[Persistent fever syndrome secondary to brain abscesses: a rare complication of the meningococcemia]. / Síndrome febril persistente secundario a abscesos cerebrales: una rara complicación de la meningococemia.

Meningococcal disease is caused by hematogenous spreading of Neisseria meningitidis. Meningococcal sepsis occurs in around 20% of cases of meningococcal disease, meningitis in 50% and, to a lesser extent, other conditions such as pneumonia, arthritis, urethritis, conjunctivitis or pericarditis. Brain abscesses are a rare complication.

[Thyrotoxic hypokalemic periodic paralysis. A case report]. / Parálisis periódica hipopotasémica tirotóxica: a propósito de un caso.

Thyrotoxic hypokalemic periodic paralysis is an uncommon complication of thyrotoxicosis, characterized by attacks of generalized muscular weakness associated with hypokalemia in patients with hyperthyroidism, most frequently with Graves-Basedow disease. Treatment with antithyroid drugs and potassium supplements reversed the symptoms and the episodes of acute muscular weakness did not reappear.

[Palpebral ptosis, a rare ocular manifestation of Crohn's disease]. / Ptosis palpebral: manifestación ocular inusual de la enfermedad de Crohn.

CLINICAL CASE: An 18 year-old-woman presented with abdominal pain, diarrhea, and ptosis in her left eye. Nuclear magnetic resonance imaging (NMRI) and the study of cerebrospinal fluid detected no abnormalities. Colonoscopy revealed a Crohn's disease (CD) confirmed by histological examination of biopsies. Ocular symptoms improved after appropriate treatment of the underlying CD. DISCUSSION: Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is associated with a wide variety of extra-intestinal manifestations, in fact it may be considered a systemic disorder with predominantly gastrointestinal tract manifestations. Extra-intestinal manifestations of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) occur in one third of patients. Ocular complications are infrequent, occurring in less than 10% of cases, but can be associated with significant morbidity, including blindness. Ocular symptoms may precede a diagnosis of IBD. We report the first case of palpebral ptosis associated with Crohn's disease.

Analysis of 27,248 hospital discharges for heart failure: a study of an administrative database 1998-2002.

AIMS: To describe the epidemiology of hospital admissions for heart failure in 32 hospitals. To define the profile of those attended by Internal Medicine (IM). METHODS AND RESULTS: Analysis of the Minimum-Basic-Data-Set registry of 32 public Spanish hospitals, during 1998-2002, identifying those cases whose main or secondary diagnosis was heart failure, with attention to age, sex, length of stay, season, outcome, number of diagnoses, Diagnostic Related Groups (DRG), and coded procedures. There were 2,787,008 discharges, 27,248 with heart failure (15,737 IM, 7,735 Cardiology and 3,776 other services). Discharges for heart failure increase from 1998 to 2002 (r(2) = 0.7232). Of the total, 44% were men (average age 70.98 years; 95% CI 70.08-70.47) and 56% were women (74.77 years; 95% CI 74.61-74.93; p < 0.0001). The global in-hospital mortality rate was 11.1% and we found differences between Cardiology and MI. MI patients were older (74 years compared to 69, p < 0.0001), had greater comorbidity, a similar length of stay (11.1 days), and a lower number of coded diagnostic procedures. Associated pathologies were different. Seasonal variation is clear. CONCLUSION: The incidence of discharges for heart failure is high and steadily increasing, although this is more evident in IM. The populations attended by the two services are different, which makes it difficult to ascertain differences in handling. The results are slightly different from those reported in other countries.

[Epidemiological characteristics and mortality risk factors in patients admitted in hospitals with soft tissue infections. A multicentric STIMG (Soft Tissue Infections Malacitan Group) study results]. / Características clínicas, epidemiológicas y factores asociados a mortalidad en los pacientes hospitalizados por infecciones de piel y partes blandas. Resultados del estudio multicéntrico STIMG.

OBJECTIVES: To describe the characteristics of patients admitted in hospitals with soft tissue infections, and analyse the variables whose died, in order to define risk groups. METHOD: retrospective analysis of medical reports of all patient admitted during 2002 year for soft tissue infections in public malacitans hospitals. We excluded the patient with soft tissue infections associated with burns, surgery, pressure ulcers, and orbit cellulitis. We analysed clinical, biochemical variables and indications for yields and imaging tests, so the empiric antibiotic treatment established and its correlations with practice guidelines. RESULTS: We analysed 391 admissions of 374 patients. Cellulitis was the most frequent diagnosis (69.3%). We did imaging tests in 51.6%. In 94.3% of cases were treated with empirics antibiotics. The most prescribed drug was amoxiciline plus clavulanate (39%). 27 patients died, 40.7% of them for septic cause. All deceased patients had chronic diseases. The only biochemical parameters associated with mortality were serum proteins and albumina (55 +/- 9 g/L vs. 63 +/- 8 g/L; p = 0.0231) and (22 +/- 7 g/L vs. 29 +/- 7 g/L; p = 0.0125) respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Cellullitis are the most frequent soft tissue infections that requires admissions in hospitals. We overuse imaging test and don t follow the practice guidelines recommendations in antibiotic therapy. Primary soft issue infection s mortality is low and it s restricted to people with chronic illness, deep infections and bad nutritional status.

[Anticoagulation with bemiparina after intracerebral hemorrhage as complication of bacterial endocarditis on metallic prosthetic valve]. / Anticoagulación con bemiparina tras hemorragia intracerebral como complicación de endocarditis bacteriana sobre válvula protésica metálica.

We present the case of a patient with an intracerebral hemorrhage as complication of an infectious endocarditis (EI) produced by Neisseria sicca on a prosthetic mitral valve. The patient was anticoagulated previously with Acenocumarol as prophylaxis of thrombosis of the prosthetic valve. He was diagnosed as having IE and later he presented neurological symptoms as consequence of several intracerebral hemorrhagic foci. We decided to continue the anticoagulation with sodium heparin followed of Bemiparina and no new hemorrhagic complications nor thrombosis of the valve were observed after three months of the event. We have not found in the literature any case where low molecular weight heparin has been used as method of anticoagulation in these cases beyond two weeks.