Profesionalismo o profesionalidad médica / Professionalism or medical professionality

En este artículo se contemplan los siguientes aspectos: ¿En qué consiste el profesionalismo? ¿Está en crisis el modelo de relación médico-enfermo de la medicina occidental tradicional? ¿Cuáles serían los posibles factores implicados en esta crisis? ¿Cuáles podrían ser las causas de la crisis del modelo? ¿Existe un tratamiento para esta crisis? Contenidos del profesionalismo: principios y compromisos. ¿Qué ha conseguido la cultura del profesionalismo? En resumen, y como conclusiones, la práctica médica centrada en el paciente y el profesionalismo son buenos ejemplos para actuar correctamente y una buena guía para orientarnos en las dificultades diarias. A través de ellas lograremos mejorar nuestra relación con el enfermo y una mayor confianza de la sociedad

This article includes the following aspects: What is professionalism? Is the traditional Western medicine medical relationship model in crisis? Which would be the possible factors involved in this crisis? What might be the causes of the crisis of the model? Is there a treatment for this crisis? Contents of professionalism: Principles and Commitments. What has gotten the culture of professionalism?. Summary, and CONCLUSIONS: the patient-centered medical practice and professionalism are good examples to act properly and a good guide to orient ourselves in the daily difficulties. Through them we will achieve to improve our relationship with the patient and increase confidence among society

Antiagregación y anticoagulación, relación con la hemorragia digestiva alta / Antiagregation and anticoagulation, relationship with upper gastrointestinal bleeding

Introducción: la alta prevalencia de la patología cardiovascular en las sociedades modernas conlleva una elevada prescripción y uso de medicamentos antiagregantes y anticoagulantes. Estos tratamientos se han relacionado con un aumento de la incidencia de hemorragias digestivas altas (HDA). Nuestro objetivo fue evaluar la proporción de HDA relacionadas con tratamientos antiagregantes o anticoagulantes y describir las características clínicas de estos pacientes en nuestro medio. Material y métodos: se realizó una búsqueda retrospectiva en los archivos de nuestro hospital de todos aquellos pacientes con diagnóstico de hemorragia digestiva alta, ingresados en el periodo 01/01/2004-31/12/2007. Incluimos los pacientes en tratamiento con antiagregantes y/o anticoagulantes. Analizamos la información referente a los fármacos que tomaban, la lesión sangrante subyacente, la gravedad de la hemorragia, las recidivas, la mortalidad y las características clínicas. Resultados: se recogieron 523 episodios de HDA, de los cuales 137 (26,1%) eran pacientes en tratamiento antiagregante y/o anticoagulante. Los pacientes incluidos eran hombres en el 60,2% de los casos y tenían una media de edad de 75,6 (±10,8) años. El 65,5% (74) de ellos presentaba HTA, el 43,4% (49) diabetes mellitus (DM) tipo 2, el 37,2% (42) dislipemia y el 13,3% (15) demencia. El fármaco más frecuentemente implicado fue el ácido acetilsalicílico en el 36,3% (41), seguido del acenocumarol en el 27,4% (31), el clopidogrel en el 18,6% (21), doble antiagregación (AAS + clopidogrel) en 6,2% (7), triple terapia (AAS + clopidogrel + acenocumarol) en 1 (0,9%), triflusal en el 4,4% (5), heparinas de bajo peso molecular en el 5,3% (6) y ticlopidina en un paciente (0,9%). Únicamente el 36,3% (41) recibían tratamiento con inhibidores de la bomba de protones. Hubo un total de 24 recidivas y 4 muertes. Conclusiones: el 26,1% de las hemorragias digestivas altas atendidas en nuestro medio son de origen iatrogénico. Llama la atención el bajo grado de gastroprotección(AU)

Introduction: the high prevalence of cardiovascular diseases in the modern society brings a high prescription of platelet antiaggregation and anticoagulant medications. These treatments have been related to an increased incidence of upper gastrointestinal bleedings (UGB). Our aim was to estimate the fraction of UGB s presented to our hospital that was related to this kind of treatments and describe their clinical features in our environment. Material and methods: a retrospective search was performed in the archives of our hospital of all the patients with diagnosis of UGB admitted during the period 2004-2007 both years inclusive. Patients on antiplatelet and/or anticoagulant treatment were included. We analyzed the information regarding the use of medication, the bleeding lesion, the severity of the bleeding, recurrences, mortality and their clinical features. Results: we found 523 episodes of UGB. Of these 137 (26.1%) were patients receiving platelet antiaggregation or anticoagulant drugs. The patients were male 60.2%, and had a mean age of 75.6 (± 10.8) years. The 65.5% (74) had HBP, 43.4% (49) diabetes mellitus and 37.2% (42) dislypemia and 13.3% (22) dementia. The drug most frequently implicated was ASA in 36.3% (41), followed by acenocumarol in 27.4% (31), clopidogrel 18.6% (21), ouble therapy (ASA + clopidogrel) in 6.2% (7), triple therapy (ASA + clopidogrel + acenocumarol) in 0.9% (1), triflusal 4.4% (5), low molecular weight heparin 5.3% (5), and ticlopidine in one patient (0.9%). Only 36.3% (41) were on treatment with proton pump inhibitors. There were 24 recurrences and 4 deaths. Conclusions: the 26.1% of the UGB attended in our environment were of iatrogenic origin. We also found a low use of proton pump inhibitors(AU)

Clinical inertia in diagnosis and treatment of hypertension in primary care: quantification and associated factors.

OBJECTIVES: The objective of the present study was to quantify both diagnostic and therapeutic inertia in hypertension and to identify patient-associated variables. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Cross-sectional, multicenter study of 35 424 subjects carried out in 428 health centers and/or primary care clinics in the Valencian Community, Spain, in a preventive activity conducted during 2003 and 2004. Diagnostic inertia was identified when a patient without known hypertension had high blood pressure (BP) but was labeled "normal" by the medical staff, and therapeutic inertia when treatment was not modified for a hypertensive patient on the presence of high BP values. Bivariate and multivariate statistical analyses were performed to identify patient's characteristics associated with inertia. RESULTS: Diagnostic inertia was present in 32.5% (95% CI 31.4-33.6) and therapeutic inertia in 37.0% (95% CI 35.6-38.5) of the cases. Both were more frequent in cases of isolated systolic or diastolic high BP. In the multivariate models, the factors associated with diagnostic inertia were type-2 diabetes (p=0.041), non-smoking (p=0.004), previous coronary heart disease (p=0.001), BP values (p<0.001) and body mass index (p=0.031), whereas for therapeutic inertia they were type-2 diabetes (p=0.003), previous coronary heart disease (p=0.016) or stroke (p<0.001) and BP values (p<0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Clinical inertia, either diagnostic or therapeutic, was present in one of every three cases of high BP. The most frequent factors associated with clinical inertia were the presence of associated conditions, which requires lower BP goals and the BP values.

[Agreement between REGICOR and SCORE scales in identifying high cardiovascular risk in the Spanish population]. / Concordancia de las escalas REGICOR y SCORE para la identificación del riesgo cardiovascular alto en la población española.

INTRODUCTION: The aims of this study were to evaluate the consistency between the SCORE (Systematic Coronary Risk Evaluation) and REGICOR (Registre Gironí del cor) scales in identifying high cardiovascular risk and to describe the characteristics of those individuals for whom scale results were discrepant. METHODS: This cross-sectional study involved 8942 subjects aged 40-65 years who had an indication for a complete lipid profile. The agreement between SCORE (for low-risk countries) and Framingham-REGICOR (with a high risk threshold of 10%) scales in classifying patients as high risk was evaluated using the kappa statistic. Subjects for whom there was a discrepancy between classifications were identified and variables associated with this discrepancy were determined by multivariate analysis involving binary logistic regression. RESULTS: The REGICOR scale classified 6.7% of subjects (95% confidence interval [CI], 6.2%-7.3%) as high-risk, while SCORE classified 12.5% (95% CI 11.8%-13.2%) as high-risk. Discrepant findings were observed in 10.2% of the total population (8% had a high risk on SCORE but not REGICOR, and 2.2% had a high risk on REGICOR but not SCORE; kappa=0.420; P< .001). The best agreement was observed between SCORE and REGICOR with a high-risk threshold of 8% (kappa=0.463). Multivariate analysis showed that a high risk on SCORE but not REGICOR was associated with lower age, female sex, a high fasting glucose level, and raised diastolic blood pressure, and a high risk on REGICOR but not SCORE, with male sex, smoking, and a low high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol level. These variables accounted for the extent of the discrepancy in 93.2% of cases. CONCLUSIONS: The SCORE and REGICOR (threshold 10%) scales identified different populations as being at a high risk, though the agreement between them was reasonably good. The concurrence of a number of factors (e.g., male sex, low HDL-cholesterol, and smoking) in a subject with a low risk on the SCORE scale should be regarded as increasing the cardiovascular risk.

Concordancia de las escalas REGICOR y SCORE para la identificación del riesgo cardiovascular alto en la población española / Agreement between REGICOR and SCORE scales in identifying high cardiovascular risk in the spanish population

Introducción y objetivos. Los objetivos de este estudio fueron valorar la concordancia entre las escalas SCORE y REGICOR para la identificación de riesgo cardiovascular alto, y describir los perfiles en los que las escalas discrepan. Métodos. Estudio transversal en 8.942 sujetos de 40-65 años con indicación de perfil lipídico completo. Se valoró la concordancia en la clasificación de riesgo alto entre las escalas SCORE (para países de bajo riesgo) y Framingham-REGICOR (umbral de riesgo alto, 10%) mediante el índice kappa. Se identificó a los sujetos con discrepancia en la clasificación y se realizó un análisis multivariable por regresión logística binaria para identificar las variables relacionadas. Resultados. REGICOR clasificó como alto riesgo al 6,7% (intervalo de confianza del 95%, 6,2%-7,3%) y SCORE al 12,5% (11,8%-13,2%). El 10,2% mostró discrepancias (el 8% riesgo SCORE alto y REGICOR no alto, y el 2,2% REGICOR alto y SCORE no alto; κ = 0,420; p < 0,001). La concordancia más elevada fue entre SCORE y REGICOR con umbral de alto riesgo del 8% (κ = 0,463). En un análisis multivariable, SCORE alto con REGICOR no alto se relacionó con edad inferior, sexo femenino, glucosa basal elevada y presión arterial diastólica elevada, y SCORE no alto con REGICOR alto, con sexo masculino, tabaquismo y colesterol de las lipoproteínas de alta densidad bajo. Estas variables explicaron la variabilidad en las discrepancias en un 93,2%. Conclusiones. SCORE y REGICOR (umbral, 10%) identificaron poblaciones de riesgo alto diferentes, y la concordancia fue discreta. Se podría considerar que la confluencia de algunas variables (sexo varón, colesterol de las lipoproteínas de alta densidad bajo, tabaquismo) y riesgo SCORE no alto incrementa el riesgo cardiovascular (AU)

Introduction. The aims of this study were to evaluate the consistency between the SCORE (Systematic Coronary Risk Evaluation) and REGICOR (Registre Gironí del cor) scales in identifying high cardiovascular risk and to describe the characteristics of those individuals for whom scale results were discrepant. Methods. This cross-sectional study involved 8942 subjects aged 40­65 years who had an indication for a complete lipid profile. The agreement between SCORE (for low-risk countries) and Framingham-REGICOR (with a high risk threshold of 10%) scales in classifying patients as high risk was evaluated using the kappa statistic. Subjects for whom there was a discrepancy between classifications were identified and variables associated with this discrepancy were determined by multivariate analysis involving binary logistic regression. Results. The REGICOR scale classified 6.7% of subjects (95% confidence interval [CI], 6.2%­7.3%) as high-risk, while SCORE classified 12.5% (95% CI 11.8%­13.2%) as high-risk. Discrepant findings were observed in 10.2% of the total population (8% had a high risk on SCORE but not REGICOR, and 2.2% had a high risk on REGICOR but not SCORE; κ=0.420; P<.001). The best agreement was observed between SCORE and REGICOR with a high-risk threshold of 8% (κ=0.463). Multivariate analysis showed that a high risk on SCORE but not REGICOR was associated with lower age, female sex, a high fasting glucose level, and raised diastolic blood pressure, and a high risk on REGICOR but not SCORE, with male sex, smoking, and a low high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol level. These variables accounted for the extent of the discrepancy in 93.2% of cases. Conclusions. The SCORE and REGICOR (threshold 10%) scales identified different populations as being at a high risk, though the agreement between them was reasonably good. The concurrence of a number of factors (e.g., male sex, low HDL-cholesterol, and smoking) in a subject with a low risk on the SCORE scale should be regarded as increasing the cardiovascular risk (AU)

[Association between breast arterial calcifications and degree of control and severity of diabetes]. / Relación entre las calcificaciones arteriales detectadas por mamografía y el grado de control y gravedad de la diabetes mellitus.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: Our goal was to analyze the association between the presence of arterial calcifications detected on mammography and the degree of control and severity of diabetes. PATIENTS AND METHOD: We included all menopausal women with diabetes aged between 45 and 68 years from two health districts who participated in the breast cancer screening campaign of the region (n = 230). We reviewed their mammographies to evaluate the presence of arterial calcifications and thus associate these findings with factors determining the control and severity of diabetes (glycemia, glycosylated hemoglobin, micro- and macrovascular chronic complications) as obtained from the patients' medical records. RESULTS: The prevalence of breast arterial calcification was 40%. Patients with breast arterial calcifications had had diabetes for longer time and had more microvascular chronic complications. CONCLUSIONS: The presence of arterial calcifications detected on mammography in menopausal women with diabetes over 45 years of age is associated with microvascular chronic complications.

Relación entre las calcificaciones arteriales detectadas por mamografía y el grado de control y gravedad de la diabetes mellitus / Association between breast arterial calcifications and degree of control and severity of diabetes

FUNDAMENTO Y OBJETIVO: Analizar la relación entre la presencia de las calcificaciones arteriales detectadas por mamografía y el grado de control y gravedad de la diabetes. PACIENTES Y MÉTODO: Se incluyó a todas las mujeres menopáusicas de 45 a 68 años con diabetes, de 2 distritos de salud, que participaban en el Programa de Cribado de Cáncer de Mama del área (n = 230). Se revisaron sus mamografías valorando la presencia de calcificaciones arteriales y relacionándola con los factores que determinan el control y la gravedad de la diabetes (glucemia, hemoglobina glucosilada, complicaciones crónicas micro y macrovasculares de la diabetes), obtenidos de las historias clínicas de las pacientes. RESULTADOS: La prevalencia de calcificación arterial mamaria fue del 40 por ciento. Las pacientes con calcificación arterial mamaria presentaron mayor tiempo de evolución de la enfermedad y mayores complicaciones crónicas microvasculares. CONCLUSIONES: La presencia de calcificaciones arteriales detectadas por mamografía en mujeres menopáusicas con diabetes mayores de 45 años se relaciona con la aparición de mayores complicaciones crónicas microvasculares (AU)