[Factors associated with an unfavorable evolution in patients diagnosed with COVID-19 and followed up in primary care in 2020]. / Factores asociados con una evolución desfavorable en pacientes diagnosticados de COVID-19 y seguidos en atención primaria en 2020.

AIM: To know the factors associated with an unfavorable evolution (UE) of patients diagnosed with COVID-19 with total or partial follow-up in primary care. DESIGN: A case series. SETTING: Urban health center. PARTICIPANTS: By systematic sampling, patients ≥18 years, diagnosed with COVID-19, with analytical confirmation, in 2020 and followed up by their family doctors, were selected. MAIN MEASUREMENTS: Dependent variable: hospital admission or death due to COVID-19. INDEPENDENT VARIABLES: age, sex, medical background, clinical data and treatments related to the disease. Statistical analysis, with SPSS 25.0: descriptive analysis, comparison of proportions (chi square) and medians (Mann-Whitney U). The analysis is completed with logistic regression. RESULTS: 610 patients were included in the study. The median age was 49 years (interquartile range: 35-61); 51.8% were women; 14.9% presented UE (95% CI: 12.0-17.8). The sociodemographic variables or the variables related to medical background that showed an independent association with UE were age (OR: 1.066; 95% CI: 1.038-1.095), sex (OR for men: 3.277; 95% CI: 1.304-8.235) and being a smoker or former smoker (OR: 2.565; 95% CI: 1.135-5.800). Regarding the clinical variables of the disease, an association was found for altered consciousness (OR: 62.829; 95% CI: 9.177-430.149), dyspnea (OR: 14.339; 95% CI: 6.046-34.009), expectoration (OR: 4.764; 95% CI: 1.858-12.213)) and asthenia (OR: 3.993; 95% CI: 1.705-9.351). CONCLUSIONS: 14.9% of the patients diagnosed with COVID-19 presented an UE. Older age, male sex and being a smoker or former smoker increased the probability of it. Altered consciousness, dyspnea, expectoration, and asthenia were the clinical data that best predicted UE.

Spheno-Occipital Synchondrosis Fusion Correlates with Cervical Vertebrae Maturation.

The aim of this study was to determine the relationship between the closure stage of the spheno-occipital synchondrosis and the maturational stage of the cervical vertebrae (CVM) in growing and young adult subjects using cone beam computed tomography (CBCT). CBCT images with an extended field of view obtained from 315 participants (148 females and 167 males; mean age 15.6 ±7.3 years; range 6 to 23 years) were analyzed. The fusion status of the synchondrosis was determined using a five-stage scoring system; the vertebral maturational status was evaluated using a six-stage stratification (CVM method). Ordinal regression was used to study the ability of the synchondrosis stage to predict the vertebral maturation stage. Vertebrae and synchondrosis had a strong significant correlation (r = 0.89) that essential was similar for females (r = 0.88) and males (r = 0.89). CVM stage could be accurately predicted from synchondrosis stage by ordinal regression models. Prediction equations of the vertebral stage using synchondrosis stage, sex and biological age as predictors were developed. Thus this investigation demonstrated that the stage of spheno-occipital synchondrosis, as determined in CBCT images, is a reasonable indicator of growth maturation.