[Acute-phase reactants and markers of inflammation in venous thromboembolic disease: correlation with clinical and evolution parameters]. / Reactantes de fase aguda y marcadores de inflamación en pacientes con enfermedad tromboembólica venosa: correlación con parámetros clínicos y evolutivos.

OBJECTIVE: To asses the association of acute reactants and interleukin 6 and 8 (IL-6 & IL-8) at diagnosis of venous thromboembolic disease (VTD) and clinical outcome. METHODS: 100 patients were diagnosed of VTD by image tests. Acute reactants (C-reactive protein (CRP), erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR), fibrinogen), D-dimer and IL-6 and IL-8 we measured at the moment of diagnosis. We made a 12 month follow-up of these patients to notice any clinical evolution outcomes (recurrences, bleeding, post-phlebitic syndrome, death). RESULTS: IL-6 was increased in 9 patients and IL-8 in 3. The risk factors, time to diagnosis and pulmonary embolism rate were similar in both interleukin groups (normal and high levels). Fibrinogen levels were significantly increased in high IL-6 group (585 +/- 179 vs. 485 +/- 154 mgr/dl; p = 0.05). During follow-up there were 5 deaths, 3 recurrences, 11 bleedings and 43 postphlebitic syndromes. Normal ESR level was associated to postphlebitic syndrome (17.8 +/- 14.5 vs. 31.4 +/- 27.4 mm/1st h; p = 0.016). Patients who had high levels of IL-6 had worse survival than these with normal levels (p = 0.015). CONCLUSION: IL-6, ESR, and CPR at diagnosis of VTD could be useful to identified patients with higher risks of death and postphlebitic syndrome during the first year after diagnosis.

Reactantes de fase aguda y marcadores de inflamación en pacientes con enfermedad tromboembólica venosa: correlación con parámetros clínicos y evolutivos / Acute reactives and markers of inflammation in venous thromboembolic disease: clinical and evolution outcomes

Objetivo: Determinar si los reactantes de fase aguda, dímero D y las interleucinas 6 y 8 (IL-6 e IL-8) en el momento de diagnóstico de la enfermedad tromboembólica venosa (ETEV) se relacionan con alguna variable clínica y evolutiva relevante. Material y métodos: Se estudiaron 100 pacientes con el diagnóstico de ETEV por pruebas de imagen. Se determinaron reactantes de fase aguda (proteína C reactiva (PCR), velocidad de sedimentación globular (VSG) y fibrinógeno), dímero D así como IL-6 e IL-8 en el momento del diagnóstico. Se recogieron los eventos clínicos más relevantes (recurrencia, hemorragia, síndrome postflebítico y mortalidad) durante un período de seguimiento de 12 meses. Resultados: La IL-6 estaba elevada en 9 pacientes y la IL-8 en 3. Los factores de riesgo, la duración de los síntomas y la forma de presentación como embolismo pulmonar fueron similares entre los dos grupos. Los niveles de fibrinógeno estaban significativamente aumentados (585 ±179 vs. 485 ± 154 mg/dl; p = 0,05) en el grupo de pacientes con IL-6 elevada. En los 12 meses de seguimiento la frecuencia de fallecimientos, recurrencias, hemorragias y síndrome postflebítico fueron 5, 3, 11 y 43, respectivamente. La VSG normal se asoció de forma significativa a la aparición de síndrome postflebítico (17,8 ± 14,5 vs. 31,4 ± 27,4 mm/1ª h;p = 0,016). La supervivencia de los pacientes con cifras elevadas de IL-6 fue significativamente peor que la del resto de los pacientes (p = 0,015). Conclusiones: Niveles elevados de IL-6 y los reactantes de fase aguda (VSG y PCR) en el momento del diagnóstico de la ETEV podrían servirpara identificar a los pacientes con mayor mortalidad y mayor probabilidad de desarrollar un síndrome postflebítico durante el primer año

Objective: To assess the association of acute reactants and interleukin 6 and 8 (IL-6 & IL-8) at diagnosis of venous thromboembolic disease (VTD) and clinical outcome. Methods: 100 patients were diagnosed of VTD by image tests. Acute reactants (C-reactive protein (CRP), erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR), fibrinogen), D-dimer and IL-6 and IL-8 we measured at the moment of diagnosis. We made a 12 month follow-up of these patients to notice any clinical evolution outcomes (recurrences, bledding, postphlebitic syndrome, death). Results: IL-6 was increased in 9 patients and IL-8 in 3. The risk factors, time to diagnosis and pulmonary embolism rate were similar in both interleukin groups (normal and high levels). Fibrinogen levels were significantly increased in high IL-6 group (585 ± 179 vs. 485 ± 154 mgr/dl; p=0.05). During follow-up there were 5 deaths, 3 recurrences, 11 bleedings and 43 postphlebitic syndromes. Normal ESR level was associated to postphlebitic syndrome (17.8 ± 14.5 vs. 31.4 ± 27.4 mm/1st ;;h; p=0.016). Patients who had high levels of IL-6 had worse survival than these with normal levels (p = 0.015). Conclusion: IL-6, ESR, and CPR at diagnosis of VTD could be useful to identified patients with higher risks of death and postphlebitic syndrome during the first year after diagnosis

Low levels of vitamin B12 and venous thromboembolic disease in elderly men.

OBJECTIVES: Hyperhomocysteinaemia is a well-known risk factor for venous thromboembolic disease (VTD). However, it is not clear whether homocysteine (Hc) itself or a related metabolite or a cofactor is primarily responsible for VTD. We carried out a case-control study to investigate whether vitamin concentrations that are involved in the Hc metabolism are associated or not with an elevated risk of VTD. DESIGN: Case-control study. METHODS: We measured serum vitamin B12, folate, creatinine and albumin concentrations and plasma Hc concentrations in 101 consecutive patients with VTD, diagnosed by image tests and 101 control subjects, matched for age and sex. RESULTS: Serum vitamin B12 concentrations were significantly lower in VTD patients than in the control subjects. There were no differences in plasma Hc or serum folate concentrations between the groups. Among the male subgroup aged more than 70 years, serum vitamin B12 concentrations were significantly lower (240.88 +/- 103.07 vs. 421.20 +/- 314.31 pmol L(-1); P = 0.03) and plasma Hc concentrations were significantly higher (13.1 +/- 4.18 vs. 10.56 +/- 3.06 micromol L(-1); P =0.04) in VTD patients than in the control group. On multivariate analysis, in patients aged more than 70 years, serum vitamin B12 concentrations were independently associated with VTD. Compared with the highest quartile of vitamin B12 (>512.6 pmol L(-1)) the odds ratio (OR) for VTD in the lowest quartile (<230.9 pmol L(-1)) was 3.8 (95% CI 1.44-10.18; P = 0.01). In the VTD group, lowest vitamin B12 concentrations (percentile 10 <152.8 pmol L(-1)) were associated with the factor V Leiden mutation (OR = 6.07, 95% CI 0.93-38.55; P = 0.04). CONCLUSIONS: Measuring vitamin B12 concentrations in elderly males may help in identifying people at risk of venous thromboembolism in our population.

[Tularemia outbreak in the province of Cuenca associated with crab handling]. / Brote epidémico de tularemia en la provincia de Cuenca en relación con la manipulación de cangrejos.

OBJECTIVE: To report the clinical and epidemiologic characteristics of 19 patients diagnosed of tularemia at our hospital following an epidemic outbreak occurred in our health area. METHODS: Retrospective analysis of clinical records of patients admitted to our hospital who were examined at the Infectious Diseases Clinic and had clinical findings and epidemiologic data consistent with tularemia during the period from June 1998 to March 1999. CASE DEFINITION: A patient was considered to fulfill the case definition when clinical symptoms, epidemiologic data and the following laboratory criteria were met: antibody titer to Francisella tularensis (tube agglutination test) > or = 1/128 in the convalescence serum specimen, seroconversion or recovery of the microorganism from biological material. RESULTS: Nineteen patients with a median age of 60 years. Males predominated (63.1% male patients); all of them had handled red crayfish from the same source (río Mayor). The incubation period ranged from 0 to 15 days (mean 4.88 days). All patients presented with the ulceroglandular form. Seventy-three percent of patients received doxycycline. Only one patient relapsed. Water samples from the reservoir of the depuration plant of the river were positive to F. tularensis by PCR. This same result was confirmed in stomach and hepatopancreas of crayfish fished in río Mayor in the second half of July. CONCLUSIONS: The most likely hypothesis of this outbreak was the contamination of the river water with animals dead from tularemia which, together with the characteristics of the transmission mechanism (wounds caused by crabs) had contributed to the acquisition of this disease in humans. Interestingly too, red crayfish as the source of infection.