[Clinical, functional and quality of life differences in patients of different gender with essential tremor]. / Diferencias clínicas, funcionales y de calidad de vida en pacientes con temblor esencial de ambos sexos.

INTRODUCTION: Essential tremor (ET) is a chronic disease with important variability in its clinical manifestation, discapacity and quality of life (QoL) affectation. As previous reports have described differences in clinical manifestations of ET according to gender, this study proposes to check its existence in the Spanish population and to detect the presence of discapacity or alterations in QoL between different gender. METHODS: Patients with ET attended in the neurology clinic of a sanitary area were evaluated in a prospective consecutive way. Their clinical characteristics were recorded and discapacity and QoL were assessed through the Fahn and Tolosa scale for ET and the SF-36 health questionnaire. Comparisons between groups of both genders have been established. RESULTS: 104 patients with ET were evaluated (46 males and 58 females). Clinically there were differences concerning the localization and type of tremor. Although the intensity and the presence of discapacity were similar in both genders, women showed a lower QoL compared to men in the "physical role" dimension. CONCLUSIONS: There are differences in the clinical expression and in the affectation of QoL in patients with ET of different gender. Women had a lower score in the "physical role" dimension of QoL in comparison to their reference population, meaning lesser satisfaction with their performance capacity of their usual activities. QoL, thus, does not appear in this study as something only related with the degree of discapacity, but rather as having other determinant factors.

Diferencias clínicas, funcionales y de calidad de vida en pacientes con temblor esencial de ambos sexos / Clinical, functional and quality of life differences in patients of different gender with essential tremor

Introducción. El temblor esencial (TE) es una enfermedad crónica con importante variabilidad respecto a sus manifestaciones clínicas, discapacidad y afectación de calidad de vida (CdV). Dado que estudios previos describen diferencias en las manifestaciones clínicas del TE según el sexo, se plantea este estudio para comprobar su existencia en población española y detectar la presencia de discapacidad o alteraciones en CdV en los diferentes sexos. Métodos. Se han evaluado de forma prospectiva consecutiva pacientes con TE atendidos en las consultas de neurología de un área sanitaria, registrándose sus características clínicas y valorando discapacidad y CdV mediante la escala de TE de Fahn y Tolosa y el cuestionario de salud SF-36. Se han establecido comparaciones entre ambos sexos. Resultados. Participaron 104 pacientes con TE (46 varones y 58 mujeres). Clínicamente hubo diferencias en cuanto a localización y tipo de temblor. Aunque la intensidad del temblor y la presencia de discapacidad fue similar en ambos sexos, las mujeres manifestaron menor CdV respecto a los hombres en la dimensión de «rol físico». Conclusiones. Existen diferencias en la expresión clínica y en la afectación de CdV de pacientes con TE de diferentes sexos. Las mujeres presentaron menos puntuación en la dimensión «rol físico» de CdV respecto a su población de referencia, indicando un menor grado de satisfacción con la capacidad de realización de sus actividades habituales. La CdV, por tanto, no aparece en este estudio como un aspecto relacionado solamente con el grado de discapacidad, sino que puede tener otros factores determinantes

Introduction. Essential tremor (ET) is a chronic disease with important variability in its clinical manifestation, discapacity and quality of life (QoL) affectation. As previous reports have described differences in clinical manifestations of ET according to gender, this study proposes to check its existence in the Spanish population and to detect the presence of discapacity or alterations in QoL between different gender. Methods. Patients with ET attended in the neurology clinic of a sanitary area were evaluated in a prospective consecutive way. Their clinical characteristics were recorded and discapacity and QoL were assessed through the Fahn and Tolosa scale for ET and the SF-36 health questionnaire. Comparisons between groups of both genders have been established. Results. 104 patients with ET were evaluated (46 males and 58 females). Clinically there were differences concerning the localization and type of tremor. Although the intensity and the presence of discapacity were similar in both genders, women showed a lower QoL compared to men in the «physical role» dimension. Conclusions. There are differences in the clinical expression and in the affectation of QoL in patients with ET of different gender. Women had a lower score in the «physical role» dimension of QoL in comparison to their reference population, meaning lesser satisfaction with their performance capacity of their usual activities. QoL, thus, does not appear in this study as something only related with the degree of discapacity, but rather as having other determinant factors

Prevalence of diabetes and impaired glucose tolerance in Aragón, Spain.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the prevalence of diabetes and impaired glucose tolerance (IGT) and to investigate their associated cardiovascular risk factors in Aragón, Spain. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS: We performed a population-based cross-sectional study with stratified and purposive sampling of residents aged 10-74 years. A sample of 935 subjects (427 men and 508 women) was selected. All except those with a previous history of diabetes underwent an oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT), and World Health Organization (WHO) criteria were used for diagnosis of undiagnosed diabetes and IGT. Plasma lipid levels, blood pressure, BMI, and waist-to-hip ratio were also measured. RESULTS: The prevalence of diagnosed and undiagnosed diabetes and IGT was 3.1, 3.0, and 7.2%, respectively. In the age range of 30-64 years, the age-adjusted prevalence of diabetes (using the world population of Segi) was 7.1% in men and 5.6% in women. Both diabetes and IGT were associated with high blood pressure, high triglyceride levels, low HDL cholesterol levels, and overweight and upper-body fat distribution. Only upper-body fat distribution in women was significantly higher in subjects with diabetes than in subjects with IGT. CONCLUSIONS: The prevalence of diabetes in Aragón was moderately high (6.1%) and comparable with that reported in other white populations around the world. The proportion of unknown cases of diabetes was nearly 50%. Cardiovascular risk factors associated with diabetes and IGT supported the existence of an insulin resistance or metabolic syndrome, but there were not sufficient differences between diabetes and IGT to suggest a possible pathogenetic relation of hyperinsulinemia and associated risk factors.

[Habits and alcohol consumption among Saragossa student population]. / Hábitos y consumo de alcohol en población estudiantil de Zaragoza.

Since the drinking of alcoholic drinks is an important health problem, in order to draw up health education programmes, we must know the diverse factors that characterize the consumption of alcohol in our region. A survey was carried out on 1,404 student from Secondary Schools and University in the city of Zaragoza, by means of a questionnaire "ad hoc" given to sample groups for a period of time lasting from February to March 1989. The consumption of alcohol by young people is characterized by a very notable increase in consumption, when the percentage of consumers drinking in excess is high. In terms of the type of alcoholic drink consumed, those preferred are spirits, then beer, and thirdly wine, and, of course, certain of consumption are influenced by socioeconomic conditions.