Biomedical subjects

P Cortina Greus

Publications and source records attributed to P Cortina Greus.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed1996

[Geographic distribution of avoidable mortality in the community of Valencia (1975-1990)].

BACKGROUND: Avoidable mortality (AM) has been proposed as the indicator of the quality and the efficacy of health care services and a parameter useful to distribute health care resources. The aim of this study was to analyze the size and geographic variability of AM in the Community of Valencia, Spain (1975-1990). METHODS: The causes of AM were analyzed by the classification of Holland divided into indicators of medical care (IMC) and indicators on national health care policy (INHCP) in addition to the causes of the Charlton classification. Standard rates for Spain and the European Community, the rate of masculinity and contribution to total mortality were calculated. Geographic distribution by areas and provinces was analyzed by the rate of standardized mortality. RESULTS: According to the Holland classification AM was 30% of the deaths from 5 to 64 years of age. Out of these cases, 18.5% corresponded to INHCP and 11.1% to IMC. According to the Charlton classification, this percentage was 3.6%. A considerable variation was observed among the 20 areas analyzed due to many causes. The geographic distribution by groups (IMC, INHCP and the Charlton classification) is quite homogeneous. The worse results corresponded to the city of Valencia and to the area 21 (area of the city of Alicante). CONCLUSIONS: A great variation was found in the results regarding geographic distribution for individual causes of death while the distribution was quite homogeneous for all of the groups of mortality with the worst results being observed in large urban centers.

Adolescent↗

PubMed1994

[Vasectomy and prostatic cancer].

Considering the growing of vasectomy worldwide, its likely association with several conditions, mainly prostate cancer, has been studied in recent years with sometimes contradictory results. In the light of recent epidemiological studies, it appears that the increased risk derived from a previous vasectomy is limited, and it is influenced by whether the operation is performed during puberty and with a long "latency period". It is acknowledged that there is no scientifically proven reasons to appraise the current methods, although there is some insistence on the need to carry out analytical studies, most specially in developmental areas.

Adult↗

PubMed1993

Testing a new health indicator: using avoidable causes of death and life expectancy for Spain between 1975-1986.

The concept of avoidable cause of death serves as the basis for measuring the quality and diversity of a health care system. In this study the authors propose a new way to use this kind of mortality by combining with the concept of life expectancy to obtain what they call "life expectancy free of avoidable mortality" (LEFAM). This indicator was 76.9 in 1986 in Spain while life expectancy was 75.83. If these deaths were avoidable there would be a gain of 1.09 years per person born. There is an important difference between the would-be male gain of 1.76 years and the would-be female gain of 0.6. In the ecological study, LEFAM would better explain the year to year changes of the resources in the health sector, measured in terms of the human resources (R = 0.96), the hospital beds per thousand persons (R = -0.86), and would also increase the relation with other health indicators such as infant mortality rate (R = 0.98) and mortality rate (R = 0.59) as compared with life expectancy alone.

Adolescent↗

PubMed1992

Correlation between mortality trends of ischaemic cardiopathy and some nutritional factors in Spain 1968-1986.

After describing the evolution of mortality from ischaemic cardiopathy (IC) in Spain from 1951 to 1986, which is tending to stabilize in some age groups, and from cerebrovascular accidents (CVA), which is clearly declining, an attempt is made to relate these developments to the prevalence of the main risk factors (hypertension, cholesterol, tobacco) associated with IC and CVA. Certain advances, though of a limited number, have been made in recent years in the control of arterial hypertension in Spain, although campaigns on a national scale as in other countries have not been carried out. Regarding alimentary factors, there is an obvious increase in the consumption of food rich in proteins and animal fats, abandoning to a great extent the traditional "Mediterranean diet", with health care action being limited to the improvement of nutrition education of the public. Furthermore, the consumption of tobacco has been increasing in Spain during the study period in spite of health legislation in force in recent years. It is therefore deduced that there is no obvious relationship between mortality due to IC and CVA and the prevalence of the main risk factors associated with these diseases, especially when taking into account that preventive actions on a public health level have been very limited.

Adolescent↗

PubMed1992

Job absenteeism and arterial hypertension: results of a hypertension control program.

This study reports the findings of one of the stages of a programme for the detection and control of arterial hypertension, started in 1980 in an automobile company with a workforce of 9,782. In the initial screening, 522 hypertensive males were found using epidemiological criteria and 206 of these fulfilled the criteria of definite hypertension. The objective of this study consisted of evaluating, 9 years after the start of the program, the indirect cost in terms of the reduction in the morbidity indicator-temporary work incapacity (TWI). Analysis is based on a comparison of the prevalence of hypertension in the population when the program was begun (6%) and in 1989 (9.8%). It can be observed that the TWI rate of the hypertensive population was significantly higher than that of the rest of the workforce, and that this remained true for the reference group (RG) hypertensives a year after the study was initiated. In contrast, the intervention group (IG) showed significantly lower TWI levels, not only in comparison with the RG but also with the rest of the workers. The estimated reduction in TWI for 1989 was 4.500 days/year, which corresponds to an estimated saving of 76.500.000 pesetas/year.

Absenteeism↗

PubMed1989

[Comparative epidemiologic study of mortality caused by leukemia in Spain and the U.S.A. (1951-1983)].

A study of the mortality due to leukaemias in Spain between 1951 and 1983 was performed. A clearly increasing trend was appreciated, with progressive higher affectation of males in the last four years, the mortality rates being constantly higher for this sex. When cytological types of the leukaemias, sex, and the different age groups were taken into account, and after comparing these findings with data reported from the United States of America, it was found that our mortality rates are in general much lower than those of the USA. Although the clinical course of the disease is similar for both countries as regards the four major groups of leukaemias, a striking increase of mortality in childhood (5-9 years) was found here in acute lymphoblastic leukaemia, which suggests, in accordance with our previous reports, high affectation of children in Spain. It seems advisable to improve the techniques and means of treating and preventing complications, especially infectious ones, in childhood.

Adolescent↗

PubMed1988