ABSTRACT
BASIS: Analysis of the variations of HIV-1 viral load (VL) in a cohort of patients. MATERIAL AND METHODS: A retrospective study was designed for the calculation and analysis of the differences between two consecutive measurements of VL in a cohort of 1,336 patients along a 48 months follow-up. RESULTS: At the beginning of the follow-up period the highest proportion of patients with decreases of VL (54.2% in their first measurement, at 0-75 days) as well as the least proportion of patients both without changes (30.7%) and with increases of their VL (15.1%), were registered. The proportion of patients with decreases was declining along the study period. More than half of the patients did not experience significant variations in the measurements carried out. CONCLUSIONS: The significant decreases of VL appeared in our series at the beginning of the follow-up period, and a growing proportion of individuals showed elevations of the VL along the period studied.
Subject(s)
HIV Infections/virology , HIV-1 , Viral Load/trends , Adolescent , Adult , Aged , Child , Child, Preschool , Cohort Studies , Female , Humans , Infant , Infant, Newborn , Male , Middle Aged , Retrospective Studies , Time FactorsABSTRACT
No disponible
Subject(s)
Aged , Humans , Cross-Sectional Studies , Age Factors , Antibodies, Bacterial , Seroepidemiologic Studies , Tetanus Toxoid , TetanusABSTRACT
OBJECTIVE: To describe an epidemic outbreak in an elderly persons' home. DESIGN: A descriptive, longitudinal study. SETTING: Elderly persons' home in the Riaza Health District, Segovia. PATIENTS AND PARTICIPANTS: 90 elderly people resident at this geriatric centre. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: Between January 18 and 25, 1995, there was an epidemic outbreak. Some cases had digestive symptoms: diarrhoea and vomiting, but without a temperature. Other cases had respiratory symptoms with temperature, cough, expectoration, breathing difficulty and myalgia. 25 elderly people were affected: 68% suffering the respiratory symptoms; and 32%, the digestive ones. Three people were admitted to hospital and one died. The presence of Rotavirus was found in the faeces of patients with digestive symptoms. The study-period had the highest incidence of flu in this Health District. 20% of the elderly people were not vaccinated for flu. CONCLUSIONS: Elderly persons' homes are an environment which favours the spread of germs which can cause epidemic situations.
Subject(s)
Disease Outbreaks , Homes for the Aged , Respiratory Tract Infections/epidemiology , Rotavirus Infections/epidemiology , Aged , Aged, 80 and over , Feces/virology , Female , Humans , Influenza Vaccines/administration & dosage , Influenza, Human/epidemiology , Influenza, Human/prevention & control , Longitudinal Studies , Male , Rotavirus/isolation & purification , Spain/epidemiologyABSTRACT
In order to test the value of Hodkinson's test (HT) for the detection of dementia and other milder forms of cognitive impairment in community surveys, we have studied two separate groups of 50 individuals; one of the groups included individuals with dementia or mild cognitive impairment (MCI), and the other individuals with no cognitive disturbances. Both groups were drawn from the same rural population and subjected to HT and a neuropsychological exam for positive and differential diagnosis of cognitive impairment. The gold standard criteria for the diagnosis of dementia and MCI were the DSM-IIIR criteria and a simplified and adapted version of the criteria established for age-associated memory impairment. We found that the best cutoff of HT providing maximum sensitivity and specificity for the diagnosis of both dementia and MCI was 7. For this cutoff, sensitivity and specificity for the diagnosis of MCI were 94 and 90%, respectively; for the diagnosis of dementia sensitivity and specificity were 100 and 53%, respectively. This together with its brevity, low cost and independence of sensory impairment and cultural background makes the HT useful for large population-based screening of dementia and MCI.
Subject(s)
Cognition Disorders/epidemiology , Cross-Cultural Comparison , Dementia/epidemiology , Neuropsychological Tests/statistics & numerical data , Adult , Aged , Cognition Disorders/classification , Cognition Disorders/diagnosis , Cross-Sectional Studies , Dementia/classification , Dementia/diagnosis , Female , Humans , Incidence , Male , Middle Aged , Population Surveillance , Psychometrics , Reproducibility of Results , Spain/epidemiologyABSTRACT
To obtain accurate estimates of the prevalence of age-associated memory impairment, dementia, and Alzheimer's disease, a population study was carried out in Turégano, a rural community of 1011 inhabitants in the Segovia province of Spain. The study was divided into two phases: a door to door survey of the entire population aged 40 years and over (503 persons), followed by a clinical examination of suspected cases for positive and differential diagnosis of dementia and cognitive impairment. The prevalence of age-associated memory impairment was 3.6% in individuals of 40 years and over and 7.1% in individuals of 65 years and over, whereas dementia was found in 2.6% and 5.2%, respectively. The prevalence rates of both clinical conditions increased with age. The most prevalent clinical category of dementia was dementia of Alzheimer type, which represented 1.8% and 3.8% of these two age groups. The corresponding figures for vascular dementia were 0.4% and 0.9% and for secondary dementia 0.4% and 0.5%. Age-associated memory impairment is an age-dependent disorder with a high prevalence among the elderly; some of these patients may represent an early stage of Alzheimer's disease, suggesting that the prevalence of this disorder may be higher than previously estimated.
