[Social characteristics of a HIV-positive patient group]. / Características sociales de una población VIH positiva.

OBJECTIVE: To discover the social, economic and cultural characteristics of the HIV+ population within our health area and any consequent implications for the spread of the disease. DESIGN: A descriptive study by means of a direct questionnaire. SETTING: The Macarena area in Sevilla. PATIENTS: 110 HIV+ patients. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: A questionnaire, which included items concerning work situation, cultural and economic status, drug habits, sexual behaviour and social situation, was administered to 110 people. The determinant social profile of those patients studied was: male, PVDU, between 25 and 34, heterosexual, with multiple sexual partners, resident in the urban area, economically dependent on their parents with whom they live, and having a low education level. Homosexual patients had a higher education level. CONCLUSIONS: 1. The social conditions of marginal groups must be changed, in order to lessen drug consumption and so cut the epidemiological transmission chain. 2. High-risk behaviour, rather than high-risk groups, should be referred to, given that (albeit to a lesser degree) this infection can affect people at any social level, who engage in high-risk activities.

[Hospital follow-up of referred patients over a year from the emergency service at a rural health center]. / Seguimiento hospitalario de los pacientes derivados en un año desde el servicio de urgencias en un centro de salud rural.

We have evaluated the patients that were referred to the referencie hospital from the emergency service of our health center between July 1, 1988, and June 31, 1989, and we have followed them up after their arrival to the hospital. We had cared for 20,546 emergencies, particularly from internal medicine, pediatrics and pediatric surgery, traumatology, plastic surgery and neurosurgery. 636 of these were referred (3.09%), with varying rates for specialities, from 7.1% in gynecology to 0% in dermatology. Only 436 of the referred patients attended the hospital. Of these, 49.3% were discharged, 30.5% were admitted and 20.2% were kept for observation up to 48 hours. The highest rates of admissions were seen in internal medicine, pediatrics and pediatric surgery, general surgery, gynecology and psychiatry. All patients from otorhyno-laringology were discharged, and so were 83.8% from ophthalmology and 62.8% from traumatology-plastic surgery-neurosurgery. It was concluded that there is a need for an improved continuing education of the staff (particularly in some areas of medicine), and better material resources and health education.