[Prevalence and factors associated with subjective cognitive complaints in Latin American health workers during the COVID-19 pandemic]. / Prevalencia y factores asociados con las quejas cognitivas subjetivas del personal sanitario latinoamericano durante la pandemia de COVID-19.

Background and objectives: An increase in emotional disturbances and complaints about cognitive performance has been observed in Latin American healthcare workers during the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic, which can affect attention capacity and increase the levels of stress and burnout of these professionals. The objective was to analyse subjective cognitive complaints (SCC) and associated factors in health personnel during the COVID-19 pandemic in five Latin American countries.Methods: Multicentre cross-sectional study, which included 3,738 professionals from Colombia, Chile, Argentina, Ecuador, Bolivia, and Peru. The Generalized Anxiety Disorder Scale (GAD-7) and the Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9) was used to assess depression, and the Mini-Z to assess Burnout. For the SCC, an item on cognitive concerns in attention and memory was used.Results: The prevalence of cognitive complaints was 69.2%. The factors associated with a higher risk of SCC were the scores in the GAD-7, PHQ and Mini-Z, in addition to being part of the Ecuadorian health personnel.Conclusions: There is a high prevalence of SCC in health personnel, which is modulated by emotional states and stress.

Prevalence of Dementia and Associated Factors among Older Adults in Latin America during the COVID-19 Pandemic.

BACKGROUND: The COVID-19 pandemic has had a great impact on cognitive health in Latin American older adults, increasing the risk of cognitive impairment and dementia. Our objective was to analyze the prevalence of dementia and the associated factors in Latin American older adults during SARS-CoV-2 pandemic. METHODS: A multicentric first phase cross-sectional observational study was conducted during the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic. Five thousand two hundred and forty-five Latin American adults over 60 years of age were studied in 10 countries: Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Guatemala, Mexico, Peru, the Dominican Republic, and Venezuela. We used the telephone version of Montreal Cognitive Assessment, the "Alzheimer Disease 8" scale for functional and cognitive changes, and the abbreviated version of the Yesavage depression scale. We also asked for sociodemographic and lockdown data. All the evaluation was made by telephone. Cross-tabulations and χ2 tests were used to determine the variability of the prevalence of impairment by sociodemographic characteristics and binary logistic regression to assess the association between dementia and sociodemographic factors. RESULTS: We observed that the prevalence of dementia in Latin America is 15.6%, varying depending on the country (Argentine = 7.83 and Bolivia = 28.5%). The variables most associated with dementia were race and age. It does not seem to be associated with the pandemic but with social and socio-health factors. CONCLUSION: The prevalence of dementia shows a significant increase in Latin America, attributable to a constellation of ethnic, demographic, and socioeconomic factors.

Comparison of the cognitive profile in patients with alcoholism and schizophrenia

Resumen Introducción: Estudios recientes muestran que una alta prevalencia de trastornos psicóticos y por consumo de sustancias comparten mecanismos cerebrales comunes que pueden afectar el rendimiento cognitivo, la adhesión al tratamiento y, con ello, aumentar el riesgo de recaídas. Objetivo: Comparar el rendimiento cognitivo en pacientes con alcoholismo y con esquizofrenia. Material y Métodos: Estudio observacional que evaluó a 18 pacientes con esquizofrenia y 32 con trastorno mental debido a consumo de alcohol. Se utilizó la batería neuropsicológica breve NEUROPSI, validada en español. Resultados: Se encontraron diferencias significativas entre ambos grupos en áreas de función ejecutiva y memoria declarativa (a largo plazo), con mayores puntajes de deterioro en el grupo de pacientes con esquizofrenia. Conclusiones: Los resultados permiten comprender y explicar las dificultades observadas en pacientes con esquizofrenia en cuanto a funciones de regulación conductual y recuperación de información.

Summary Introduction: Recent studies report a high prevalence of psychotic and substance use disorders sharing common brain mechanisms that may affect cognitive performance, response to treatment, the ability to commit to it and, consequently, increase the risk of relapse. Objective: To compare cognitive performance in patients with alcoholism and schizophrenia. Material and Methods: Observational study designed to evaluated 18 patients with schizophrenia and 32 with mental disorders due to alcohol consumption. The short neuropsychological battery NEUROPSI, validated in Spanish, was the main study instrument. Results: Significant differences were found between both groups in areas of executive function and long-term memory, with the sub-group of patients with schizophrenia showing greater deterioration levels. Conclusion: The results assist in explaining and understanding the difficulties that patients with schizophrenia experience in the functions of behavior regulation and information retrieval.

Efectividad Del Foto-Test Frente Al Mmse, Para El Cribado Del Deterioro Cognitivo En Población Peruana / Effectiveness Of The Photo-Test Front Of The Mmse, For The Screening Of Cognitive Deterioration In Peruvian Population

Resumen El progresivo incremento de la enfermedad de Alzheimer ha generado el interés en su detección temprana, siendo los test de cribado cognitivo una herramienta útil, sin embargo, se necesita que los mismos estén culturalmente adaptados, sean objetivos y confiables. En el Perú, esta necesidad es mayor ya que el nivel educativo de la población de la tercera edad es mayoritariamente bajo. La presente investigación tiene como objetivo conocer la sensibilidad y especificidad del FOTOTEST frente al MMSE para el cribado/detección de deterioro cognitivo, analizando la relación de estos test cognitivos frente a uno de actividad funcional. Se evaluaron a 107 adultos mayores, con un rango de edad entre 60 y 89 años. Se utilizó la escala de Yesavage para la depresión geriátrica, el cuestionario de actividades funcionales de Pfeffer, MMSE y FOTOTEST. El análisis efectuado a través de la prueba de Pearson, evidencia una correlación significativa positiva entre el MMSE/FOTOTEST (Pearson 0.386, p<0.003), mientras que solo el MMSE mostró una correlación significativa negativa con el PFAQ (Pearson -0.320, p<0.013). Sin embargo, el FOTOTEST no mostró una correlación significativa con el PFAQ (Pearson -0.067, p<0.613). Adicionalmente, se calcula el porcentaje de efectividad y especificidad estimada para el FOTOTEST siendo de 100.00% y 92.68% respectivamente, superior al del MMSE, cuyo porcentaje estimado de efectividad fue de 83.33%, y especificidad 34.14%. Se concluye que el FOTOTEST sería una prueba más útil para la detección del deterioro cognitivo.

Abstract The progressive increase of Alzheimer's disease has generated interest in its early detection with cognitive screening tests being a useful tool, however, they need to be culturally adapted, objective and reliable. In Peru, this need is greater since the educational level of the elderly population is mostly low. The aim of the present study is to know the estimate sensitivity and specificity of FOTOTEST against MMSE for the screening/detection of cognitive impairment, analyzing the relationship of these cognitive tests with one of functional activity. 107 elderly people, aged 60-89 years, were evaluated. The Yesavage scale for geriatric depression was used, the functional activities questionnaire of Pfeffer, MMSE, and FOTOTEST. Pearson's analysis showed a significant positive correlation between MMSE/FOTOTEST (Pearson 0.386, p <0.003), whereas only MMSE showed a significant negative correlation with PFAQ (Pearson -0.320, p <0.013). However, FOTOTEST did not show a significant correlation with PFAQ (Pearson -0.067, p <0.613). In addition, the percentage of effectiveness and specificity estimated for FOTOTEST was 100.00% and 92.68%, respectively, higher than the MMSE, with an estimated percentage of effectiveness being 83.33%, and specificity of 34.14%. We conclude that FOTOTEST would be a more useful test for the detection of cognitive impairment than MMSE

Afectación Neuropsicológica de la Función Ejecutiva en Pacientes con Insuficiencia Renal Crónica / Neuropsychological Impairment of Executive Function in Patients with Chronic Renal Failure

Resumen Objetivos: Analizar las diferencias en el rendimiento neuropsicológico de las funciones ejecutivas en pacientes tratados con Diálisis Peritoneal (DP) y Hemodiálisis (HD), además de valorar el nivel de afectación de las modalidades de tratamiento (DP vs HD) y las variables demográficas y clínicas sobre la respuesta cognitiva. Método: Estudio de corte transversal con muestreo no probabilístico que incluyó a 40 pacientes con insuficiencia renal crónica (IRC), divididos en dos grupos: 20 pacientes sometidos a DP y 20 a HD. Se utilizó una batería de pruebas neuropsicológicas que incluyeron El Test de Palabras y Colores de STROOP, la parte B del Trail Making Test (TMT), la Torre de Hanoi y el subtest de Dígitos Inversos de la Escala Wechsler; además de un cuestionario sobre variables clínicas y demográficas. Resultados: Se evidenciaron diferencias significativas en el número de errores del TMT B y el número de movimientos de la Torre de Hanoi, siendo los pacientes sometidos a DP quienes rindieron mejor que los pacientes sometidos a HD. Por otra parte, los años de escolaridad y la edad de los pacientes parecen tener un efecto significativo sobre el rendimiento en las pruebas neuropsicológicas utilizadas. Conclusiones: Los pacientes sometidos a DP tienen un mejor rendimiento en pruebas de función ejecutiva, pero dicho rendimiento es modulado por los años de escolaridad y la edad. Se discute el papel de la escolarización y la edad sobre el rendimiento neuropsicológico y las posibles causas de las diferencias encontradas en los grupos evaluados.

Abstract Objectives: Analyze differences in neuropsychological performance of executive functions in patients treated with peritoneal dialysis (PD) and hemodialysis (HD), and to assess the level of impact of treatment modalities (HD vs PD) and the demographic and clinical variables over cognitive function. Materials and methods: Cross-sectional study with non-probability sampling that included 40 patients with chronic renal failure (CRF) divided into two groups, 20 patients undergoing peritoneal dialysis and 20 in hemodialysis. It was used a battery of neuropsychological tests including test Stroop words and colors, Part B of the Trail Making Test (TMT), Tower of Hanoi, and indirect Digit subtest of the Wechsler scale; and a questionnaire on demographic and clinical variables. Results: Significant differences were found in the number of errors of TMT B and the number of movements of the Tower of Hanoi, with the PD patients who performed better than patients undergoing HD. Moreover, years of schooling and the age of patients appear to have a significant effect on performance in the neuropsychological tests used. Conclusions: Patients undergoing peritoneal dialysis have better performance on executive function tests, but this performance is modulated by the years of schooling and age. It is discussed the role of schooling and age on neuropsychological performance and possible causes of the differences in the evaluated groups.