[Nutrition, bone disease and alcoholic cirrhosis]. / Nutrición, enfermedad ósea y cirrosis alcohólica.

OBJECTIVES: To know the prevalence of osteopenia and osteoporosis in alcoholic cirrhotic males from 45 to 65 years old. To prove if the nutritional state is involved in the loss of bone mass in the hepatic disease. STUDY POPULATION: 52 alcoholic cirrhotic males from 45 to 65 years old, with normal kidney function, non-sedentary and with no treatment that could alterate the study. Design and variables: transversal descriptive study finished in 2 years. The nutritional state was evaluated by means of classic anthropometric parameters (weight, height, perimeter of the arm and skin folds) and total body densitometry (DPX plus LUNAR-DEXA with dual energy X-ray absorptiometry. STATISTICAL ANALYSIS: Mc Intosh computer (Filemaker PRO program). T Student was used to compare groups and p was significant if alpha alpha < or = 0.05. Clinical severity of cirrhosis: Child-Turcotte classification. RESULTS: Osteopenia was diagnosed if bone mineral density (BMD) was higher than 1 standard deviation (SD) but lower than 3 SD below T score (mean values for adult women) and osteoporosis (OP) if BMD was higher than 3 SD or vertebral compression fractures appeared in simple radiographies. The prevalence of bone disease was 58%. The percentages of fat obtained by means of anthropometric and densitometric measures were higher in non-osteopenic patients. DISCUSSION: The prevalence of bone disease was higher than another studies. The total body densitometry is a more exact method to measure the percentage of body fat. The percentages of fat obtained with both methods were not related to the loss of bone mass. The nutritional state as an isolated factor does not lead to bone disease in these patients.

[Auditory screening in public schools in Bilbao]. / Screening auditivo en colegios públicos de Bilbao.

In this work we present a hearing screening practised to 2802 six years children, attending to Public Schools in Bilbao area, during 1988, 1989 and 1990. We used the screening audiometry as method, placing the normality level in 30 dB H1 ISO. We obtained a prevalence of 6.6% and a 7.6% of false positives. Transmission hearing losses represent almost 70% and levels of low and moderate hearing loss were the most frequent, reading 88.6%. We also confirmed as parameters that contribute to hearing loss detection, the level and bilaterality of hearing loss, being language delay one of the most frequent reasons of suspicion. We also discovered that the vast majority of hearing losses that cause invalidation, deep and severe, have a perinatal origin, so early screenings would enable and early diagnostic and many benefits. In spite of all the screenings mant hearing losses are not detected, but they are moderate and can never cause incapacitation, being of little hearing relevance.

[Pediculosis capitis: epidemiologic study of 23,624 schoolchildren in Bilbao]. / Pediculosis capitis: estudio epidemiológico de 23.624 escolares de Bilbao.

Head lice infestation have become a great problem in school children, reaching epidemic proportions in some countries. An open study was conducted to determinate how widespread head lice infestation were among preschool and elementary school children in Bilbao (North of Spain). We studied 23,624 children from whole public school of the city, aged 3 years to 14 years. The results of head lice control were: total prevalence 9.39% (between 1.8% and 31.6%). We found more girls than boys become infested (1.7% 1.0). Higher infestation levels were found between third and fifth grades (9 years to 11 years). At the same time, whole social-economic levels (low, middle and upper) resulted infesting by head louse, so there is not immunity against this parasite, although higher infestations degrees were found in low levels. At last we realized that head louse infestation is usually a family condition, so that treatment should not be confined only to the school children, and it is necessary besides health-school, whole the social-help.