Biomedical subjects
F Sarrió
Publications and source records attributed to F Sarrió.
Comparison of the efficacy and safety of two preseasonal regimens of glutaraldehyde modified, tyrosine-adsorbed parietaria pollen extract over a period of three years in monosensitive patients.
The purpose of this study was to evaluate the clinical efficacy over a period of three years (1988-90) of two preseasonal dosage regimens of a Parietaria allergoid (Bencard Tyrosine Parietaria) in patients who were only sensitive to this pollen. Fifty patients were included (14 men and 36 women, age: mean, 28 years; range, 14-47 years). Twenty five patients (group A) were treated each january with the basic course of Bencard Tyrosine Parietaria. This consisted of injecting subcutaneously 0.5 ml from each of three vials, with one week between each injection. A further injection using the vial with the highest dose was given one week later. Each january and february, twenty five patients (group B) were treated with the basic course of Bencard Tyrosine Parietaria, repeating the last dose five times, with one week between each injection. Immunotherapy with a tyrosine-adsorbed Parietaria judaica allergoid is an effective method for mitigating nasal (p < 0.0001), bronchial (p < 0.005), conjunctival (p < 0.001) and palatal itching symptoms (p < 0.0001) in patients who are sensitive to this pollen. Sensitivity to Parietaria pollen, as verified by skin test and nasal challenge, decreased during immunotherapy (p < 0.001). Histamine release by peripheral blood basophils decreased during the course of the study, falling from 43.5 ng/ml to 12.3 ng/ml in group A and from 42.9 ng/ml to 10.0 ng/ml in group B; during the second and third years, IgG levels were increased one and four months after starting treatment with the extract, while this was not the case after ten months; IgE levels were also increased. Finally, overall tolerance to this immunotherapy product was good in almost all patients.
[Non-sedative antihistaminics in the treatment of chronic urticaria].
Antihistamines are the drugs of choice in the symptomatic relief of chronic idiopathic urticaria; however, the usefulness of classic antihistamines has been limited by side effects. In the 1980s a new class of antihistamines has been developed that maintains effectiveness and produces less side effects (eg anticholinergic side effects, daytime sedation, etc). This review analyzes each of the new nonsedating antihistamines commercially available in Spain (astemizole, ebastine, cetirizine, loratadine and terfenadine) and evaluates its clinical efficacy and safety in the treatment of chronic idiopathic urticaria.
[Techniques for determining case mix and their application to Allergology. 2].
In this second part, we review the Generic Algorithms, the RUGs and the Ambulatory Visits Groups, remarking their possible application in our specialty. In an Allergology Service, most resources are spent on outpatients attendance. This fact allows us to propose that a production unit of that Service (GFH) could develop its activities, in its health area, ambulatorily. Its objectives and responsibilities, together with its human and material resources, could be clearly defined. An allergy outpatients clinic basic technological requirements are scarce, its costs being mainly determined by those of the staff. This makes possible the application of algorithms, to obtain the AVGs in Allergology, and to calculate the "cost by process", with the use of an indirect cost imputation system. The systematic use of evaluation technics in our specialty case-mix is a necessity in the present, because it permits: 1) a correct planning, fixing and ordering the objectives; 2) a better user of resources; 3) an adequate request of budgets, according to production; 4) obtaining a clinical and epidemiological data base; 5) billing the services; 6) information to the customer (patient) about the expenses his attention has generated.
[Comparative study between 10 and 20 mg of cetirizine in the symptomatic treatment of seasonal allergic rhinoconjunctivitis].
Our patients with seasonal allergic rhinoconjunctivitis usually present severe clinical symptoms. A single daily dose of cetirizine 10 mg might be insufficient for these patients. To investigate this hypothesis we compared clinical efficacy and adverse side effects between two daily doses of cetirizine, 10 and 20 mg. We designed a comparative open randomized study, including 38 patients, with hay fever sensitized to local pollens (grass, olive, parietaria judaica, chenopodium album, artemisia vulgaris and plantago lanceolata) diagnosed by clinical history and a positive skin prick test (wheal > 3 mm), 20 women and 18 men, aged 17 to 57 years (x: 31.32 +/- 9.73), living in the same geographic area. Randomly, after a week run in period, 21 subjects received a daily dose of cetirizine 10 mg during 2 weeks, and the other 17 received 10 mg twice a day. The symptomatic score used was based on: sneezes number, nasal itching, nasal secretion, nasal congestion, ocular itching, lacrimation, weight gain, sedation and additional methylprednisolone usage. All symptoms were scored on a 0-3 scale (0: absent; 1: mild; 2: moderate; 3: severe). A mean 8 points daily score during the previous week was required for recruitment. Nasal eosinophilia was determined at baseline and at the end of treatment. The study was conducted in may 1992. We did not find significant differences between the two groups, except in sneezes number and sedation. Both groups improved their symptoms, in comparison with the basal week (p < 0.01) and reduced their oral steroid use (p < 0.01).(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
[Comparative study] of beclomethasone and budesonide, with same posology (400 micrograms every 12 hours), in the control of cortico-dependent intrinsic asthma].
Inhaled steroids have rendered an undoubtful benefit in the control of airway inflammation of the asthmatic patients. Our objective was to compare clinical efficacy between budesonide (BUD) and beclomethasona depropionate (BDP), when administered at equal doses (800 micrograms/24 hours). A two ways crossed open clinical trial was designed. Thirty-three steroid dependent chronic asthmatic patients (18 females, 15 males) were included. Ages ranged from 29 to 73 years (mean = 52.5 +/- 11.7). All subjects suffered a severe asthma, with several years of activity (mean = 11.7 +/- 7.8), insufficiently controlled by inhaled steroids and bronchodilators, who required regular systemic steroids supply. The parameters compared were: the patients subjective symptoms punctuation (cough, expectoration, thoracic noises, exercise induce dyspnea and dyspnea at rest), salbutamol needs (number of inhalations/day), additional prednisone needs, sputum eosinophil counts, FEV1 measurement and inespecific bronchial reactivity control (PD20 methacoline). After a baseline week patients received one of the drugs for 6 weeks and, after a lavage week, the other drug was administered for another 6 weeks. All patients improved with both therapies. We got the following conclusions: 1) a significative decrease in salbutamol (p < 0.05-0.001) and prednisone needs (p < 0.05-0.001); 2) this decrease has been more important during BUD therapy, although without significative differences; 3) no significant variations in sputum eosinophils, FEV1 or bronchial reactivity were observed; 4) both drugs, when administered at equal doses, have probed to be equally effective in severe steroid dependent asthma control.