Biomedical subjects

P Casanova-Carrillo

Publications and source records attributed to P Casanova-Carrillo.

7 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMedDate not supplied

[A neuroepidemiological study in Beira, Mozambigue].

INTRODUCTION AND OBJECTIVE: The application of epidemiology to the field of neurology is relatively recent although it has become so relevant that it is currently recognized as a new specialty: Neuroepidemiology. The objective of our study was to study the morbid-mortality of neurological disorders. PATIENTS AND METHODS: We made a retrospective investigation of all the patients admitted to the Hospital Central de Beira, Mozambique, between 1 January 1996 and 30 June 1999. The source of information used was the clinical histories and data of the Statistics Department. The basis used for classification of the disorders was the International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision-1CD 9CM (3 digits). RESULTS: We found that neurological disorders were fifth in the classification of morbidity and third in mortality. Trauma, infections and vascular causes--in that order--were the most important factors in the morbidity of neurological diseases. The highest mortality rate was seen with infections, vascular and neoplastic etiologies. In our study we found disorders which several investigators consider to be almost nonexistent in Africa, such as multiple sclerosis, subacute combined degeneration of the cord and myasthenia gravis amongst others. The morbidity and mortality found for neurological diseases are similar, in general, to those described in Africa. CONCLUSION: The importance of neurological disorders in healthcare means that it is essential to have a specialist available for their management.

Adult↗

PubMedDate not supplied

[Association of peripheral facial paralysis in patients with human immunodeficiency virus infection].

INTRODUCTION: Neurological disorders are common in patients infected with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). The objective of this study is to show the possible association of peripheral facial paralysis (PFP) in persons who test positive for HIV, which because of the characteristics of outpatient management is important in basic medical attention. PATIENTS AND METHODS: The scope of our study included all patients observed in 1998 and the first six months of 1999 who had PFP, and in whom detailed clinical history, physical examination by a neurologist, laboratory tests and HIV serological tests were done. RESULTS: We found that 89.1% of the patients with PFP were seropositive. The facial paralysis showed similar characteristics to Bell s palsy, with complete recovery after four weeks in 66.6% of this group of patients. The seronegative patients also recovered completely but took longer to do so. In two cases the PFP was associated with obvious features of AIDS. CONCLUSIONS: In the literature reviewed we have not found such a large group of patients with PFP associated with HIV+. However, it is obvious that there is an increase in facial paralysis which is in proportion to the increase in HIV+ persons. The results of our study suggest to us that HIV should be tested for in patients with PFP.

Adolescent↗

PubMedDate not supplied

[Dementia associated with AIDS].

INTRODUCTION: Dementia associated with AIDS or AIDS dementia complex (ADC) is characterized by neurocognitive defects with disorders of the functional ability of the patient for work and the activities of everyday life. The increasing number of AIDS patients has led to a significant rise in those with neurological involvement, especially in poorer countries. DEVELOPMENT: At present no data on the incidence of ADC is available. The prevalence varies with the population studied and criteria used for diagnosis. Some authors have suggested a frequency of 8 to 16%. However, other reports mention an incidence of up to 20.7% of encephalopathy in AIDS patients. The mechanism by which ADC occurs is still not clear. Many factors have been suggested but none confirmed as causal. CLINICAL FEATURES: symptoms are due to subcortical dementia with difficulty in concentration, memory and learning whilst language, recognition, basic attention and executive function are relatively well preserved. DIAGNOSIS: this is essentially clinical, by exclusion, in cases of HIV+ patients with marked immunological deterioration and compatible clinical features. TREATMENT: current clinical guidelines recommend that most AIDS/HIV patients, if not all, should receive treatment with potent combinations of anti retroviral drugs. CONCLUSION: Even in the age of modern, highly active anti retroviral treatment, ADC is still a devastating complication of HIV infection.

AIDS Dementia Complex↗

PubMedDate not supplied

[Aids: is it a risk factor in cerebrovascular disease?].

INTRODUCTION: Cerebrovascular disease (CVD) has become an important health problem throughout the world. It is generally one the main causes of morbidity and mortality in the world, especially in developed countries. In these countries the frequency with which it appears is linked with the progress reached in the organisation of the public health system and the higher economic and social standards of their populations, which have given rise to prolonged life expectancy and a greater number of elderly people. In poor countries, however, in recent times there has also been an increase in the number of cases of this entity, although there is no correspondence with the arguments mentioned above concerning rich nations. The risk factors (RF) that are invoked when talking about its genesis must always be taken into account when dealing with its prevention. AIMS. To draw attention to the increase in the number of CVD in an under developed country, apparently due to the high frequency of the acquired immunodeficiency syndrome suffered by the population. PATIENTS AND METHODS: A study was conducted involving all the patients admitted to the Hospital Central de Beira between 1 January 1988 and 30 June 1999 with a clinical picture compatible with a CVD. They had all been examined by a neurologist (always the same one) and had also been submitted to serological tests to detect the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). RESULTS: Of the 155 cases with CVD, 56.7% were HIV+. Below the age of 50, CVD is generally not associated with any other RF. CONCLUSION: These findings show that we must expect an increase in the morbidity and mortality from CVD in poor nations, which will balance out the difference that existed up to a few years ago with the more developed countries. The appearance of CVD in young subjects, without any other apparent cause, will force us to rule out a possible HIV infection in high risk individuals

Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome↗

PubMedDate not supplied

[Occupational stress as one of the concerns of present-day public health services].

INTRODUCTION: Occupational health is aimed at promoting and maintaining the highest degree of physical, mental and social welfare of workers in all professions. METHOD: It is known that psychological conflicts and the individual s inability to adapt to work are capable of generating negative moods, emotional upsets and other maladies that affect not only mental health but also the neurovegetative functioning of the organism. It is for this reason that one of the problems related to the health disease binomial that has attracted most attention among researchers over the last 20 years has been the issue of occupational stress. Work constitutes one of the most valuable sources of psychological and social welfare for human beings and provides adults with the greater part of their meaning and structure, as stated by a number of authors. The review of the literature reveals new criteria about the psychosocial factors that play a part in the occupational area and its repercussions on the health of the worker. Diagnostic tools for future work are also discussed. CONCLUSIONS: Stress, health, performance in the workplace, the family and the social network all go to make up an integrated whole and this represents one of the main concerns present day public health services are faced with.

Adult↗

PubMedDate not supplied

[Diseases of the peripheral and visual nervous system during infection with human immunodeficiency virus].

INTRODUCTION: Infection with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) is often accompanied by neurological complications. One of these includes disorders affecting the peripheral and visual nervous system, especially during the acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) stage. DEVELOPMENT: The peripheral neuropathies associated with infection by HIV are an assorted group of disorders, which include acute or chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy, multiple mononeuropathy and neuropathies related to the herpes zoster virus or cytomegalovirus. The most common and clinically important of the neuropathies is painful distal sensory polyneuropathy (DSP). The most severely affected cranial nerves are V and VII. The isolation of HIV from the affected nerves suggests a direct role, but an immune mechanism is also possible. Although cytomegalovirus may be associated with a variety of peripheral nerve syndromes, its clinical presentation as a primary demyelinating polyneuropathy is unusual. CONCLUSIONS: DSP and antiretroviral toxic neuropathy are the most common HIV-associated neuropathies. Both HIV infection, by itself, and the neurotoxicity of certain drugs in tritherapy contribute to the development of painful peripheral sensory neuropathy. In researching into the cause of HIV-associated neuropathy further studies are needed to determine the relative roles played by the viral infection and the activation of the immunological factors that contribute to the pathogenesis of the damage done in axons, the dorsal root ganglion and in the sensory pathways in the spinal cord.

Anti-HIV Agents↗

PubMedDate not supplied

[Age-related memory disorder in basic medical care. Some conceptual and epidemiological considerations].

INTRODUCTION: Of all the age-related changes, those associated with the nervous system are of primordial importance and, although there are of course exceptions, brain deterioration is very widespread in the elderly. DEVELOPMENT: In both normal and pathological aging, on many occasions the first cognitive dysfunction to appear and the most affected is memory. Age-related memory disorder (ARMD) is a clinical state that is characterised by loss of memory in people aged 50 or over with no other explainable causation and which can be quite common because of its being linked to the normal aging process. Care of these patients involves high economic costs for the family and for society. Although the behavioural defects associated with ARMD are mild, compared to those found in dementias, they are disturbing and difficult for many middle-aged and elderly adults who perform intellectual activities. Yet, the memory disorder observed in the elderly is not always benign, as it can progress towards dementia and they may be two different entities. CONCLUSIONS: Early detection of memory disorder is important, since it is a common early sign of dementia syndromes. Its relatively straightforward diagnosis means that it can be used as an effective tool in the hands of general practitioners for the monitoring and treatment of the elderly in their communities.

Adult↗