[Demographic characteristics, malaria chemoprophylaxis and vaccination in 6,783 international travelers attended in a specialized unit]. / Características demográficas, quimioprofilaxis antimalárica e inmunoprofilaxis en 6.783 viajeros internacionales atendidos en una unidad monográfica.

OBJECTIVE: The objective of this paper was to determine the demographic characteristics and the evolution of international travelers treated at the Unit of Infectious and Tropical Medicine in order to improve precautions prior to travel and, thus reduce the occurrence of these diseases. METHODS: A retrospective study of all international travelers served in UEIMT (Las Palmas de Gran Canaria) during the period 1998-2013 was performed. The following variables were collected using a standardized protocol were analyzed: age, gender, date of consultation, type of traveler, countries of destination and preventive measures undertaken (malaria chemoprophylaxis and vaccines). RESULTS: A total of 6,783 international travelers of which 52% were women were analyzed. The average age was 36 years (SD 13). The most frequent destination continent was Africa (39%) followed by Asia (36%) and Latin America (23%). The most common country of destination was India 13% (882), followed by Senegal 7.5% (509) and Thailand 6.3% (429). The most frequently recommended vaccines were typhoid fever (82.9%) and hepatitis A (66.9%). As for malaria prophylaxis, the indicated drugs were atovaquone-proguanil (56.5%), mefloquine (36.7%), in regard to travelers returning to visit relatives and friends with a 26.81% were children (0-9 years).. CONCLUSIONS: The overall profile of the traveler is a young man who chooses holiday destination Africa followed by Asia and Latin America. Over 50% of travelers received vaccination against typhoid and hepatitis A. The most commonly used malaria chemoprophylaxis was atovaquone / proguanil followed by mefloquine.

[Role of allopurinol and rofecoxib in agranulocytosis and acute tubular necrosis]. / Implicación de alopurinol y rofecoxib en agranulocitosis y necrosis tubular aguda.

OBJECTIVE: To report the case of a patient who developed a life-threatening agranulocytosis and acute tubular necrosis after the administration of allopurinol and rofecoxib. CASE REPORT: After minor surgery, a 70-year-old male underwent a routine blood test which encountered: anemia, leucopenia, neutropenia, thrombopenia, and altered creatinine levels. Both marrow and renal biopsies were performed, yielding the following results: acute tubular necrosis and agranulocytosis in the recovery stage. One month and a half before the aforementioned surgery a routine blood test had been performed, which showed normal values. The patient had then received allopurinol 100 mg/day for around 2 months, and rofecoxib 2.5 mg/day for 14 days. DISCUSSION: After ruling out other possible causes, a diagnosis of iatrogenically induced agranulocytosis and acute tubular necrosis was reached. We used a (modified) Karch-Lasagna algorithm with both drugs, and found the following imputability values: possible for rofecoxib and probable for allopurinol. In view of the widespread use of rofecoxib and COX-2 inhibitors, despite their recent availability, and of their potential role in the severe adverse effects discussed, healthcare professionals must be on the alert for the development of symptoms suggesting said or other adverse effects.

Implicación de alopurinol y rofecoxib en agranulocitosis y necrosis tubular aguda / Role of allopurinol and rofecoxib in agranulocytosis and acute tubular necrosis

Objetivo: Describir el caso de un paciente que desarrolló una agranulocitosis y una necrosis tubular aguda que comprometió su vida tras la administración de alopurinol y rofecoxib. Descripción del caso: Varón de 70 años, al que se le realizó una analítica de control tras una intervención menor, observándose anemia, leucopenia, neutropenia, trombopenia y alteración de los niveles de creatinina. Se efectuó biopsia renal y medular con el resultado de necrosis tubular aguda y médula compatible con agranulocitosis en fase de recuperación. Mes y medio antes de la intervención indicada se le había realizado una analítica de control encontrando valores dentro de la normalidad. Anteriormente el paciente había iniciado tratamiento con alopurinol 100 mg al día durante aproximadamente 2 meses, y rofecoxib 2,5 mg al día durante 14 días. Comentario: Tras descartar otras posibles causas, se llegó al diagnóstico de agranulocitosis y necrosis tubular aguda de origen iatrogénico. Aplicamos el algoritmo de Karsch-Lasagna (modificado) para ambos fármacos, encontrando los siguientes valores de imputabilidad: posible para el rofecoxib y probable para el alopurinol. Debido al amplio uso de rofecoxib y los inhibidores de la COX-2, a pesar de su reciente comercialización, y su posible implicación en los graves efectos adversos descritos, los profesionales sanitarios deben estar alertados ante la aparición de síntomas que puedan hacer sospechar la aparición de éstos u otros efectos adversos (AU)