[Prevalence of mental disorders and assessment of quality of life in the climaterium]. / Prevalência de transtornos mentais comuns e avaliação da qualidade de vida no climatério.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate prevalence of mental distress and health-related quality of life (HRQoL) in climacteric women. METHODS: A total of 191 women (45 to 65 years of age) were included in this cross-sectional study. A questionnaire about personal information, habits/health, and demographic data was administered in association with the two validated instruments to measure HRQoL, SF-36, Medical Outcomes Study 36-item Short-Form Health Survey and to estimate prevalence of common mental distress (20-item SRQ, Self Reporting Questionnaire). RESULTS: By using the 20-item SRQ for assessing mental distress, and establishing a cut-off level of at least 8 items, 39.8% of the women were categorized as having mental distress. A higher prevalence of mental distress and lower SF-36 scores were found in women in the perimenopause, particularly those with poor education and low family income who did not work outside the home. All SF-36 domains were significantly lower in women with mental distress than those in women without mental distress. CONCLUSION: Prevalence of mental distress is high in this sample of climacteric women and is associated with negative repercussions on the quality of life. This shows that psychosocial factors are significantly involved and psychological support strategies should be instituted in the form of health policies for climacteric women.

Hydrocephalus in mucopolysaccharidosis type VI successfully treated with endoscopic third ventriculostomy.

Mucopolysaccharidosis (MPS) Type VI, or Maroteaux-Lamy syndrome, is characterized by a deficiency of the enzyme arylsulfatase B (ASB). In patients with this disorder, craniocervical compression, carpal tunnel syndrome, and communicating hydrocephalus are common. Traditionally, hydrocephalus occurring in patients with MPS VI has been treated with shunt placements. Considering obstruction of the outlets from the fourth ventricle at the craniocervical transition, the authors decided to treat a female patient with MPS VI via endoscopic third ventriculostomy. She was 12 years old and had refractory headaches. This seems to be the first reported instance of the neuroendoscopic treatment of hydrocephalus in a patient with MPS VI. The pathophysiology is briefly discussed.

Prevalência de transtornos mentais comuns e avaliação da qualidade de vida no climatério / Prevalence of mental disorders and assessment of quality of life in the climaterium

OBJETIVO: Avaliar a prevalência de transtornos mentais comuns e a qualidade de vida (QV) relacionados à saúde em mulheres no climatério. MÉTODOS: Foram incluídas 191 mulheres (entre 45 e 65 anos) em estudo analítico transversal. Um questionário, contendo informações pessoais, hábitos/saúde e dados demográficos, foi administrado em associação a instrumentos validados para medir qualidade de vida (SF-36, Medical Outcomes Study 36-item Short-Form Health Survey) e estimar a prevalência de transtornos mentais comuns (SRQ-20, Self Reporting Questionnaire). RESULTADOS: Com a utilização do SRQ-20 e empregando ponto de corte de oito ou mais respostas afirmativas, 39,8 por cento das mulheres foram classificadas como apresentando transtornos mentais comuns. Evidenciou-se maior prevalência de transtornos mentais comuns e piores escores de QV nas mulheres com pouca escolaridade, baixa renda familiar e que não exerciam atividades profissionais fora do domicílio. Os escores médios para todos os domínios do SF-36 foram significativamente mais baixos nas mulheres categorizadas por apresentarem transtornos mentais comuns. CONCLUSÃO: A prevalência de transtornos mentais comuns é elevada na amostra de mulheres no climatério e está associada com repercussões negativas sobre sua qualidade de vida. Fatores psicossociais exercem significativa influência, e estratégias de suporte psicológico deveriam ser instituídas no contexto das políticas de saúde voltadas para mulheres no climatério.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate prevalence of mental distress and health-related quality of life (HRQoL) in climacteric women. METHODS: A total of 191 women (45 to 65 years of age) were included in this cross-sectional study. A questionnaire about personal information, habits/health, and demographic data was administered in association with the two validated instruments to measure HRQoL, SF-36, Medical Outcomes Study 36-item Short-Form Health Survey and to estimate prevalence of common mental distress (20-item SRQ, Self Reporting Questionnaire). RESULTS: By using the 20-item SRQ for assessing mental distress, and establishing a cut-off level of at least 8 items, 39.8 percent of the women were categorized as having mental distress. A higher prevalence of mental distress and lower SF-36 scores were found in women in the perimenopause, particularly those with poor education and low family income who did not work outside the home. All SF-36 domains were significantly lower in women with mental distress than those in women without mental distress. CONCLUSION: Prevalence of mental distress is high in this sample of climacteric women and is associated with negative repercussions on the quality of life. This shows that psychosocial factors are significantly involved and psychological support strategies should be instituted in the form of health policies for climacteric women.