Prevalence of insomnia and related factors in a large mid-aged female Colombian sample.

OBJECTIVE: To assess the prevalence of insomnia and related factors in a large cohort of mid-aged Colombian women of different ethnical background. METHODS: This cross-sectional study involved 1325 women aged 40-59 of 3 ethnical groups: Mestizo (70.0%), Black (11.5%) and Zenú indigenous (18.5%), who completed the items of the Athens Insomnia Scale (AIS), the Menopause Rating Scale (MRS) and a general questionnaire containing personal socio-demographic data. RESULTS: Median [interquartile range] age of the whole sample was 48.0 [10.0] years. A 43.4% were postmenopausal, 51.7% had increased body mass index values, 18.2% had hypertension and 5.1% used hormone therapy. A 27.5% displayed insomnia (AIS total score ≥6). Significant Spearman rho correlations were found between total AIS and MRS scores (total and subscales). Multiple linear regression analysis found that higher total AIS scores (more insomnia) correlated with tobacco consumption and higher MRS psychological and somatic subscale scores (more severe symptoms). Age, ethnicity and partner and menopausal status were excluded from the final regression model. CONCLUSIONS: In this large mid-aged Colombian cohort insomnia was present in nearly one third of cases, related to smoking habit and the severity of somatic and psychological menopausal symptoms and independent of ethnics and menopausal status.

Assessment of sleep quality and correlates in a large cohort of Colombian women around menopause.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to determine the relationship between self-reported sleep quality, menopausal symptom intensity, and correlates (including ethnicity) among middle-aged women. METHODS: The present cross-sectional study involved 1,078 Colombian women aged 40 to 59 years who completed the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), the Menopause Rating Scale (MRS), and a general questionnaire exploring sociodemographic data. RESULTS: The median [interquartile range] age of the whole sample was 49.0 [9.0] years. Among the participants, 45.4% were postmenopausal, 57.2% had increased body mass index values, 13.9% were black, 20.7% had hypertension, 74.1% had a stable partner, and 3.8% used hormone therapy. The prevalence of poor sleep quality was 57.1% (PSQI global score ≥5). Significant correlations between PSQI global scores and MRS total and subscale scores were found. Multiple linear regression analysis found that higher PSQI scores (poorer quality of sleep) correlated with higher MRS psychological and somatic subscale scores (more severe symptoms), smoking habit, and hypertension. Menopause status and black ethnicity were excluded from the final regression model. CONCLUSIONS: Despite study limitations, poor sleep quality is highly prevalent in this large middle-aged Colombian female sample and is related to menopausal symptom severity, tobacco use, and presence of hypertension.

Quality of life in a large cohort of mid-aged Colombian women assessed using the Cervantes Scale.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to assess quality of life (QoL) in a cohort of mid-aged Colombian women using the Cervantes Scale (CS). METHODS: In this cross-sectional study, 1,739 healthy women aged 40 to 59 years were asked to simultaneously fill out the CS and a questionnaire containing general female demographic data. The CS includes four domains: menopause and health (15 items), psychological (9 items), sexuality (4 items), and couple relationship (3 items). In addition, the menopause and health domain includes three subdomains: vasomotor symptoms, health, and aging. The global CS score may range from 0 to 155 (from better to worse QoL). RESULTS: Multiple linear regression determined that CS scores (global and domains) significantly increased (therefore, worse QoL) with age, menopause status, body mass index, parity, race, and marital and working status. The CS displayed a high internal consistency as Cronbach α values for the global and domain scores were above 0.80. CONCLUSIONS: This is the first study to report QoL assessment using the CS among mid-aged Latin American women from Colombia in whom age, menopause status, body mass index, and other personal factors influenced QoL.

Síndrome HELLP. A propósito de un caso en el Hospital Universidad del Norte / Hellp Syndrome. About a case at Hospital Universidad del Norte

El Síndrome Hellp es descrito como una enfermedad ocasional en la que ocurre hemólisis, enzimashepáticas elevadas y trombocitopenia en pacientes con preeclampsial severa. Aunque las característicasdel Síndrome Hellp pueden ser similares a las de la preeclampsia severa, muchos estudios han reportadoalgunas diferencias en su presentación clínica.Se hizo una revisión del número de casos de Síndrome Hellp en el servicio de gineco-obstetricia denuestra institución, y encontramos 8 casos de abril a diciembre del 2005, lo que nos estimuló a revisaresta patología debido al incremento de su presentación. El objetivo de este caso clínico fue revisarfactores de riesgo, curso clínico, manejo y hacer énfasis en la importancia del control prenatal en uncaso presentado en el Hospital Universidad del Norte.

The Hellp syndrome is described as an occasional disease where a combination of hemolysis, elevatedliver enzymes, and thrombocytopenia is displayed in patients with severe gestational hypertension.While many features of Hellp syndrome may be similar to severe preeclampsia, several studies havereported some differences in their clinical presentation. A casesreview of Hellp syndrome was performedin gynecology and obstetric service. Eight cases were found from april to december of 2005, whichstimulate to review this pathology. The aim of this clinic case was to review the risk factors, the cliniccourse and the management, with an emphasis on the importance of prenatal care in a case presentedin Universidad del Norte Hospital.