ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Dietary factors are critical for the prevention and treatment of hypertension, but data on the effects of specific nutrients on blood pressure (BP) are scarce. The aim of this study was to assess the relationship between total polyphenol excretion (TPE) in urine, as an objective measurement of total polyphenol intake and BP in an elderly population at high cardiovascular risk. METHODS AND RESULTS: Cross-sectional substudy of 589 high-risk participants entering in the PREDIMED trial. BP was measured and TPE was determined in urine by Folin-Ciocalteu assay. A significant positive association was observed between TPE in urine and daily intake of fruit and vegetables (F&V), coffee or wine after adjusting for potential confounders. The intake of 100 g of F&V (Beta=0.150;P<0.001) had a greater contribution to TPE than 100 mL of coffee (Beta=0.141;P=0.001), and the latter two foods contributed more than the consumption of 100 mL of wine (Beta=0.120;P=0.019). An inverse association was observed between urinary TPE and the prevalence of hypertension. Participants in the highest quartile of urinary TPE had a reduced prevalence of hypertension compared to those in the lowest quartile (Odds Ratio=0.64; 95% confidence interval 0.45 to 0.92; P=0.015). Systolic and diastolic BP were inversely associated with urinary TPE after adjustment for potential confounders (P=0.024 and P=0.003, respectively). CONCLUSIONS: Polyphenol intake, assessed via TPE in urine, was negatively associated with BP levels and prevalence of hypertension in an elderly Mediterranean population at high cardiovascular risk. Participants with the highest intake of polyphenol-rich foods showed the lowest BP measurements.
Subject(s)
Blood Pressure , Diet , Flavonoids/urine , Hypertension/epidemiology , Phenols/urine , Aged , Coffee , Cross-Sectional Studies , Female , Fruit , Humans , Linear Models , Male , Mediterranean Region/epidemiology , Middle Aged , Multivariate Analysis , Odds Ratio , Polyphenols , Prevalence , Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic , Risk Factors , Surveys and Questionnaires , Vegetables , WineABSTRACT
OBJECTIVE: To describe the clinical-radiological, epidemiological, therapeutic and evolutive characteristics of an outbreak of atypical Pneumonia in a family, which was serologically diagnosed by means of the technique of complement fixation of Pneumonia caused by Mycoplasma. DESIGN: A descriptive study. SETTING: An urban Health Centre. PATIENTS AND OTHER PARTICIPANTS: A family of 7 members, consisting of father, mother and five children. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: Three presented Pneumonia caused by Mycoplasma pneumoniae, with the other family members remaining asymptomatic and serologically negative. The three cases evolved until cure. Treatment was with Macrolides in two of the cases and Penicillin in the other. Clinical-radiological dissociation existed in two of the patients. 33% had a secondary attack. CONCLUSION: The accessibility of Primary Care to microserological methods, together with the greater ease with which this level of Care can reach the family environment, allows for more precise knowledge of infectious epidemic outbreaks which occur in the community.
Subject(s)
Disease Outbreaks , Pneumonia, Mycoplasma/diagnosis , Pneumonia, Mycoplasma/epidemiology , Adolescent , Child , Family Health , Female , Humans , Male , Pneumonia, Mycoplasma/blood , Primary Health Care , Serologic Tests , SpainABSTRACT
OBJECTIVE: To analyse participation levels in a family planning survey. DESIGN: Descriptive and sectorial survey by means of personal interviews. SITE. Primary Care. Rural Context. Basic Health Area of Sanlúcar la Mayor (Sevilla). PARTICIPANTS: 271 women of child-bearing age (15 to 49) chosen at random from the Municipal Census, who were invited by letter to the place of work of those doing the survey. INTERVENTIONS: Those who did not attend were invited on two further occasions. MAIN MEASUREMENTS AND RESULTS: The level of reply was 24.8% of those invited by the first letter, 25.12% by the second and 28.9% by the third. 40% of the total number did not attend on any of the three occasions: in 29.9% of cases because of work or study; in 22.9% because they hadn't received the letter; in 18.1% because of another commitment; in 26.5% due to lack of interest; 6% due to absence; and 3.6% owing to other reasons. 72.3% had no School Graduation Certificate. Only 10.3% were working. Differences of age, level of studies achieved and work activity between those attending and those not attending were considered significant but of no overall relevance. CONCLUSIONS: A survey based on personal interviews is a useful and valid way of collecting information in a rural community. Poor participation is thought to be due to both the low social and cultural levels and to the survey's subjects-matter. We consider that sending follow-up letters of invitation is a sound method of reducing as much as possible the number of home interviews which would otherwise have to be administered to those who did not attend.
