ABSTRACT
INTRODUCTION: Neurocysticercosis is an infection of the human central nervous system caused by the metacestode larvae of Taenia solium. Neurocysticercosis is the most common parasitic disease in developing countries. Epilepsy is the most common clinical manifestation. Difficulties in confirming the diagnosis motivated the evaluation of the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay on cerebral spinal fluid (CSF). METHODS: Twenty-two patients with NCC and 44 control patients were studied. CSF was analyzed using a commercial ELISA kit developed for NCC. Sensitivity and specificity were measured and a multivariate logistic regression was performed. RESULTS: Sensitivity and specificity of ELISA were 31.8 percent and 100 percent, respectively, with accuracy of 77.3 percent. Only the size of the lesions proved to be important for performance of the test. CONCLUSIONS: The results showed that ELISA contributes to the diagnosis of neurocysticercosis if the result is negative or if the patient has a lesion of 2 cm or more.
INTRODUÇÃO: Neurocisticercose é a infecção do sistema nervoso central causada pela larva metacestódea da Taenia solium. Neurocisticercose é a parasitose mais comum nos países em desenvolvimento. Epilepsia é a sua manifestação clínica mais comum. A dificuldade para confirmar o diagnóstico motivou a avaliação do ensaio imunoenzimático ligado à enzima no líquido cérebro-espinhal. MÉTODOS: Vinte e dois pacientes com NCC e 44 pacientes controles foram estudados. Líquido cérebro-espinhal foi analisado por um kit ELISA comercial desenvolvido para NCC. A sensibilidade e especificidade foram medidas e uma análise multivariada de regressão logística foi realizada. RESULTADOS: A sensibilidade e a especificidade de ELISA foram, respectivamente, 31,8 por cento e 100 por cento, com acurácia de 77,3 por cento. Apenas o tamanho das lesões mostrou-se importante para o desempenho do teste. CONCLUSÕES: Este estudo concluiu que ELISA contribui para o diagnóstico de NCC, caso o teste seja negativo ou caso o paciente seja portador de lesão cuja dimensão seja igual ou maior que dois centímetros.
Subject(s)
Adolescent , Adult , Animals , Child , Child, Preschool , Female , Humans , Male , Middle Aged , Young Adult , Antibodies, Helminth/cerebrospinal fluid , Meningitis, Viral/diagnosis , Neurocysticercosis/diagnosis , Taenia solium/immunology , Case-Control Studies , Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay , Meningitis, Viral/cerebrospinal fluid , Neurocysticercosis/cerebrospinal fluid , Sensitivity and SpecificityABSTRACT
Introdução: Lombalgia foi considerada um problema de saúde pública ainda no século XX e mantém-se ainda nos dias de hoje. Objetivo: Este estudo procurou determinar o nível de comprometimento funcional secundário à dor em 32 pacientes com hérnia de disco lombar e o impacto que os episódios álgicos causaram no trabalho profissional. Método: Envolveu 20 homens e 12 mulheres entre 18 e 60 anos com hérnia de disco lombar, sendo o diagnóstico basecdo em exame clínico e ressonância magnética nuclear (RMN). Foram excluídos pacientes operados da coluna vertebral e com outras doenças vertebrais. À admissão no Serviço de Fisioterapia, submeteram-se a exame músculo-esquelético e neurológico, ao questionário de 10 minutos de Hendler e à avaliação segundo a escala visual analógica (EVA) dê dor lombar. Resultados: Os resultados mostraram que a dor afetou o desempenho profissional de todos os participantes do estudo, causando incapacidade laboral em metade da amostra. Conclusão: Concluiu-se que, na hérnia de disco lombar, a dor é fator de restrição à funcionalidade do paciente, limitando-o nas suas atividades laborais.
Introduction: Low back pain has been considered a public health problem still in the 20th century and remains nowadays. Objective: This study sought to determine the degree of functional limitation in 32 patients with lumbar disk herniation and the impact that the painful episodes had on their work life. Method: It involved 20 men and 12 wome between 18 and 60 years of age with lumbar disk herniation. The diagnosis was based on clinical examination and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Patients who underwent surgery of the spine and with other spinal diseases were excluded. On admission to the Physical Therapy Department a neurological and skeietal muscle examination, a 1 minutes Hendler questionary and evaluation according to visual analog scale (VAS) for pain was given. Results: The results showed that the pain affected the work performance of ali study participants, causing inability to work in half of the sample. Conclusion: It was concluded that in lumbar disk herniation pain is a restricting factor in the movement of the patients thus limiting them in their work activities.
Subject(s)
Humans , Male , Female , Adult , Intervertebral Disc Displacement , Low Back PainABSTRACT
The authors present a cross-sectional study involving 61 patients with idiopathic Parkinson's disease (PD) who were consecutively examined and compared to a control group with 74 subjects. Only patients who fulfilled the standard diagnostic criteria for PD and whose brain magnetic resonance imaging was normal were included. The objective of the study was to evaluate the prevalence of inferior urinary tract symptoms in PD and to study the possible association between clinical factors to urinary dysfunction. ln the patient group, 39.3 percent presented urinary symptoms when compared to 10.8 percent in the control group. All symptomatic patients presented irritative symptoms. The most common irritative symptom PD was nocturia, followed by frequency and urinary incontinence. Around 25 percent of the patients presented functional obstructive symptoms determined by the disease. The most frequent obstructive symptom was incomplete emptying of the bladder. Only the age of the patients and control group were correlated with urinary dysfunction