Features of patients that died for COVID-19 in a hospital in the south of Mexico: A observational cohort study.

BACKGROUND: Due to the wide spread of SARS-CoV2 around the world, the risk of death in individuals with metabolic comorbidities has dangerously increased. Mexico has a high number of infected individuals and deaths by COVID-19 as well as an important burden of metabolic diseases; nevertheless, reports about features of Mexican individuals with COVID-19 are scarce. The aim of this study was to evaluate demographic features, clinical characteristics and the pharmacological treatment of individuals who died by COVID-19 in the south of Mexico. METHODS: We performed an observational study including the information of 185 deceased individuals with confirmed diagnoses of COVID-19. Data were retrieved from medical records. Categorical data were expressed as proportions (%) and numerical data were expressed as mean ± standard deviation. Comorbidities and overlapping symptoms were plotted as Venn diagrams. Drug clusters were plotted as dendrograms. RESULTS: The mean age was 59.53 years. There was a male predominance (60.1%). The mean hospital stay was 4.75 ± 4.43 days. The most frequent symptoms were dyspnea (88.77%), fever (71.42%) and dry cough (64.28%). Present comorbidities included diabetes (60.63%), hypertension (59.57%) and obesity (43.61%). The main drugs used for treating COVID-19 were azithromycin (60.6%), hydroxychloroquine (53.0%) and oseltamivir (27.3%). CONCLUSIONS: Mexican individuals who died of COVID-19 had shorter hospital stays, higher frequency of shortness of breath, and higher prevalence of diabetes than individuals from other countries. Also, there was a high frequency of off-label use of drugs for their treatment.

Empiema por toxoplasmosis / Empyema due to toxoplasmosis

Resumen La toxoplasmosis es una enfermedad ocasionada por Toxoplasma gondii, que habitualmente causa enfermedad asintomática en humanos inmunocompetentes; en pacientes inmunodeprimidos las manifestaciones son atípicas y severas. Este artículo describe el caso de una joven de 14 años previamente sana con diagnóstico de empiema por Toxoplasma gondii mediante observación directa del protozoo en líquido pleural y en biopsia pulmonar, que se curó con lavado y decorticación, así como con tratamiento médico con trimetoprim con sulfametoxazol.

Abstract Toxoplasmosis is a disease caused by Toxoplasma gondii, which usually causes asymptomatic disease in immunocompetent humans; in immunocompromised patients, the manifestations are atypical and severe. This article describes the case of a 14-year-old girl, previously healthy with diagnosis of empyema by Toxoplasma gondii by direct observation of the protozoon in pleural fluid and lung biopsy, which was resolved with washing and decortication as well as medical management with trimethoprim with sulfamethoxazole.