Reconocimiento de los síntomas del ictus y respuesta frente a ellos en la población / Knowledge about stroke symptoms and attitude towards them in the population

Introducción. Conocer el significado de los síntomas de un ictus y tener percepción de urgencia ante ellos es un factor decisivo para reducir la demora extrahospitalaria. El objetivo es analizar el grado de reconocimiento de sus síntomas en los pacientes con un ictus, su actitud ante ellos y los factores que influyen en el conocimiento de la enfermedad. Métodos. Se estudian prospectivamente 292 pacientes consecutivos diagnosticados de ictus mediante un protocolo de recogida de datos que incluye 76 variables. Se realiza análisis univariante y multivariante para identificar las variables que se asocian independientemente con una mejor interpretación de sus síntomas y percepción de urgencia. Resultados. Sólo un 34% de pacientes reconoció saber que estaba sufriendo un ictus. El antecedente de ictus previo (OR: 3,97), vivir en una residencia (odds ratio [OR]: 3,20), tener síntomas motores (OR: 1,92) y un ictus más grave (OR: 1,05) se asociaron de forma independiente a un mejor reconocimiento de los síntomas. Sólo un 31,8 % de pacientes (41% de los que reconocieron los síntomas del ictus) decidió acudir inmediatamente al hospital o llamó a una ambulancia. La etiología cardioembólica del infarto (OR: 2,62), no tener hipertensión (OR: 0,48) y reconocer correctamente sus síntomas (OR: 0,62) son factores asociados de forma independiente a una mayor percepción de urgencia. Conclusión. Sólo un 14 % de los pacientes tienen un buen conocimiento del ictus y actúan correctamente cuando éste ocurre. Es necesario desarrollar programas de formación de la población en los que se resalte la urgencia ante la presencia de síntomas sugestivos de ictus (AU)

Introduction. To know the meaning of stroke symptoms and to perceive them as an emergency is a decisive factor to reduce hospital admission delay. The aim of the study is to analyze the degree of recognition of stroke symptoms by the patients, their attitude towards them, and which factors contribute to a better knowledge on cerebrovascular diseases. Methods. A total of 292 patients diagnosed of stroke were studied prospectively, following a protocol designed for data collection that included 76 variables. Univariate and multivariate analyses were conducted to identify which variables were independently associated with a better interpretation of stroke symptoms and emergency perception. Results. Only 34% of all patients recognized they were suffering a stroke. The background that was independently associated with a better interpretation of symptoms included previous stroke (odds ratio [OR]: 3.97), institutionalized subjects (old people's home) (OR: 3.20), motor symptoms (OR: 1.92) and more serious stroke (OR: 1.05). Only 31% of all patients, 41% of whom had recognized stroke symptoms, decided to go immediately to hospital or call for an ambulance. Variables that were independently associated with a better perception of emergency included cardioembolic stroke (OR: 2.62), not having hypertension (OR: 0.48) and a correct interpretation of stroke symptoms (OR: 0.62). Conclusion. Only 14% of all patients have a good knowledge about stroke and correctly act when it occurs. It is necessary to develop education programs aimed at the population that emphasize the emergency when symptoms suggesting stroke appear (AU)

Eficacia y tolerabilidad del levetiracetam en pacientes con temblor esencial: datos de un ensayo abierto de 11 semanas de seguimiento / Effectiveness and safety of levetiracetam in patients with essential tremor data from an open 11-week follow-up trial

Introducción. Es bien conocida la relativamente alta proporción de pacientes con temblor esencial refractarios a varios fármacos conocidos en la actualidad para su tratamiento. Objetivo. Evaluar la eficacia y la tolerabilidad del levetiracetam (LEV) en pacientes que hubieran mostrado respuesta escasa o nula o efectos secundarios intolerables en tratamiento con betabloqueadores o primidona, o presentasen contraindicaciones para el inicio de estos tratamientos. Pacientes y métodos. Llevamos a cabo un estudio piloto, abierto, de 11 semanas de duración en pacientes con las características descritas previamente. Las medidas principales de respuesta se basaron en la escala de temblor de Fahn, Tolosa y Marín (FTM), variables acelerométricas y efectos adversos. La dosis máxima de LEV fue de 3.000 mg, a la que llegaron los pacientes que no presentaron beneficio con dosis inferiores, tras una semana de tratamiento con 1.000 mg y cuatro semanas de tratamiento con 2.000 mg. Resultados. La muestra consistió en 14 pacientes con temblor esencial, con una media de edad de 70,08 (7,99) años y una mediana de 11,5 años de clínica. Aunque se observaron pequeños descensos en la escala de FTM y en la amplitud del temblor al final del estudio, ninguna de las diferencias observadas fue significativa. Seis pacientes abandonaron el estudio por falta de eficacia o efectos adversos. Conclusión. El LEV no produjo modificaciones estadísticamente significativas en ninguna de las variables controladas en este perfil de pacientes

Introduction. It is a well-known fact that a relatively high proportion of patients with essential tremor are resistant to a number of pharmaceuticals currently used to treat the condition. Aim. To assess the effectiveness and safety of levetiracetam (LEV) in patients who displayed little or no response or intolerable side effects under treatment with beta blockers or primidone, or who presented contraindications against beginning such treatments. Patients and methods. We conducted an open 11-week pilot study in patients with the characteristics described above. The main response measurements were based on the Fahn-Tolosa-Marín (FTM) tremor rating scale, accelerometric variables and side effects. The maximum dose of LEV was 3000 mg, which was reached by patients who did not benefit from lower doses, after one week’s treatment with 1000 mg and four weeks’ treatment with 2000 mg. Results. The sample consisted of 14 patients with essential tremor, with a mean age of 70.08 (7.99) years and an average clinical history of 11.5 years. Although by the end of the study small decreases were observed on the FTM rating scale and in the amplitude of the tremor, none of the differences were significant. Six patients dropped out of the study because of a lack of effectiveness or to side effects. Conclusion. LEV did not produce any statistically significant modifications in any of the variables that were monitored in this group of patients

[Knowledge about stroke symptoms and attitude towards them in the population]. / Reconocimiento de los síntomas del ictus y respuesta frente a ellos en la población.

INTRODUCTION: To know the meaning of stroke symptoms and to perceive them as an emergency is a decisive factor to reduce hospital admission delay. The aim of the study is to analyze the degree of recognition of stroke symptoms by the patients, their attitude towards them, and which factors contribute to a better knowledge on cerebrovascular diseases. METHODS: A total of 292 patients diagnosed of stroke were studied prospectively, following a protocol designed for data collection that included 76 variables. Univariate and multivariate analyses were conducted to identify which variables were independently associated with a better interpretation of stroke symptoms and emergency perception. RESULTS: Only 34% of all patients recognized they were suffering a stroke. The background that was independently associated with a better interpretation of symptoms included previous stroke (odds ratio [OR]: 3.97), institutionalized subjects (old people's home) (OR: 3.20), motor symptoms (OR: 1.92) and more serious stroke (OR: 1.05). Only 31% of all patients, 41% of whom had recognized stroke symptoms, decided to go immediately to hospital or call for an ambulance. Variables that were independently associated with a better perception of emergency included cardioembolic stroke (OR: 2.62), not having hypertension (OR: 0.48) and a correct interpretation of stroke symptoms (OR: 0.62). CONCLUSION: Only 14% of all patients have a good knowledge about stroke and correctly act when it occurs. It is necessary to develop education programs aimed at the population that emphasize the emergency when symptoms suggesting stroke appear.

[Effectiveness and safety of levetiracetam in patients with essential tremor: data from an open 11-week follow-up trial]. / Eficacia y tolerabilidad del levetiracetam en pacientes con temblor esencial: datos de un ensayo abierto de 11 semanas de seguimiento.

INTRODUCTION: It is a well-known fact that a relatively high proportion of patients with essential tremor are resistant to a number of pharmaceuticals currently used to treat the condition. AIM: To assess the effectiveness and safety of levetiracetam (LEV) in patients who displayed little or no response or intolerable side effects under treatment with beta blockers or primidone, or who presented contraindications against beginning such treatments. PATIENTS AND METHODS: We conducted an open 11-week pilot study in patients with the characteristics described above. The main response measurements were based on the Fahn-Tolosa-Marin (FTM) tremor rating scale, accelerometric variables and side effects. The maximum dose of LEV was 3000 mg, which was reached by patients who did not benefit from lower doses, after one week's treatment with 1000 mg and four weeks' treatment with 2000 mg. RESULTS. The sample consisted of 14 patients with essential tremor, with a mean age of 70.08 (7.99) years and an average clinical history of 11.5 years. Although by the end of the study small decreases were observed on the FTM rating scale and in the amplitude of the tremor, none of the differences were significant. Six patients dropped out of the study because of a lack of effectiveness or to side effects. CONCLUSION: LEV did not produce any statistically significant modifications in any of the variables that were monitored in this group of patients.

[Clinical utility of outpatient videoelectroencephalogram monitoring]. / Utilidad clínica del videoelectroencefalograma en régimen ambulatorio.

OBJECTIVE: To analyze the utility of outpatient videoelectroencephalogram (VEEG) in a general neurology department to detect an ictal event. PATIENTS AND METHODS: One hundred and five patients with ictal phenomenology of unknown etiology, suspicion of pseudoseizures, refractory epilepsy with very frequent seizures, underwent outpatient VEEG monitoring from 30 minutes to five hours of duration, between June 1, 1999 and June 30, 2003. Patient medication was not modified to perform the recording. RESULTS: Among the 105 outpatient VEEG monitoring, 33 clinical pathologic events were identified; these comprised 14 epileptic seizures, 12 pseudoseizures, four syncopes, and three non epileptic abnormal movements. Outpatient VEEG monitoring duration was as follows: 30 minutes in 12 patients, between 30 minutes and two hours in another 12, and more than two hours in 9. In 19 patients, the VEEG recording allowed a definitive diagnosis; in one case, it changed the epileptic seizure type, and in 11 patients, it helped to better characterize the epileptic seizure type. CONCLUSION: Although the percentage of pathologic events during an outpatient VEEG monitoring of 30 minutes to five hours of duration is low, its clinical repercussion is very important and the added cost is low.

Utilidad clínica del videoelectroencefalograma en régimen ambulatorio / Clinical utility of outpatient videoelectroencephalogram monitoring

Objetivo. Analizar la utilidad de los registros por video-electroencefalograma (VEEG) en régimen ambulatorio realizados en un servicio de neurología general para la detección de un episodio crítico. Pacientes y métodos. Desde el 1 de junio de 1999 hasta el 1 de junio de 2003 realizamos 105 exploraciones por VEEG, de 30 minutos a 5 horas de duración, en pacientes con crisis de etiología no aclarada, ante la sospecha de pseudocrisis o en presencia de una epilepsia farmacorresistente y crisis muy frecuentes. No modificamos la medicación del paciente para realizar la exploración. Resultados. En 33 pacientes se registraron eventos clínicos patológicos; en 14 se trató de crisis epilépticas, en 12 de pseudos crisis, en 4 de síncopes y en 3 de movimientos anormales no epilépticos. La duración del registro fue de 30 minutos en 12, de entre 30 minutos y 2 horas en 12 y de más de 2 horas en 9 pacientes. En 18 pacientes el VEEG fue la exploración diagnóstica. En un caso cambió el diagnóstico del tipo de crisis epiléptica que sufría el paciente, y en 11 pacientes nos ayudó a caracterizar sus crisis epilépticas. Conclusión. Si bien el porcentaje de registro de eventos patológicos durante un estudio por VEEG ambulatorio de 30 minutos a 5 horas de duración es bajo, su repercusión clínica es muy alta y el coste añadido, escaso

Objective. To analyze the utility of outpatient videoelectroencephalogram (VEEG) in a general neurology department to detect an ictal event. Patients and methods. One hundred and five patients with ictal phenomenology of unknown etiology, suspicion of pseudoseizures, refractory epilepsy with very frequent seizures, underwent outpatient VEEG monitoring from 30 minutes to five hours of duration, between June 1, 1999 and June 30, 2003. Patient medication was not modified to perform the recording. Results. Among the 105 outpatient VEEG monitoring, 33 clinical pathologic events were identified; these comprised 14 epileptic seizures, 12 pseudoseizures, four syncopes, and three non epileptic abnormal movements. Outpatient VEEG monitoring duration was as follows: 30 minutes in 12 patients, between 30 minutes and two hours in another 12, and more than two hours in 9. In 19 patients, the VEEG recording allowed a definitive diagnosis; in one case, it changed the epileptic seizure type, and in 11 patients, it helped to better characterize the epileptic seizure type. Conclusion. Although the percentage of pathologic events during an outpatient VEEG monitoring of 30 minutes to five hours of duration is low, its clinical repercussion is very important and the added cost is low

Neuropathology of cognitively normal elderly.

Despite general agreement about the boundaries of Alzheimer disease (AD), establishing a maximum limit for Alzheimer-type pathology in cognitively intact individuals might aid in defining more precisely the point at which Alzheimer pathology becomes clinically relevant. In this study, we examined the neuropathological changes in the brains of 39 longitudinally followed. cognitively normal elderly individuals (24 women, 15 men; age range 74-95, median 85 years). Neuropathological changes of the Alzheimer type were quantified by determining neurofibrillary tangle (NFT) staging by the method of Braak and Braak and by quantification of the abundance of diffuse, cored, and neuritic plaque burden using the scheme developed by the Consortium to Establish a Registry for Alzheimer Disease (CERAD). Vascular, Lewy body, and argyrophilic grain pathology were also assessed. We found 34 subjects (87%) with a Braak stage

[Nonconvulsive status epilepticus: experience in 33 patients]. / Status epiléptico no convulsivo: experiencia en 33 pacientes.

BACKGROUND: To review the nonconvulsive status epilepticus diagnosed in a general hospital in order to identify its frequency, electroclinical characteristics and response to medical treatment. PATIENTS ANTS AND METHODS: A retrospective study of 33 cases of nonconvulsive status epilepticus was undertaken. The diagnosis was based on clinical and EEG manifestations. Data regarding their clinical presentation, previous epilepsy, etiology of the status, its medical management and outcome were analysed. RESULTS: The 33 patients comprising the study included 20 men and 13 women. The medium age was 49.8 years. A previous history of epilepsy was present in 51.5% of them. Most of the patients presented impaired consciousness (39.4%) or confusional state (36%). The mean duration of the disorder did not exceed 24 hours (64.5%). There were five cases of absence status and 28 of complex partial status, two of them with secondary generalization. A precipitating factor was found in 80% of the patients and the cerebrovascular etiology was the most frequent. There was a good response to phenytoin (80%), although in the first month death was the final outcome for 25% of them. CONCLUSIONS: Nonconvulsive status epilepticus is an underdiagnosed medical emergency because of its different manifestations, similar to confusional or psyquiatric states. The precipitating factor determines its outcome. A high index of suspicion is needed in order to make a faster diagnosis and treatment.

Status epiléptico no convulsivo: experiencia en 33 pacientes / Nonconvulsive status epilepticus: experience in 33 patients

FUNDAMENTO: Revisar la experiencia en cuanto a status epiléptico no convulsivo en un hospital general e identificar su frecuencia, sus distintas características y su respuesta al tratamiento. PACIENTES Y MÉTODOS: Se llevó a cabo un estudio retrospectivo de 33 pacientes con status epiléptico no convulsivo, diagnosticados mediante criterios clínicos y electroencefalográficos, y se analizó la forma de presentación, los antecedentes epilépticos, la etiología del status, el EEG y el tratamiento utilizado, así como las secuelas a corto plazo. RESULTADOS: De los 33 pacientes analizados, 20 eran varones y 13 mujeres, siendo la media de edad de 49,8 años. El 51,5 por ciento de ellos presentaban una historia previa de epilepsia. La forma de presentación consistió, fundamentalmente, en una disminución del nivel de conciencia (39,4 por ciento) y un cuadro confusional (36 por ciento), con una duración de la clínica inferior a 24 h (64,5 por ciento). Hubo 5 status de ausencias y 28 casos de status parcial complejo, dos de ellos con generalización secundaria. En más de un 80 por ciento se encontró un factor precipitante, mayoritariamente vascular. Un 80 por ciento de los pacientes respondió satisfactoriamente a la fenitoína, aunque en los primeros 30 días la mortalidad ascendió al 25 por ciento. CONCLUSIONES: El status epiléptico no convulsivo es una situación médica a menudo infradiagnosticada, dadas las diversas formas de presentación que pueden confundirlo con un cuadro confusional o psiquiátrico. Su pronóstico se relaciona con el factor precipitante. Es preciso un alto índice de sospecha para realizar un diagnóstico y tratamiento precoz (AU)

[Neonatal hypotonia of muscular origin: analysis of 50 cases]. / Hipotonía neonatal de causa muscular: análisis de 50 casos.

BACKGROUND: Neonatal hypotonia is a common request for neurological consultation. The aim of this study is to describe the main clinical features of muscular hypotonia in newborns at the light of the histopathological findings. METHODS: We reviewed 50 medical records of hypotonic neonates with abnormal muscular biopsy. In all of the cases, the serum concentration of creatine kinase was determined and biopsies were examined by a qualified neuropathologist. RESULTS: The most frequent muscular cause of neonatal hypotonia was specific congenital myopathies (23 cases), followed by congenital muscular dystrophy (15 cases), congenital myotonic dystrophy (eight cases) and metabolic myopathies (four cases). The most common specific congenital myopathy was fiber type disproportion (10 cases). The association with joint contractures and the involvement of respiratory muscles were frequent; respiratory complications were the first cause of death. CONCLUSIONS: Muscular biopsy is required for the definitive diagnosis of specific congenital myopathies, congenital muscular dystrophy and metabolic myopathies. In congenital myotonic dystrophy, the mother is almost always affected; neonates with specific congenital myopathies and congenital muscular dystrophy can be very similar to those with congenital myotonic dystrophy; the examination of the mother, specially a careful search for myotonia, is the best diagnostic clue; if there are signs of myotonia, the diagnosis can be made by molecular genetic study.

Hipotonía neonatal de causa muscular: análisis de 50 casos / Neonatal hypotonia of muscular origin: analysis of 50 cases

FUNDAMENTO: La hipotonía neonatal es un motivo común de consulta neurológica. El objetivo del presente trabajo es describir las principales características clínicas de 50 neonatos con hipotonía de causa muscular; todo ello con el apoyo del examen histopatológico. MÉTODOS: Se revisaron 50 historias clínicas pertenecientes a neonatos hipotónicos con biopsia muscular patológica. En todos los casos se determinó la creatincinasa sérica y todas las biopsias fueron examinadas por un neuropatólogo con experiencia en miopatología. RESULTADOS: La causa muscular más frecuente de hipotonía neonatal fueron las miopatías congénitas específicas (23 casos), seguida de la distrofia muscular congénita (15 casos), la distrofia miotónica congénita (8 casos) y las miopatías metabólicas (4 casos). La miopatía congénita específica más común fue la desproporción congénita de tipos de fibras (10 casos). Las contracturas articulares y la debilidad de los músculos respiratorios son frecuentes; las complicaciones respiratorias son la primera causa de muerte. CONCLUSIONES: La biopsia muscular es necesaria para el diagnóstico definitivo de las miopatías congénitas específicas, distrofias musculares congénitas y miopatías metabólicas. En la distrofia miotónica congénita casi siempre existe afección materna. Los neonatos con miopatías congénitas específicas y con distrofias musculares congénitas pueden ser muy parecidos a los neonatos con distrofia miotónica congénita; la exploración de la madre, especialmente de la miotonía, es la mejor clave diagnóstica. Si existen signos de miotonía, el diagnóstico puede realizarse mediante estudio genético molecular, sin necesidad de biopsiar al niño (AU)