Enfermedad de Kawasaki en lactantes bajo un año de edad: un reto para el diagnóstico y tratamiento de los pacientes. Experiencia en un centro hospitalario en México / Kawasaki disease in infants under one year of age: a challenge for the diagnosis and treatment of patients. Experience in a hospital center in Mexico

Resumen Antecedentes: La enfermedad de Kawasaki (EK) en lactantes bajo un año de edad es poco frecuente en la mayoría de los países. Este grupo de pacientes tienen mayor riesgo de desarrollar complicaciones cardiacas. Objetivo: Evaluar el comportamiento clínico, tratamiento empleado y pronóstico cardiaco en lactantes bajo un año de edad atendidos por EK en un hospital pediátrico de tercer nivel en la Ciudad de México. Pacientes y Métodos: Estudio retrospectivo, descriptivo, de pacientes con diagnóstico de EK desde agosto de 1995 a agosto de 2019. Se estudió la presentación clínica, los exámenes de laboratorio, el tratamiento administrado y el desarrollo de lesiones coronarias en pacientes bajo un año de edad y se comparó con pacientes mayores. Resultados: Se estudiaron 687 pacientes, 152 de ellos eran lactantes bajo un año de edad (22,1%). Hubo un mayor tiempo al diagnóstico de la EK en los lactantes menores, con un incremento de presentaciones clínicas incompletas; este grupo de pacientes desarrolló en forma más frecuente lesiones coronarias en comparación con los pacientes mayores y también tuvo un mayor porcentaje de aneurismas coronarios gigantes. Hubo dos fallecimientos en los lactantes menores, secundarios a infarto al miocardio. Conclusiones: El diagnóstico de EK en pacientes bajo un año de edad es un reto diagnóstico con presentaciones clínicas incompletas y mayor riesgo de desarrollar complicaciones cardiacas graves.

Abstract Background: Frequency of Kawasaki disease (KD) in infants is low in almost all countries. These patients are at higher risk of developing cardiac complications. Aim: To evaluate the clinical features, treatment used and cardiac outcome in infants under one year of age attending for KD in a third level pediatric hospital in Mexico City, Mexico. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted in our hospital from August 1995 to August 2019. We analyzed the clinical features, laboratory results, treatment used and cardiac outcomes in infants younger than one year of age and compared them with older patients. Results: We included 687 patients, 152 were younger than one year of age (22.1%). There was a delayed diagnosis in younger patients with an increased frequency of incomplete clinical presentations. Coronary artery abnormalities were most common in younger infants who also had an increased frequency of giant coronary artery aneurysms. Two patients in the younger group died in the acute phase of KD of myocardial infarction. Conclusions: Diagnosis of KD in infants younger than 1 year of age is a clinical challenge with an increased rate of incomplete clinical presentations and also an increased risk of development of severe cardiac complications.

[Kawasaki disease in infants under one year of age. A challenge for the diagnosis and treatment of patients. Experience in a hospital center in Mexico]. / Enfermedad de Kawasaki en lactantes bajo un año de edad. Un reto para el diagnóstico y tratamiento de los pacientes. Experiencia en un centro hospitalario en México.

BACKGROUND: Frequency of Kawasaki disease (KD) in infants is low in almost all countries. These patients are at higher risk of developing cardiac complications. AIM: To evaluate the clinical features, treatment used and cardiac outcome in infants under one year of age attending for KD in a third level pediatric hospital in Mexico City, Mexico. METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted in our hospital from August 1995 to August 2019. We analyzed the clinical features, laboratory results, treatment used and cardiac outcomes in infants younger than one year of age and compared them with older patients. RESULTS: We included 687 patients, 152 were younger than one year of age (22.1%). There was a delayed diagnosis in younger patients with an increased frequency of incomplete clinical presentations. Coronary artery abnormalities were most common in younger infants who also had an increased frequency of giant coronary artery aneurysms. Two patients in the younger group died in the acute phase of KD of myocardial infarction. CONCLUSIONS: Diagnosis of KD in infants younger than 1 year of age is a clinical challenge with an increased rate of incomplete clinical presentations and also an increased risk of development of severe cardiac complications.

Giant coronary artery aneurysms complicating Kawasaki disease in Mexican children.

BACKGROUND: One of the most important complications of Kawasaki disease is the development of giant coronary aneurysms. Risk factors for their development are still not clear. METHODS: A retrospective analysis was conducted at the National Institute of Paediatrics in Mexico City, Mexico. It included all patients with a diagnosis of acute Kawasaki disease between August, 1995 and August, 2015. Clinical and laboratory findings, as well as echocardiographic measurements, were recorded. Patients with giant coronary aneurysms (z-score⩾10) were compared with the rest of the patients. A value of p<0.05 was considered statistically significant. Odds ratios and their 95% confidence intervals were calculated to define risk factors. RESULTS: During the study period, 416 patients were diagnosed with Kawasaki disease. Of them, 34 developed giant coronary aneurysms during the acute stage of the disease. In the multivariate analysis, patients younger than 1 year, those with a higher duration of illness at the time of diagnosis, and those who received additional intravenous immunoglobulin showed a significantly higher frequency of giant coronary aneurysms. CONCLUSIONS: One of the main factors associated with the development of giant coronary aneurysms was the delay in the diagnosis of Kawasaki disease. This finding highlights the importance of maintaining a high suspicion of the disease, which would enable an early diagnosis and prompt treatment and decrease the risk for developing giant coronary aneurysms.

Varicela y herpes zóster: retos para la salud pública / Varicella and herpes zoster: challenges for public health

Resumen: Objetivo: Evaluar el comportamiento epidemiológico de la varicela y el herpes zoster (HZ) para determinar políticas de salud y disminuir prevalencia y complicaciones. Material y métodos: La frecuencia de casos se estimó con datos del Sistema Único de Información para la Vigilancia Epidemiológica (SUIVE), periodo 2000-2013; para los egresos hospitalarios de varicela y HZ, se utilizaron datos del Sistema Nacional de Información en Salud (Sinais). Resultados: El promedio de casos de varicela anual fue 296 733, 57% menores de 9 años, la mayoría de marzo a mayo; de 2004 a 2012 los egresos hospitalarios de varicela fueron 17 398, de ellos 4.6% presentó meningoecefalitis, 2.5% neumonía y 18% otras complicaciones. Por herpes zoster 7 042 egresos, más afectados de 65 años o más, 1.3:1 la relación mujer:hombre. Las complicaciones: neuralgia (11%), afección ocular (7%), meningoencefalitis (5.4%), enfermedad diseminada (2.8%) y otras (5.4%); estancia hospitalaria entre 6.4 a 13.3 días. Conclusiones: Los datos coinciden con los de la literatura de otros países. Se discute el papel de la vacunación en la prevención de la infección en niños y adultos.

Abstract: Objective: To evaluate the epidemiological behavior of varicella and herpes zoster (HZ) to determine the need of health policies to diminish prevalence and avoid complications. Materials and methods: To assess frequency, we analyzed data from the National Information System for Epidemiological Surveillance (SUIVE) from 2000 to 2013; to assess the discharge data of varicella and HZ, we evaluated information from the National System of health information (Sinais). Results: The average annual cases of chickenpox were 296 733, 57% mostly children under 9 years, most of them from March to May. From 2004 to 2012 hospital discharge of varicella were 17 398, of which 4.6% had meningoecephalitis, 2.5% pneumonia and 18% other complications. For herpes zoster 7 042 discharges, mostly affected were patients 65 years or older, 1.3:1 the woman-man relationship. Main complications were: neuralgia (11%), eye involvement (7%), meningoencephalitis (5.4%), disseminated disease (2.8%) and others (5.4%); hospital stay was between 6.4 and 13.3 days. Conclusions: Data is consistent with that of the literature in other countries. The role of vaccination to prevent infection in children and adults is discussed.

Reaction of the BCG Scar in the Acute Phase of Kawasaki Disease in Mexican Children.

BACKGROUND: Kawasaki disease (KD) is an acute self-limited systemic vasculitis that primarily affects children <5 years old. There is no specific diagnostic test. A reaction at the Bacille Calmette-Guérin (BCG) inoculation site has been reported as a common finding in patients with KD where BCG vaccination is mandatory. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the frequency of reactivation of the BCG in Mexican children diagnosed with KD. METHODS: A retrospective study of all patients diagnosed with KD from August 1, 1995, to August 31, 2015, at our Institution was performed. The clinical profile, laboratory results, treatment used and coronary artery abnormalities in the BCG reactive and the BCG nonreactive groups were analyzed and compared. RESULTS: We included 399 patients with KD. Ninety-seven (24.3%) had BCG reaction at the inoculation site. The BCG(+) group was younger than the BCG(-) group (P < 0.000). There were 18 (18.55%) incomplete cases in the BCG(+) group compared with 65 (21.52%) in the BCG(-) group without statistical significance. The BCG+ group developed coronary artery aneurysms in 37 cases and the BCG(-) group developed coronary artery aneurysms in 111 cases without statistical significance. Multivariate analysis showed that younger age at diagnosis was the only variable associated with a reaction at the BCG inoculation site in patients with KD. CONCLUSIONS: In Mexico, a country with a National BCG Vaccination Program and a low incidence of KD, reaction at the BCG inoculation site could be a useful diagnostic sign of KD.

[Varicella and herpes zoster: challenges for public health]. / Varicela y herpes zóster: retos para la salud pública.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the epidemiological behavior of varicella and herpes zoster (HZ) to determine the need of health policies to diminish prevalence and avoid complications. MATERIALS AND METHODS: To assess frequency, we analyzed data from the National Information System for Epidemiological Surveillance (SUIVE) from 2000 to 2013; to assess the discharge data of varicella and HZ, we evaluated information from the National System of health information (Sinais). RESULTS: The average annual cases of chickenpox were 296 733, 57% mostly children under 9 years, most of them from March to May. From 2004 to 2012 hospital discharge of varicella were 17 398, of which 4.6% had meningoecephalitis, 2.5% pneumonia and 18% other complications. For herpes zoster 7 042 discharges, mostly affected were patients 65 years or older, 1.3:1 the woman-man relationship. Main complications were: neuralgia (11%), eye involvement (7%), meningoencephalitis (5.4%), disseminated disease (2.8%) and others (5.4%); hospital stay was between 6.4 and 13.3 days. CONCLUSIONS: Data is consistent with that of the literature in other countries. The role of vaccination to prevent infection in children and adults is discussed.

OBJETIVO: Evaluar el comportamiento epidemiológico de la varicela y el herpes zoster (HZ) para determinar políticas de salud y disminuir prevalencia y complicaciones. MATERIAL Y MÉTODOS: La frecuencia de casos se estimó con datos del Sistema Único de Información para la Vigilancia Epidemiológica (SUIVE), periodo 2000-2013; para los egresos hospitalarios de varicela y HZ, se utilizaron datos del Sistema Nacional de Información en Salud (Sinais). RESULTADOS: El promedio de casos de varicela anual fue 296 733, 57% menores de 9 años, la mayoría de marzo a mayo; de 2004 a 2012 los egresos hospitalarios de varicela fueron 17 398, de ellos 4.6% presentó meningoecefalitis, 2.5% neumonía y 18% otras complicaciones. Por herpes zoster 7 042 egresos, más afectados de 65 años o más, 1.3:1 la relación mujer:hombre. Las complicaciones: neuralgia (11%), afección ocular (7%), meningoencefalitis (5.4%), enfermedad diseminada (2.8%) y otras (5.4%); estancia hospitalaria entre 6.4 a 13.3 días. CONCLUSIONES: Los datos coinciden con los de la literatura de otros países. Se discute el papel de la vacunación en la prevención de la infección en niños y adultos.

Initial human transmission dynamics of the pandemic (H1N1) 2009 virus in North America.

BACKGROUND: Between 5 and 25 April 2009, pandemic (H1N1) 2009 caused a substantial, severe outbreak in Mexico, and subsequently developed into the first global pandemic in 41 years. We determined the reproduction number of pandemic (H1N1) 2009 by analyzing the dynamics of the complete case series in Mexico City during this early period. METHODS: We analyzed three mutually exclusive datasets from Mexico City Distrito Federal which constituted all suspect cases from 15 March to 25 April: confirmed pandemic (H1N1) 2009 infections, non-pandemic influenza A infections and patients who tested negative for influenza. We estimated the initial reproduction number from 497 suspect cases identified prior to 20 April, using a novel contact network methodology incorporating dates of symptom onset and hospitalization, variation in contact rates, extrinsic sociological factors, and uncertainties in underreporting and disease progression. We tested the robustness of this estimate using both the subset of laboratory-confirmed pandemic (H1N1) 2009 infections and an extended case series through 25 April, adjusted for suspected ascertainment bias. RESULTS: The initial reproduction number (95% confidence interval range) for this novel virus is 1.51 (1.32-1.71) based on suspected cases and 1.43 (1.29-1.57) based on confirmed cases before 20 April. The longer time series (through 25 April) yielded a higher estimate of 2.04 (1.84-2.25), which reduced to 1.44 (1.38-1.51) after correction for ascertainment bias. CONCLUSIONS: The estimated transmission characteristics of pandemic (H1N1) 2009 suggest that pharmaceutical and non-pharmaceutical mitigation measures may appreciably limit its spread prior the development of an effective vaccine.

[Mortality due to influenza and pneumonia in Mexico between 1990 and 2005]. / Mortalidad en México por influenza y neumonía (1990-2005).

OBJECTIVE: To estimate the impact of influenza vaccine in infants less than two years of age and in elders more than sixty-five years of age, through the analysis of mortality due to influenza and pneumonia in Mexico, between 1990 and 2005. To determine the seasonal pattern of mortality, the tendency of mortality by volume of deaths per seasonal period, and the speed rate of mortality. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Data were taken from the Epidemiological and Statistical Mortality System (SEED-SSA per its abbreviation in Spanish). RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONS: The analysis showed there is a tendency of deaths decrease at a rate of 509 deaths less per year in the infants group and 29 deaths less in the elders group. Also, the ascending tendency of mortality was interrupted by vaccination. The vaccination intervention has a positive economic effect and also helps improve the quality of life.Therefore, its implementation is expected to lower hospital admissions and deaths.

Mortalidad en México por influenza y neumonía (1990-2005) / Mortality due to influenza and pneumonia in Mexico between 1990 and 2005

OBJECTIVE: To estimate the impact of influenza vaccine in infants less than two years of age and in elders more than sixty-five years of age, through the analysis of mortality due to influenza and pneumonia in Mexico, between 1990 and 2005. To determine the seasonal pattern of mortality, the tendency of mortality by volume of deaths per seasonal period, and the speed rate of mortality. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Data were taken from the Epidemiological and Statistical Mortality System (SEED-SSA per its abbreviation in Spanish). RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONS: The analysis showed there is a tendency of deaths decrease at a rate of 509 deaths less per year in the infants group and 29 deaths less in the elders group. Also, the ascending tendency of mortality was interrupted by vaccination. The vaccination intervention has a positive economic effect and also helps improve the quality of life. Therefore, its implementation is expected to lower hospital admissions and deaths.

OBJETIVO: Estimar el impacto de la vacuna contra la influenza en personas menores de dos años y mayores de 65, a través del análisis de la mortalidad por influenza y neumonía en la República mexicana entre 1990 y 2005, y determinar el patrón estacional de comportamiento de la mortalidad, la tendencia de mortalidad por volumen de defunciones por periodo estacional y la velocidad de mortalidad. MATERIAL Y MÉTODOS: Los datos se tomaron del Sistema Epidemiológico y Estadístico de Defunciones (SEED-SSA). RESULTADOS: El análisis mostró una tendencia de defunciones a la baja con una rapidez respectiva de 509 y 29 defunciones menos por año, así como una interrupción de la tendencia ascendente de la mortalidad por la vacunación. CONCLUSIONES: La intervención por vacunación tiene costos positivos, tanto económicos como de calidad de vida, por lo que su implementación debe considerarse en un contexto que refleje una menor incidencia de hospitalizaciones y muertes.

Drug use and risk of HIV/AIDS on the Mexico-USA border: a comparison of treatment admissions in both countries.

This study analyzes trends in treatment admissions and summarizes HIV/AIDS risk factors along the US-Mexican border. Data are presented at the national level and at the state level for states along the border. Client data also are compared for treatment programs located in sister cities on the Texas-Mexico border. These data show that methamphetamine admissions are increasing nationally and methamphetamine use is a major problem in the western states on both sides of the border. Use of Ice (smoked methamphetamine) has increased significantly. Use of crack (smoked cocaine) is a growing problem on the border, and injection is the primary route for using black tar heroin in this area. Each of these drugs is a risk factor, either from drug-influenced risky sexual behaviors or from sharing injection equipment. In addition, the availability of drugs on the border and patterns of risky behaviors among migrants mean that drug users on the border are at risk of HIV/AIDS, and this risk is expected to increase with the spreading methamphetamine epidemic and smoking of crack cocaine. Comparable data on HIV/AIDS are needed for further studies of the relationship of drug use and HIV/AIDS on the border.

Abortion, contraceptive use, and adolescent pregnancy among first-year medical students at a major public university in Mexico City.

OBJECTIVE: If properly trained, medical students could become future opinion leaders in health policy and could help the public to understand the consequences of unwanted pregnancies and of abortions. The objective of this study was to analyze the frequency of unwanted pregnancies and induced abortions that had occurred among women who were first-year medical students at a major public university in Mexico City and to compare the experiences of those women with the experiences of the general population of Mexican females aged 15 to 24. METHODS: In 1998 we administered a cross-sectional survey to all the first-year medical students at the National Autonomous University of Mexico, which is the largest university in Latin America. For this study we analyzed 549 surveys completed by female students. RESULTS: Out of the 549 women, 120 of them (22%) had been sexually active at some point. Among those 120 sexually active students, 100 of them (83%) had used a contraceptive method at some time, and 19 of the 120 (16%) had been pregnant. Of those 19 women who had been pregnant, 10 of them had had an illegal induced abortion (in Mexico, abortions are illegal except under a small number of extenuating circumstances). The reported abortion rate among the female medical students, 2%, was very low in comparison with the 11% rate for women of similar ages in the Mexican general population. CONCLUSIONS: The lower incidence of abortion among the female medical students indicates that when young Mexican women have access to medical information and are highly motivated to avoid unintended pregnancy and abortion, they can do so.

Abortion, contraceptive use, and adolescent pregnancy among first-year medical students at a major public university in Mexico City

OBJECTIVE: If properly trained, medical students could become future opinion leaders in health policy and could help the public to understand the consequences of unwanted pregnancies and of abortions. The objective of this study was to analyze the frequency of unwanted pregnancies and induced abortions that had occurred among women who were first-year medical students at a major public university in Mexico City and to compare the experiences of those women with the experiences of the general population of Mexican females aged 15 to 24. METHODS: In 1998 we administered a cross-sectional survey to all the first-year medical students at the National Autonomous University of Mexico, which is the largest university in Latin America. For this study we analyzed 549 surveys completed by female students. RESULTS: Out of the 549 women, 120 of them (22 percent) had been sexually active at some point. Among those 120 sexually active students, 100 of them (83 percent) had used a contraceptive method at some time, and 19 of the 120 (16 percent) had been pregnant. Of those 19 women who had been pregnant, 10 of them had had an illegal induced abortion (in Mexico, abortions are illegal except under a small number of extenuating circumstances). The reported abortion rate among the female medical students, 2 percent, was very low in comparison with the 11 percent rate for women of similar ages in the Mexican general population. CONCLUSIONS: The lower incidence of abortion among the female medical students indicates that when young Mexican women have access to medical information and are highly motivated to avoid unintended pregnancy and abortion, they can do so.

[Patterns of heroin consumption in a jail on the northern Mexican border: barriers to treatment access]. / Patrones de consumo de heroína en una cárcel de la frontera norte de México: barreras de acceso a tratamiento.

OBJECTIVE: To assess the prevalence of heroin use, patterns of initiation, intense use, and drug-dependency; also, to assess barriers to drug treatment access. MATERIAL AND METHODS: The study was conducted in the Ciudad Juarez, Chihuahua prison. Subjects were selected using simple random sampling from census of prison inmates. Barriers to drug treatment were identified and analyzed using a logistic regression model. RESULTS: The prevalence of heroin use for the last six months was 26.4%; 25.3% were intense heroin users; and 95% showed dependence. The mean age of initiation was 21 years. A multivariate model showed that the significant barriers to drug treatment access were: low education, withdrawal, overdosing, presence of chronic diseases, and duration of heroin use. CONCLUSIONS: Study findings should serve to devise potential applications to establish treatment programs in prisons.

Patrones de consumo de heroína en una cárcel de la frontera norte de México: barreras de acceso a tratamiento / Heroin consumption patterns in a northern Mexican border prison: obstacles to treatment access

OBJETIVO: Describir la prevalencia del consumo de heroína, los patrones de inicio, el alto consumo y la dependencia a esta sustancia e identificar barreras que impidan a los adictos acudir a tratamiento. MATERIAL Y MÉTODOS: El estudio se realizó en la cárcel de Ciudad Juárez, Chihuahua, México, entre abril y junio de 2000; los participantes se obtuvieron a través de un muestreo aleatorio simple, partiendo del censo del penal. Se identificaron las barreras al tratamiento, estimadas mediante un modelo de regresión logística. RESULTADOS: La prevalencia de consumo de heroína en los últimos seis meses fue de 26.4 por ciento; de 25.3 por ciento para usuarios fuertes; 95 por ciento fueron dependientes. El promedio de la edad de inicio del consumo fue a los 21 años. El modelo multivariado mostró que baja escolaridad, abstinencia, sobredosis, enfermedades crónicas y tiempo de exposición son barreras que impiden solicitar tratamiento. CONCLUSIONES: Las implicaciones de los resultados se discuten en función de aplicarlos para implantar programas de tratamiento en las cárceles

[Drugs use among adolescents: results from the National Survey on Addictions, 1998]. / Consumo de drogas entre adolescentes: resultados de la Encuesta Nacional de Adicciones, 1998.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this paper is to describe drug and associated factors use among adolescents (12 to 17 years of age). MATERIAL AND METHODS: Data come from the recent Encuesta Nacional de Adicciones, 1998 (National Survey on Addictions) undertaken in urban areas of Mexico. A probabilistic, multi-stage, stratified cluster sampling design was used to select the study population. The sampling unit was the individual in each household. Statistical analysis consisted of the estimation of prevalences of drug use, with 95% confidence intervals. Associations were analyzed using logistic regressions models. RESULTS: Excluding tobacco and alcohol, 3.57% of males and 0.6% of females have used one or more drugs; 2.14% and 0.45% used them in the 12 months previous to the survey, and 1.4% and 0.3% in the previous 30 days, respectively. Marihuana was the drug more often used by males (2.4%) and females (0.45%), followed by inhaled solvents (1.08% and 0.20%), and cocaine (0.99% and 0.22%), respectively. The risk of using illicit drugs was associated to being male, having dropped out from school, perceiving availability, drug use by family and friends, social tolerance among friends, and symptoms of depression. CONCLUSIONS: Adolescents between 12 to 17 years of age are exposed to increasing drug use. The rates of drug use have risen, especially in the northern region of Mexico and in the big urban areas (Tijuana, Mexico City and Guadalajara). These findings emphasize the need to develop campaigns to detect emotional problems. Preventive measures should provide appropriate care to prevent drug use as a mechanism to cope with such emotional conflicts. Also, more intense preventive interventions should be targeted to adolescents with a high probability of developing drug abuse.

Consumo de drogas entre adolescentes: resultados de la Encuesta Nacional de Adicciones, 1998 / Drug used among adolescents: results from the National Survey on Addictions, 1998

OBJETIVO: Describir el consumo de drogas y los factores de riesgo en adolescentes de 12 a 17 años. MATERIAL Y MÉTODOS: Los datos provienen de la Encuesta Nacional de Adicciones 1998, realizada en hogares ubicados en zonas urbanas de la República Mexicana. El diseño de la muestra fue probabilístico, estratificado y por conglomerados en varias etapas de muestreo, donde la última unidad de selección fue un individuo en la vivienda. Los resultados se analizaron obteniendo los intervalos de confianza de las prevalencias del consumo de drogas, y se realizó un análisis de regresión logística para evaluar los factores asociados con el consumo de drogas. RESULTADOS: El 3.57 por ciento de los varones y 0.6 por ciento de las mujeres habían usado una o más drogas excluyendo al tabaco y al alcohol; 2.14 de hombres y 0.45 por ciento de mujeres lo habían hecho en los doce meses previos al estudio, y 1.4 de los hombres y 0.3 por ciento de las mujeres en los 30 días anteriores a la encuesta. La mariguana es la droga más usada (2.4 y 0.45 por ciento), seguida por los inhalables (1.08 y 0.20 por ciento) y la cocaína (0.99 y 0.22 por ciento) por hombres y mujeres, respectivamente. El riesgo de usar drogas se asoció con ser hombre, no estudiar, considerar fácil conseguir drogas, no ver mal el uso de drogas por parte de los amigos, que éstos las usaran, usarlas por parte de la familia y estar deprimido. CONCLUSIONES: El entorno que rodea a nuestros jóvenes de 12 a 17 años indica que el consumo de drogas está cada vez más presente. Los índices de consumo se han incrementado, especialmente en la región norte del país y en las grandes metrópolis (Tijuana, Ciudad de México y Guadalajara, principalmente). Estos datos refuerzan la necesidad de desarrollar campañas que permitan detectar a los menores que tienen problemas emocionales y darles la atención apropiada para evitar que consuman drogas como un mecanismo para enfrentar problemas de esta naturaleza. Asimismo, es necesario identificar a los menores con mayor probabilidad de desarrollar dependencia, quienes requieren de intervenciones preventivas más intensas

[From tobacco use to other drugs use: does the early use of tobacco increase the probability of use of other drugs]. / Del tabaco al uso de otras drogas: el uso temprano de tabaco aumenta la probabilidad de usar otras drogas?

OBJECTIVE: To assess the likelihood of substance abuse predicted by age of first exposure to tobacco. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Data from the 1998 National Household Survey on Addictions in urban areas were analyzed. RESULTS: The age period of greater likelihood of drug experimentation is between 15 and 19 years; only 5.6% of drug users and 13% of alcohol beverage drinkers reported having experimented with drugs before trying tobacco. The probability of heavy drinking and dependence was higher at early ages of first exposure to tobacco and decreased with increasing age. Experimentation with drugs, continued use, and multiple drug use, are more frequent among smokers who started before 15 years of age. CONCLUSIONS: Early tobacco use increases the likelihood of substance abuse.

Del tabaco al uso de otras drogas: ¿el uso temprano de tabaco aumenta la probabilidad de usar otras drogas? / x

Objetivo. Analizar la probabilidad de abuso de sustancias en relación con la edad de inicio del consumo de tabaco. Material y métodos. Los datos provienen de la Encuesta Nacional de Adicciones (1998) realizada en población urbana. Resultados. La edad de mayor riesgo para experimentar con sustancias es entre los 15 y los 19 años. Solamente en 5.6 por ciento de los usuarios de drogas y 13 por ciento de los que han consumido alcohol, el uso del tabaco no ocurrió primero. La probabilidad de beber en forma consuetudinaria y de presentar dependencia es mayor cuando la edad de inicio es temprana y disminuye en la medida en que se retrasa la edad de inicio. La experimentación con drogas, el continuar usándolas y el poliuso son más frecuentes entre quienes se iniciaron antes de los 15 años. Conclusiones. El inicio temprano en el consumo de tabaco incrementa la probabilidad de uso y abuso de sustancias.

Objective. To assess the likelihood of substance abuse predicted by age of first exposure to tobacco. Material and Methods. Data from the 1998 National Household Survey on Addictions in urban areas were analyzed. Results. The age period of greater likelihood of drug experimentation is between 15 and 19 years; only 5.6 percent of drug users and 13 percent of alcohol beverage drinkers reported having experimented with drugs before trying tobacco. The probability of heavy drinking and dependence was higher at early ages of first exposure to tobacco and decreased with increasing age. Experimentation with drugs, continued use, and multiple drug use, are more frequent among smokers who started before 15 years of age. Conclusions. Early tobacco use increases the likelihood of substance abuse.

Del siglo XX al tercer milenio. Las addiciones y la salu pública: drogas, alcohol y sociedad / From the XXth Century to the third millennium. Addictions and public health: Drugs, alcohol and society

Los cambios sociales de las últimas décadas -derivados de variaciones en la dinámica y composición de la estructura demográfica de la población, en que hay, en números absolutos, mayor cantidad de adolescentes y de personas de la tercera edad; crisis económicas recurrentes a las que se suman problemas de pobreza agravados por el incremento en el uso de drogas, y una acelerada apertura social y cultural frente al proceso de modernización y globalización- han afectado las vidas de las personas en los ámbitos individual, familiar y social en que interviene el abuso de sustancias. Al tradicional problema del abuso de bebidas alcohólicas entre los varones de edad media, ahora se han sumado las mujeres y los adolescentes que copian los modelos adultos asociados con frecuencia al consumo y la embriaguez. Aunque ha habido un cambio en la percepción social del tabaco como producto adictivo y dañino para la salud, los adolescentes, principalmente mujeres, lo consumen cada vez más. Asimismo, al tradicional problema del uso de inhalables entre los menores y de mariguana entre los jóvenes y algunos grupos de la población adulta, se agrega ahora un consumo cada vez mayor de cocaína, que ha llegado incluso a los niños y a los sectores pobres de la población; en los adultos, este consumo se ha incrementado por vía intravenosa. Por otra parte, se ha detectado un brote epidémico de consumo de heroína en algunas regiones de la frontera norte y también han aparecido nuevas drogas como las meta-anfetaminas. En el artículo se describe el panorama del uso de drogas, sus tendencias a partir de 1970 y el pronóstico, a la luz de las condiciones sociales que prevalecen en México. Se discute la relación entre el uso de droga y la conducta sexual de riesgo y la conducta delictiva, se describe su asociación con los accidentes y con diferentes formas de violencia incluyendo la violencia intrafamiliar y el suicidio. Se hace por último una revisión de los principales determinantes macrosociales del problema (globalización, desarrollo económico y desigualdades sociales, migración, cambios en los roles de género y en la composición familiar) y su relación con el consumo de sustancias, y se concluye con los retos para el futuro y las necesidades de investigación.