Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the mental health of the general population and health care workers.

The Health Sciences Foundation has assembled a multidisciplinary group around a series of questions about the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the mental health of the general population and specific groups within that population, particularly healthcare workers. In the general population, the most prevalent mental disorders have been anxiety, sleep disorders and affective disorders, primarily depression. There has been a considerable increase in suicidal behavior, especially in young women and men over 70 years of age. There has been an increase in alcohol abuse and nicotine, cannabis and cocaine use. In contrast, the use of synthetic stimulants during periods of confinement has decreased. With regard to non-substance addictions, gambling was very limited, pornography consumption increased significantly and there was an increase in compulsive shopping and the use of video games. Particularly vulnerable groups include adolescents and patients with autism spectrum disorders. Healthcare workers suffered an increase in depression, anxiety and post-traumatic stress, especially those who were exposed during the early stages of the pandemic. Female sex, being a nurse, proximity to patients with COVID-19, working in a rural environment and having previous psychiatric or organic illnesses were some of the most frequently repeated factors in various studies in this population group. The media have shown a good degree of knowledge about these problems and have dealt with them frequently and from the point of view of ethics, crisis situations, such as the one experienced, have triggered not only physical but also moral claudications.

Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the diagnosis and treatment of onco-hematologic patients: a discussion paper.

We do not know the precise figure for solid organ tumors diagnosed each year in Spain and it is therefore difficult to calculate whether there has been a decrease in cancer diagnoses as a consequence of the pandemic. Some indirect data suggest that the pandemic has worsened the stage at which some non-hematological neoplasms are diagnosed. Despite the lack of robust evidence, oncology patients seem more likely to have a poor outcome when they contract COVID-19. The antibody response to infection in cancer patients will be fundamentally conditioned by the type of neoplasia present, the treatment received and the time of its administration. In patients with hematological malignancies, the incidence of infection is probably similar or lower than in the general population, due to the better protective measures adopted by the patients and their environment. The severity and mortality of COVID-19 in patients with hematologic malignancies is clearly higher than the general population. Since the immune response to vaccination in hematologic patients is generally worse than in comparable populations, alternative methods of prevention must be established in these patients, as well as actions for earlier diagnosis and treatment. Campaigns for the early diagnosis of malignant neoplasms must be urgently resumed, post-COVID manifestations should be monitored, collaboration with patient associations is indisputable and it is urgent to draw the right conclusions to improve our preparedness to fight against possible future catastrophes.

Aspergilosis pulmonar invasiva en un hospital terciario durante un periodo de 10 años / Invasive pulmonary aspergillosis in a tertiary hospital over a 10-year period

Introducción: En los últimos años se ha producido un aumento de la incidencia de las aspergilosis pulmonar invasiva (API), no sólo en pacientes inmunodeprimidos u oncohematológicos, sino también en aquellos con patología pulmonar crónica en tratamiento esteroideo. El objetivo de este estudio es analizar las características de los pacientes ingresados por API en un hospital terciario durante un periodo de 10 años y evaluar los factores asociados con su desarrollo. Materia y métodos: Se han revisado todos los pacientes diagnosticados de API ingresados en los servicios de Medicina Interna, Neumología y Cuidados Intensivos de nuestro hospital entre el 1 de enero de 1997 y el 31 de diciembre de 2006. La información se ha obtenido a través de la base de datos del servicio de archivo de nuestro hospital. Resultados: Se han encontrado 39 pacientes, detectándose en dicho grupo una elevada incidencia de uso de ventilación mecánica invasiva previa a la aparición de la infección, así como de enfermedad pulmonar y de empleo de esteroides en su tratamiento previo. La mayoría de los pacientes han sido diagnosticados por cultivo, mientras que las técnicas antigénicas han mostrado un 17,9% de falsos negativos. El tratamiento antifúngico más ampliamente utilizado ha sido la anfotericina. Conclusiones: Tanto la patología pulmonar como el tratamiento esteroideo asociado, así como el ingreso en una unidad de cuidados intensivos y la utilización de técnicas ventilatorias invasivas son factores que pueden predisponer a la aparición de una API (AU)

Introduction: In recent years there has been an increase in the incidence of invasive pulmonary aspergillosis (IPA) not only in immunosuppressed or oncohematological patients but also in those suffering from chronic lung diseases treated with corticosteroids. This study has aimed to analyze the characteristics of patients admitted for IPA in a tertiary hospital over a 10-year period and to assess the associated factors with its development. Material and methods: We reviewed the cases of all IPA-diagnosed patients admitted to Internal Medicine, Pneumology and Intensive Care Unit of our hospital between January 1, 1997 and December 31, 2006, obtaining the information through the service's database file of our hospital. Results: A total of 39 patients were found. A high incidence of use of invasive mechanical ventilation was observed before the onset of infection as well as lung disease and previous use of corticosteroids. Most of the patients had been diagnosed by culture, whereas antigenic techniques showed 17.9% false negatives. The most widely used antifungal treatment was amphotericin. Conclusions: Pulmonary disease associated with steroid treatment and admission to an intensive care unit and the use of noninvasive ventilatory techniques are factors that may predispose to the emergence of an IPA (AU)