Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on tuberculosis management in Spain.

BACKGROUND: The impact of COVID-19 on the diagnosis and management of tuberculosis (TB) patients is unknown. METHODS: Participating centres completed a structured web-based survey regarding changes to TB patient management during the COVID-19 pandemic. The study also included data from participating centres on patients aged ≥18 diagnosed with TB in 2 periods: March 15 to June 30, 2020 and March 15 to June 30, 2019. Clinical variables and information about patient household contacts were retrospectively collected. RESULTS: A total of 7 (70%) TB units reported changes in their usual TB team operations. Across both periods of study, 169 patients were diagnosed with active TB (90 in 2019, 79 in 2020). Patients diagnosed in 2020 showed more frequent bilateral lesions in chest X-ray than patients diagnosed in 2019 (P = 0.004). There was a higher percentage of latent TB infection and active TB among children in households of patients diagnosed in 2020, compared with 2019 (P = 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: The COVID-19 pandemic has caused substantial changes in TB care. TB patients diagnosed during the COVID-19 pandemic showed more extended pulmonary forms. The increase in latent TB infection and active TB in children of patient households could reflect increased household transmission due to anti-COVID-19 measures.

VALIDATION AND COMPARISON OF EQ-5D-3L AND SF-6D INSTRUMENTS IN A SPANISH PARKINSON´S DISEASE POPULATION SAMPLE.

INTRODUCTION: generic, preference-based Health- Related Quality of Life instruments are receiving growing attention in health-care decision-making process. In spite of this, to our knowledge, EQ-5D and SF-6D have never been compared in a Parkinson´s disease population sample. OBJECTIVE: the aim of this paper was to assess the psychometric properties of both instruments in a Spanish PD population sample. METHODS: a total sample of 133 patients were interviewed using EQ-5D-3L and SF-6D. The validity, level of agreement and sensitivity of both instruments were computed and then compared. The Spanish tariff has been used in both instruments. RESULTS: utilities of EQ-5D-3L and SF-6D have shown a strong correlation (r >0.50 and p<0.001) with the summary score of the PDQ-8 and the EQ-VAS score. Significant differences were observed in the stages III-IV of the Hoehn & Yahr stage. SF-6D had 51% higher efficiency than EQ-5D at detecting differences in symptoms severity. DISCUSSION: both EQ-5D-3L and SF-6D seem to be adequate generic Health-Related Quality of Life measures in terms of validity and sensitivity. CONCLUSION: EQ-5D-3L presents greater ceiling and floor effects than the SF-6D instrument in this sample. Besides, the instrument SF-6D was better at detecting changes in symptoms severity compared with EQ-5D-3L.

Introducción: el uso de cuestionarios de calidad de vida basados en preferencias poblacionales están recibiendo cada vez más atención en el proceso de toma de decisiones en el ámbito sanitario. Sin embargo, a nuestro entender, EQ-5D y SF-6D nunca han sido comparados en una muestra de población con la enfermedad de Parkinson. Objetivo: el objetivo de este trabajo fue evaluar las propiedades psicométricas de ambos instrumentos en una muestra de población española con enfermos de Parkinson. Métodos: un total de 133 pacientes fueron entrevistados utilizando EQ-5D y SF-6D. La validez, el grado de acuerdo y la sensibilidad de ambos instrumentos fueron calculados para su posterior comparación. Las preferencias de la población española fueron utilizadas en ambos instrumentos. Resultados: las utilidades de EQ-5D y SF-6D han mostrado una fuerte correlación (r> 0,50 y p.

[Eating habits, sedentary behaviors and overweight and obesity among adolescents in Barcelona (Spain)]. / Hábitos alimentarios, conductas sedentarias y sobrepeso y obesidad en adolescentes de Barcelona.

INTRODUCTION: Breakfast is considered the most important meal of the day in an equilibrated diet. Skipping breakfast has been associated with overweight. This study aimed to describe overweight and obesity among high school students in Barcelona and to analyze their association with eating habits and sedentary behaviors. MATERIAL AND METHODS: A cross-sectional study was performed in 2008 on a representative sample of high-school students in Barcelona (Spain). Overweight and obesity were defined using Body Mass Index (BMI), which was calculated from objective measurements. The prevalences of overweight and obesity were determined, and their association with eating habits, sedentary behaviors, and physical activity was analyzed using logistic regression models. RESULTS: A total of 3,089 students were analyzed (52% girls). The prevalence of overweight was 26.1% in boys (6.2% obese) and 20.6% in girls (3.7% obese). In both sexes, overweight was associated with being younger, having breakfast less often, being on a diet, and with a lower frequency of unhealthy food intake. Being on a diet and a lower unhealthy food intake were related to obesity in both sexes. Among boys, obesity was also associated with sedentary behaviors. CONCLUSIONS: The results show that overweight and obesity are a serious public health problem and confirm the importance of breakfast to prevent overweight. Moreover, these results allow us to expand our knowledge on the factors associated with overweight and obesity in order to improve current school preventive programs.

[Iron deficiency anemia in hospitalized males and postmenopausal females. Diagnostic approach]. / Anemia ferropénica en varones y mujeres posmenopáusicas hospitalizados. Estrategia diagnóstica.

UNLABELLED: Chronic bleeding from the gastrointestinal tract is assumed to be the most common cause of iron deficiency anemia in men and in postmenopausal women. AIM: The aim of this study was to assess the most frequent causes of chronic gastrointestinal bleeding in patients with iron deficiency anemia and to suggest a diagnostic endoscopic strategy that could be useful in clinical practice. METHODS: We studied 66 patients (48 women and 18 men), with a mean age of 73 who were admitted to our hospital from 1993 to 1996 because of unrelated signs and symptoms. Iron deficiency anemia was detected in a routine laboratory test. Patients had no symptoms of digestive disease. Children, pre-menopausal women and patients with a history of digestive disease of anemia of known origin were excluded. Diagnostic procedures included oral panendoscopy, colonoscopy and, in some cases, contrast radiology. In all patients follow-up was carried out between 3 and 36 months after discharge. Patients were considered to have improved when hemoglobin values were normal, according to standard laboratory values. RESULTS: At least one lesion responsible for anemia was found in 46 patients (70%). Of these 46 patients, 31 presented a lesion in the upper digestive tract and 13 presented a lesion in the lower digestive tract. Colon cancer was diagnosed in eight patients and gastrointestinal cancer in one. In the remaining two patients, peptic ulcer and colo-rectal cancer were found simultaneously. A diagnosis of "minor" lesions was made in 15 patients (23%) and in five patients (7%) no lesions were found that could have caused the bleeding. Both groups (minor lesions and undiagnosed patients) improved with iron therapy. CONCLUSIONS: Upper gastrointestinal lesions were the most frequent cause of iron-deficiency anemia, although colonoscopy is the best procedure for detecting gastrointestinal cancer and should be performed despite evident upper gastrointestinal bleeding.

A Case of Multiple Osteonecrosis in a Patient with HIV: Effect of Joint Lavage.

A 35-year-old male former abuser of i.v. drugs, who was known to be human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) positive for 3 years, was found to have osteonecrosis (ON) involving both internal femoral condyles and humeral heads. No causes other than the HIV were evident. Joint irrigation, applied by means of an irrigation-withdrawal system, provided some relief and functional improvement. A literature search for references to the potential association of osteonecrosis with HIV infection showed a number of reports and three with multiple sites, suggesting that osteonecrosis can be considered a manifestation of HIV infection. The underlying pathogenic mechanisms remain obscure but are proposed to be related to immune alterations caused by HIV infection itself. HIV should be considered an etiological factor in patients with a diagnosis of multiple ON. Irrigation of the accessible regions of the joints involved may be an effective therapeutical choice to help control the symptoms.

[Clinical indications for echography in acute pyelonephritis in adult women]. / Indicaciones clínicas de la ecografía en la pielonefritis aguda en mujeres adultas.

BACKGROUND: Echography is a non-invasive procedure which detects abnormalities in kidney and/or urinary tract. OBJECTIVE: To determine whether the routine use of an echography in women with the diagnosis of acute pyelonephritis (APN) provides relevant findings to diagnosis and determines a change in therapy. MATERIAL AND METHODS: A total of 100 patients admitted to the hospital with the diagnosis of APN who had undergone an echography were studied. Seven clinical criteria were evaluated: persistent fever for longer than 72 hours after starting an appropriate antibiotic therapy, episodes of previous urinary tract infections, previous history of kidney stones, anatomic abnormalities in the urinary tract, colic pain, persistent hematuria, and pregnancy. On the basis of these criteria two groups were defined: a) indicated echography (IE), for patients fulfilling at least one the above criteria; b) non-indicated echography (NIE), for patients fulfilling none of the above criteria. RESULTS: IE group was made up of 47 patients, with a normal echography in 18 (38%); the NIE group was made up of 53 women, with a normal echography in 51 of them (96%). The abnormal findings in echography led to a change in therapeutic behaviour in 11 patients in the IE group (23%) and in 2 patients in the NIE group (4%). CONCLUSIONS: The routine use of abdominal echography in women with the diagnosis of APN is not indicated in absence of clinical data supporting the presence of a complicated APN.

[Double mitral orifice with a single atrium. Apropos of a case with functionally normal mitral valve]. / Double orifice mitral avec oreillette unique. A propos d'un cas avec valve mitrale fonctionnellement normale

The authors report a case with a double mitral orifice associated with a single auricle; it was operated on successfully. It was unnecessary to carry out any surgical procedure on the mitral valve itself, as it was functioning normally. A review of the literature follows.