Fundación Neumológica Colombiana 30 años de una institución con espíritu / Fundación Neumológica Colombiana 30 years of an institution with spirit

Hablar de la Neumología moderna en Colombia y de la Fundación Neumológica Colombiana es hablar de Darío Maldonado Gómez. Nacido en Pamplona, Norte de Santander, llegó a Bogotá siendo un adolescente, cuando sus padres se vieron obligados a salir de su ciudad natal hacia la capital, con todos sus hijos, producto de la violencia encendida a finales de la década de los 40´s. Con el ejemplo de su padre, Darío Maldonado Romero, médico que se especializó en la lepra y consagró sus esfuerzos al desarrollo de políticas de salud pública. Así, con la ambición de aprender y apropiar la ciencia, el arte y el humanismo que sustentan la medicina, ingresó a la Universidad Nacional en Bogotá y obtuvo su título de médico en 1959. Su ánimo de aprender y de poder ofrecer siempre las mejores opciones a sus pacientes, lo llevaron pronto a Chicago y Milwaukee, Estados Unidos, donde, en la década de los 60´s, se entrenó en Medicina Interna y Neumología con el profesor Gordon Snider, pionero y figura de la Neumología moderna en el mundo.

Talking about modern Pulmonology in Colombia and the Colombian Pulmonary Foundation is talking about Darío Maldonado Gómez. Born in Pamplona, Norte de Santander, he came to Bogotá as a teenager, when his parents were forced to leave their hometown for the capital, with all their children, as a result of the violence inflamed at the end of the 1940s. With the example of his father, Darío Maldonado Romero, a doctor who specialized in leprosy and devoted his efforts to the development of public health policies. Thus, with the ambition of learning and appropriating the science, art and humanism that sustain medicine, he entered the National University in Bogotá and obtained his medical degree in 1959. His desire to learn and to always be able to offer the best options to his patients, they soon took him to Chicago and Milwaukee, United States, where, in the 1960s, he trained in Internal Medicine and Pulmonology with Professor Gordon Snider, pioneer and figure of modern Pulmonology in the world.

Frequency of emergency department visits and hospitalizations due to chronic obstructive pulmonary disease exacerbations in patients included in two models of care / Frecuencia de visitas al departamento de emergencias y hospitalizaciones debido a exacerbaciones de la enfermedad pulmonar obstructiva crónica en pacientes incluidos en dos modelos de atención

Introduction: Exacerbations of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) have a huge impact on lung function, quality of life and mortality of patients. Emergency Department visits and hospitalizations due to exacerbations cause a significant economic burden on the health system. Objective: To describe the differences in the number of emergency visits and hospitalizations due to exacerbations of COPD among patients included in two models of care of the same institution. Materials and methods: A historical cohort study in which COPD patients who are users of two models of care were included: COPD integrated care program (CICP) and general consultation of pulmonology (GCP). The first model, unlike the second one, offers additional educational activities, 24/7 telephone service, and priority consultations. The number of emergency visits and hospitalizations due to COPD exacerbations in patients who had completed at least one year of follow-up was evaluated. The multivariable Poisson regression model was used for calculating the incidence rate (IR) and the incidence rate ratio (IRR) with an adjustment for confounding factors. Results: We included 316 COPD patients (166 from the CICP and 150 from the GCP). During the year of follow-up, the CICP patients had 50% fewer emergency visits and hospitalizations than patients from the GCP (IRR=0.50, 95%CI: 0.29-0.87, p=0.014). Conclusions: COPD patients in the CICP had fewer emergency visits and hospitalizations due to exacerbations. Prospective clinical studies are required to confirm the results and to evaluate the factors that contribute to the differences.

Introducción. Las exacerbaciones de la enfermedad pulmonar obstructiva crónica (EPOC) tienen un gran impacto en la función pulmonar, la calidad de vida y la mortalidad de los pacientes. Las visitas al Departamento de Emergencias y las hospitalizaciones debido a las exacerbaciones, causan una carga económica importante para el sistema de salud. Objetivo. Describir las diferencias en el número de visitas de emergencia y hospitalizaciones debidas a exacerbaciones de la EPOC, entre los pacientes incluidos en dos modelos de atención de la misma institución. Materiales y métodos. Se trata de un estudio de cohorte histórica en el que se incluyeron pacientes que son usuarios de dos modelos de atención: el programa de atención integrada de la EPOC (CICP) y la consulta general de neumología (PCG). El primer modelo, a diferencia del segundo, ofrece actividades educativas adicionales, servicio telefónico las 24 horas del día y consultas prioritarias. Se evaluó el número de visitas de emergencia y hospitalizaciones debido a exacerbaciones de la EPOC en pacientes que habían completado, al menos, un año de seguimiento. Se utilizó el modelo de regresión multivariable de Poisson para calcular la tasa de incidencia (IR) y la razón de tasas de incidencia (IRR), con un ajuste para factores de confusión. Resultados. Se incluyeron 316 pacientes con EPOC, 166 del CICP y 150 de la PCG. Durante el año de seguimiento, los pacientes en el CICP tuvieron 50 % menos visitas de emergencia y hospitalizaciones que los pacientes en la PCG (IRR=0,50; IC95% 0,29-0,87; p=0,014). Conclusiones. Los pacientes con EPOC en el CICP, tuvieron menos visitas de emergencia y hospitalizaciones debido a las exacerbaciones. Se requieren estudios clínicos prospectivos para confirmar los resultados y evaluar los factores que contribuyen a las diferencias.

SMALLa AIRWAY DISEASE IN COPD ASSOCIATED TO BIOMASS EXPOSURE.

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a complex and heterogeneous entity that may result from different causative agents and risk factors and may follow diverse clinical courses, including COPD secondary to biomass smoke exposure. At present, this phenotype is becoming more important for two reasons: first, because at least almost half of the world's population is exposed to biomass smoke, and second, because the possibility of it being diagnosed is increasing. Biomass smoke exposure COPD affects primarily women and is related with insults to the airways occurred during early life. Although constituents of biomass smoke and tobacco smoke are similar, the physiopathological changes they induce differ depending not only on the chemical composition (related with the type of fuel used) but also on the particle size and the inhalation pattern. Evidence has shown that biomass smoke exposure affects the airway, predominantly the small airways causing anthracofibrosis and peribronchiolar fibrosis changes that will clinically translate into chronic bronchitis symptoms, with a high impact on the quality of life. In this review, we focus especially on the main epidemiological and clinical differences between COPD secondary to biomass exposure and COPD caused by tobacco exposure.

Small airway disease in COPD associated to biomass exposure

Abstract Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a complex and heterogeneous entity that may result from different causative agents and risk factors and may follow diverse clinical courses, including COPD secondary to biomass smoke exposure. At present, this phenotype is becoming more important for two reasons: first, because at least almost half of the world’s population is exposed to biomass smoke, and second, because the possibility of it being diagnosed is increasing. Biomass smoke exposure COPD affects primarily women and is related with insults to the airways occurred during early life. Although constituents of biomass smoke and tobacco smoke are similar, the physiopathological changes they induce differ depending not only on the chemical composition (related with the type of fuel used) but also on the particle size and the inhalation pattern. Evidence has shown that biomass smoke exposure affects the airway, predominantly the small airways causing anthracofibrosis and peribronchiolar fibrosis changes that will clinically translate into chronic bronchitis symptoms, with a high impact on the quality of life. In this review, we focus especially on the main epidemiological and clinical differences between COPD secondary to biomass exposure and COPD caused by tobacco exposure.

Virus and Mycoplasma pneumoniae prevalence in a selected pediatric population with acute asthma exacerbation.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the prevalence of viral and atypical bacteria Mycoplasma pneumoniae infection in children experiencing asthma exacerbation and compare positive and negative subjects with regard to exacerbation severity, need for hospitalization, and treatment. METHODS: One hundred sixty-nine asthmatic children aged 2-15 years old who were admitted to emergency rooms in Bogota, Colombia for acute asthma exacerbation were interviewed. Nasopharyngeal aspirates were taken for DNA and RNA extraction. M. pneumoniae and virus were detected by PCR using specific primers. RESULTS: The prevalence of M. pneumoniae and viral infection in the study population was 12.4% and 83.7%, respectively. All subjects positive for M. pneumoniae were also positive for viral infection. Rhinovirus was the most frequently detected viral agent. No significant differences in severity of asthma exacerbations or in need for hospitalization between the virus or M. pneumoniae positive and negative groups were observed. A significantly lower percentage of M. pneumoniae positive subjects had used inhaled steroids over the six months prior to asthma exacerbation compared to M. pneumoniae negative subjects (38.1% vs. 68.2%), suggesting that inhaled corticosteroids may have a protective effect against M. pneumoniae infections. CONCLUSIONS: The M. pneumoniae and virus prevalence found in this study were similar to those described in the literature. The 100% co-infection rate observed suggests that viral infection can predispose patients to M. pneumoniae infection, and that this interaction may trigger asthmatic exacerbation. Further studies should be done to confirm the protective effect of inhaled corticosteroids on M. pneumoniae infection in patients with asthma exacerbations.