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F Rodríguez de Castro

Publications and source records attributed to F Rodríguez de Castro.

58 records · Page 4Linked to original sources
PubMedDate not supplied

[Primary spontaneous pneumothorax. A retrospective study of 495 cases].

We conducted a retrospective study of patients treated in our department for primary spontaneous pneumothorax (PSP) between 1986 and 1993. The 495 patients were between 12 and 81 years old (mean 28.2 years). Four hundred fifteen (83.8%) were men and 80 (16.2%) were women. PSP was in the right lung in 262 cases (52.9%) and in the left lung in 215 (43.5%). Both sides were affected in 18 cases (3.6%). The initial treatment was pleural drainage; small caliber drains were used in 85 and no associated complications were observed. On 185 occasions (37.3%), patients required surgical repair as a result of air leaks, recurrence or acute hemorrhage. There were postsurgical complications in 15 cases (8.1%) but no recurrences or deaths after surgery. We observed no significant differences in the number of recurrences after use of conventional drains or small caliber drains. Nor were there differences in mean time of hospital stay or complications after conventional surgery or video assisted surgery, a technique that has only recently been introduced. We conclude that PSP responds well to treatment with pleural drains and that small caliber catheters offer a good alternative for treating first episodes. Surgery is indicated when there is recurrence or when air leaks are persistent. At present, video assisted thoracoscopic surgery has successfully replaced axillary thoracotomy for most patients.

Adolescent↗
PubMedDate not supplied

High prevalence of asthma symptoms in the Canary Islands: climatic influence?

The worldwide variation in asthma prevalence prompted us to carry out a study to assess the variability of asthma-related symptoms in young adults on the islands of Gran Canaria and Tenerife. We used the questionnaire used in the European Community Respiratory Health Survey with the addition of two questions on smoking and ancestors from the Canary Islands. In each island, this questionnaire was distributed to a random sample of 5000 subjects aged 20-44 years. Of the 10,000 subjects, 9,506 (95.06%) were considered eligible. We obtained 7,132 (75.03%) responses. The prevalence of the different symptoms was wheezing 25.3%, nocturnal thoracic tightness 18.0%, awakened by an attack of shortness of breath 13.1%, attack of nocturnal coughing 33.3%, attack of asthma 4.3%, current asthma treatment 6.2%, and nasal allergies 18.0%. Women and smokers showed a significantly higher prevalence of asthma symptoms. No significant difference in symptoms was found between subjects whose ancestors were of Canarian origin and those with ancestors born outside the Canaries. As has been observed on other islands (Great Britain and New Zealand), asthma is common in individuals from 20 to 44 years of age in the Canaries. We hypothesize that climatic conditions play an important role in the prevalence of asthma symptoms.

Adult↗