ones (88,9 +/- 18,9 ml/min, p <0.001, t student test). Hypertensive patients with mild renal dysfunction showed higher and pathological levels of homocysteinemia as compared with controls, this finding might be related to the higher cardiovascular risk described in this group of patients.

[Control of the systolic blood pressure and related factors in patients with high cardiovascular risk]. / Control de la tensión arterial sistólica y factores relacionados en pacientes de alto riesgo vascular.

OBJECTIVE: To know in a good therapeutic compliance population with high cardiovascular risk (HCR), the systolic blood pressure (SBP) control-rate and the factors that could influence. MATERIAL AND METHOD: A cross-sectional observational study was carried out in a HCR hypertensive population in Cáceres (Spain). A survey of different laboratory tests, SBP in first and last visits. RESULTS: Among 388 HCR hypertensive patients, 199 (51.4%) patients with antihypertensive treatment adherence was selected. The average age was of 63 +/- 11 years, 109 (54.1%) males, 61 (30.7%) diabetes mellitus (DM) ones, the 10 years global cardiovascular risk was 22.25 +/- 8.9%, average follow-up was 16.5 +/- 8 months, means SBP was 158 +/- 22 mm Hg. 59.5% with combined treatment, generally diurets with another antihypertensive one. SBP less 140 mm Hg was observe in 23.9% and, only 13.5% less than 130 mm Hg in DM patients. SBP control was more common in less than five years hypertension diagnosis (with respect to those of more time evolution (33.8% vs 15.7%: p < 0.01). as well as, in those with beat pressure (BP) less of 60 mmHg (73.3% versus 26.7%; p < 0.0005). In multivariable analysis also influences negatively in the SBP control: upper 5 years hypertension diagnosis, OR 1.92 (1.08-3.4; p < 0.05) and, a greater BP of 60 mmHg, OR 30.3 (10.6-87: p < 0.0001). CONCLUSIONS: SBP control is difficult to obtain in a population of HCR and good therapeutic compliance, but more still in DM patients. A time of more 5 years evolution of the hypertension and, BP upper of 60 mm HG, have a negative influences in the SBP control.

[Pulse wave velocity of the leg minus that of the arm measured with a custom device correlates to the coronary calcium quantification]. / La velocidad de onda de pulso de la pierna menos brazo medida con un dispositivo propio se correlaciona con la cuantificación de calcio coronario.

OBJECTIVE: The pulse wave velocity (PWV) in the great arteries is an indicator of vascular risk. Our objective was to identify the PWV index between the arms and legs that best correlates with the coronary calcium quantification (CCQ) and to compare it with other methods. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Eight-one patients without vascular disease underwent the following measurements: CCQ; carotid intima-media thickness (IMT); carotid-femoral PWV (cfPWV), using COMPLIOR; and PWV in the arms and legs, with our own device (abiPWV, ankle brachial index PWV). RESULTS: The difference in PWVs between the leg and arm (l-a PWV) measured with abiPWV was the index that best correlated with CCQ (r=0.401, P<.001). The correlation between IMT and CCQ and between CF-PWV and CCQ were r=0.366, P=.001; and r=0.385, P=.001, respectively. For a CCQ score higher than 100 as a marker of significant coronary arteriosclerosis, the areas under the curve for l-a PWV, IMT and cfPWV were 0.721 (P=.002), 0.758 (P<.001) and 0.636 (P=.058), respectively. CONCLUSIONS: For patients without vascular disease, the l-a PWV measured with abiPWV appears to be the index that best correlates with the CCQ. This association is comparable to that between IMT and CCQ and between cfPWV and CCQ. The abiPWV is an easy-to-use device that can help improve vascular risk stratification.

[Herpes simplex encephalitis in Cáceres. An analysis of the last five years]. / Encefalitis herpética en Cáceres. Análisis de los últimos cinco años.

INTRODUCTION: Herpes simplex encephalitis (HSE) is a rare disease, although it is still the most common serious viral infection of the central nervous system. Little is currently known about its epidemiology and clinical features in our area. This paper presents a retrospective description of the clinical, diagnostic and progressive characteristics of patients diagnosed with HSE in Cáceres General Hospital, and confirmed by means of a polymerase chain reaction (PCR) study for the DNA of the herpes simplex virus over the last 5 years. CASE REPORTS: We found four patients who had been diagnosed with HSE in the last 5 years (3.3 cases/million inhabitants/year; CI at 95% of 2.42-4.18), two males and two females, with an age interval between 58 and 75 years. All the patients had high temperatures and three of them also presented neurological focus. A computerised axial tomography scan of the head performed on admission was interpreted as being normal in all cases, while magnetic resonance imaging of the head carried out in two patients showed lesions compatible with HSE in both cases. Electroencephalographic studies were carried out in two patients and revealed focusing in one of them and severe generalised involvement in the other. Analysis of the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) disclosed lymphocytic meningitis in four cases, although in one of them the study was normal on admission. In two of the patients, viral meningoencephalitis was suspected from the moment the patient was admitted to hospital. For this reason, early treatment with IV acyclovir was established and the clinical progression was good in both patients, although one of them was left with mild neurological sequelae. The other two cases, who died, had a severe underlying pathology and alternative clinical diagnoses that were reasonable on admission (extensive pneumonia and delirium tremens in one of them, and hypercapnic encephalopathy with severe chronic obstructive pulmonary disease in the other), and the clinical suspicion of HSE and the establishment of treatment were late. CONCLUSIONS: The incidence of HSE in our environment is in the upper interval of that reported in the literature. PCR analysis for the herpes simplex virus in CSF seems to have replaced brain biopsy studies as the diagnostic technique. The underlying severe chronic pathology makes it more difficult to diagnose and worsens the prognosis. A multicentre epidemiological study should be conducted to confirm these findings.

[Chlamydia psittaci and Chlamydia pneumoniae infection in Caceres]. / Infección por Chlamydia psittaci y pneumoniae en Cáceres.

OBJECTIVE: The study of the clinical and epidemiological characteristics of infectious process caused by Chlamydia pneumoniae and Chlamydia psittaci in our medium, Cáceres. METHOD: We are reviewed retrospectively clinical aspects of the patients with infections due to Chlamydia in the las five years. We accepted patients with compatible symptoms and serologic demonstration of recent infection with conventional complement fixation and/or microimmunofluorescence assay, the last used to distinguish Chlamydia pneumoniae. RESULTS: We are studied sixteen patients (9 males and 7 females), sixth median age 46.6 (26-70). Fifteen patients was diagnosed in winter. We found five cases of Chlamydia pneumoniae and three of Chlamydia psittaci. In the other eight cases we didn't distinguish between Chlamydia pneumoniae and Chlamydia psittaci. All patients had fever, accompanied by lung symptoms and pulmonary infiltrates in the 75% of them. The most frequent clinical information was the discord between the pulse and temperature (81%). Splenomegaly was observed in three patients (19%) being the diagnosis of them psitacosis. Nine patients had respiratory insufficiency and eight (50%) disturbance in hepatic enzymes. The clinical presentation in one patients was as unknown origin fever. CONCLUSIONS: The infection produced by Chlamydia in the hospitalary medium isn't much diagnosed in our unit. The months of winter favour the infection. We think that splenomegaly is the only different characteristic in these infections, suggesting psitacosis.

Natural history of venous thromboembolism in patients from the Mediterranean region. A systematic review.

BACKGROUND: Patients with cardiovascular diseases living in the Mediterranean area have a better outcome than those in other parts of the world, but it is not known whether these differences also occur with venous thromboembolism (VTE). METHODS: We searched the Medline and EMBASE databases to identify clinical trials and cohort studies of patients with VTE who had been treated with anticoagulant therapy for 3 months. Two reviewers independently extracted the data in a standardized manner. A total of 24 studies that included 7,225 patients (2,414 from the Mediterranean region and 4,811 from other regions) were analyzed. RESULTS: The patients from the Mediterranean area were predominately women and older, and the idiopathic VTE was less frequent than in other regions. Compared with patients from other regions, patients from the Mediterranean region had an increased rate of recurrent deep vein thrombosis (4.35% vs. 2.68%; odds ratio [OR], 1.65; 95% confidence interval [95% CI] 1.27-2.15), fatal recurrent VTE (0.75% vs. 0.35%; OR, 2.11; 95% CI 1.09-4.12) and fatal bleeding (0.25% vs. 0.06%; odds ratio: 3.99; 95% CI 1.00-16.0). The case-fatality rate (CFR) for recurrent VTE was 12.8% (95% CI 7.99-19.1) in the Mediterranean region and 8.41% (5.15-12.9) in other areas. The CFR for major bleeding was 11.3% (95% CI 4.72-22.1) and 3.22% (95% CI 0.83-8.53), respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Compared to other regions, patients with VTE from the Mediterranean region have greater mortality during the first 3 months of treatment due to a greater incidence of recurrent VTE and severe hemorrhaging.

Comparison of the clinical history of symptomatic isolated distal deep-vein thrombosis vs. proximal deep vein thrombosis in 11 086 patients.

BACKGROUND: The clinical significance of symptomatic isolated distal deep vein thrombosis (DVT) is uncertain. Consequently, this leads to important disparities in its management. OBJECTIVE: To examine the clinical history of isolated distal DVT and to compare it with that of proximal DVT. METHODS: Using data from the international, prospective, RIETE registry on patients with confirmed symptomatic venous thromboembolism (VTE), we compared the risk factors and 3-month outcome in patients with isolated distal DVT vs. proximal DVT. RESULTS: Eleven thousand and eighty-six patients with symptomatic DVT, but without pulmonary embolism, were included between 2001 and 2008; 1921 (17.3%) exhibited isolated distal DVT. Anticoagulant treatment was received by 89.1% (1680/1885) of isolated distal DVT and 91.8% (7911/8613) of proximal DVT patients for the entire follow-up period. Isolated distal DVTs were more associated with transient risk factors (i.e. recent travel, hospitalization, recent surgery), whereas proximal DVTs were more associated with chronic states (i.e. > or =75 years or with active cancer). At 3 months, major bleeding rate was lower in patients with isolated distal DVT (1.0% vs. 2.2%, P < 0.01), whereas VTE recurrence rate was equivalent (2.0% vs. 2.7%, P = 0.07). The mortality rate was lower in patients with isolated distal DVT (2.7% vs. 7.5%; P < 0.001); this was mainly due to a lower rate of non-VTE-related deaths (2.2% vs. 6.3%; P < 0.001). Active cancer was the main predictive factor of death in patients with isolated distal DVT. CONCLUSIONS: Proximal and isolated distal DVT patients differ in terms of risk factors and clinical outcomes, suggesting different populations. In the short term, the life expectancy of patients with isolated distal DVT depended chiefly on their cancer status.

[Obstructive sleep apneas and arteriosclerosis]. / Apneas obstructivas del sueño y arterioesclerosis.

The clinical importance of the obstructive sleep apnea syndrome underlies in its association with a major morbimortality principally in relation with adverse vascular events. Different physiopathologic mechanisms boosted by the recurrence of obstructive apnea episodes including alterations in several inflammatory mediators, metabolic factors associated with a dysfunction of vascular endothelium and the development of arterial hypertension would lead to an acceleration of the atherosclerotic process responsible in causality degree of the increment of cardiovascular disease in these patients.

[Nocardiosis in patients with human immunodeficiency virus infection in Spain]. / Nocardiosis en enfermos con infección por virus de la inmunodeficiencia humana en España.

BACKGROUND: Nocardia usually infects immunosuppressed patients, particularly with cellular immunity deficiency. Nevertheless, despite severe immunosuppression in patients infected with HIV, nocardiosis is rare among these patients. We report here two cases of nocardiosis in patients with HIV infection and review spanish literature up to 1993, with an analysis of the characteristics of this infection in our country. METHODS AND RESULTS: The two patients consumed drugs parenterally and Nocardia organism were recovered in blood cultures after 48 hours of inoculation in standard culture media. The source of the infection was cutaneous in one patient, over an area of venipuncture, and pulmonary in the other patient. Previously, eleven cases of nocardiosis had been reported in the spanish literature in patients infected with HIV. Eighty-four percent were males, and all of them consumed drugs parenterally and displayed a severe cellular immunodepression; the total CD4 lymphocyte count was lower than 100/mm3 in patients when this finding was available (6/13). At diagnosis only one patient received prophylaxis against other type of infection with antibiotics theoretically effective against Nocardia at diagnosis. The Nocardia species recovered more frequently was asteroides (77%) and the most common location was the skin (54%). Treatments more frequently employed were sulfametoxazole-trimethoprim (45%) and sulfadiazine (36%), with a good response except in those with cerebral involvement. CONCLUSIONS: Nocardiosis in patients with HIV infection is rare in Spain. In contrast with other geographical areas skin involvement was the more common form of infection. Prophylaxis with sulfametoxazole-trimethoprim against other infections could be responsible for a lower than expected incidence among this type of patients.

[Transient elevation in immunity in a senile female patient]. / Exaltación transitoria de la inmunidad en una paciente senil.

A case of an 85 year old female patient who during an infectious episode developed multiple autoimmune markers, autoantibodies, hypergammaglobulinemia, bicytopenia, hemolytic anemia, and cryoglobulinemia is described. All the anomalies disappeared during the following four weeks and during this period the patient presented no clinical manifestations. The hypothesis is that the infectious stimulus provoked a markedly exaggerated response. We highlight the rareness of this out of proportion transitory and silent immune response, emphasizing the greater cell sensibility to different stimuli in older patients.

[Utilization and effectiveness of the flu vaccination in the prevention of the hospitalization induced by cardiorespiratory decompensation in high-risk patients in Cáceres]. / Utilización y eficacia de la vacunación antigripal en la prevención de ingresos hospitalarios por descompensación cardiorrespiratoria en pacientes de alto riesgo en Cáceres.

INTRODUCTION: Despite the recommendations to vaccinate annually against the flu to all the elderly and people with various chronic diseases, these recommendations are not comon to fulfill. In this case-control study performed in the service of Internal Medicine of the Hospital of Cáceres we have analyzed the degree of utilization of the flu vaccination in the season 2000/2001 in patients over 65 years of age with high-risk chronic diseases, as well as the effectiveness of this vaccination to avoid the hospitalization induced by cardiorespiratory decompensation, in order to reduce the number of consultations to the primary care physician and in order to reduce the issue of days of hospitalization. PATIENTS OF METHOD: 227 patients over 65 years of age with chronic cardiorespiratory disease, diabetes, chronic renal insufficiency, hepatopathy, previous pneumonia, or other causes of immunosuppression were studied. Of them, 116 were admitted because of cadiac or respiratory decompensation (cases); the control group was made up of 99 patients who went to outpatient consultations, with clinical manifestations similar to the cases and they were not hospitalized during the year of study. All the participants filled a questionnaire that included demographic characteristics and data about the underlying disease; the participants were grouped according to the number of underlying disease (one, two or more), according to if had received correctly the flu vaccination, according to the number of consultations to its Family doctor during the year of the study because of respiratory infections, according to the hospitalizations during the previous year and in the patients that were hospitalized acording to the number of days of the hospitalization. RESULTS: The average age was 71 years and 63% patients had been hospitalized the previous year. The percentage of vaccinated was of 60% and the vaccination was applied most frequently to the patients older than 75 years (p < 0.001), with EPOC (p < 0.005), and with cardiac insufficiency (p < 0.01), as well as to the patients with 2 or more risk factors (p < 0.001). Differences were not observed among the cases and the controls with regard to the age, to the incidence of ICC, to the incidence of DM, nor to the presence of 2 or more risk factors; however, the patients who were hospitalized presented a greater incidence of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) (OR: 3.6; IC: 2.01-6.45) and of previous pneumonía (OR: 5.24: CI: 2.4-11-14): The factors most influencing the possibility of hospitalization were: EPOC (OR: 3.67; CI: 1.90-7.13); previous pneumonía (OR: 3.88: CI: 1.69-8.95). The estimate of hospitalizations avoided by the vaccination was of 59 (OR: 0.41; IC: 0.22-0.79). The vaccination did not decrease the number of consultations to the physician nor the days of the hospitalization. CONCLUSIONS: The flu vaccination looks underused in patients over 65 years of age with multiple diseases in the hospital environment. The vaccination seems to be effective in order to diminish the number of hospital admissions because of cardiorespiratory decompensation, even in non-epidemic seasons. We should insist on the use of the flu vaccination in these high-risk patients.