[Analysis of survival of patients with end-stage renal disease in Puerto Rico, 1970-1994]. / Análisis de sobrevivencia de pacientes con enfermedad renal permanente en Puerto Rico 1970-1994.

To assess the survival probabilities of patients with end stage renal disease in Puerto Rico, the data from the United States Renal Data System from 1970 through 1994 was analyzed. The Kaplan Meier method was used to determine the survival rate for the following variables: diagnosis, gender, age groups, treatment modality and health regions. The analysis included 7,527 patients reported to the United States Renal Disease System of which 4,295 (57%) patients were reported dead. The median time of survival rate (50%) was 47.7 months. There was significantly lower survival rate (p = 0.0001) for diabetics compared with all the other diagnosis. Age was also a strong predictor of survival (p = 0.0001) and modality treatment (p = 0.0001). We concluded that diabetes, the elderly and the hemodialysis modality, had the lower survival rate in the puerto rican population.

Análisis de sobrevivencia de pacientes con enfermedad renal permanente en Puerto Rico 1970-1994 / Analalysis of survival of patients with end-stage renal disease in Puerto Rico, 1970-1994

To assess the survival probabilities of patients with end stage renal disease in Puerto Rico, the data from the United States Renal Data System from 1970 through 1994 was analyzed. The Kaplan Meier method was used to determine the survival rate for the following variables: diagnosis, gender, age groups, treatment modality and health regions. The analysis included 7,527 patients reported to the United States Renal Disease System of which 4,295 (57 percent) patients were reported dead. The median time of survival rate (50 percent) was 47.7 months. There was significantly lower survival rate (p = 0.0001) for diabetics compared with all the other diagnosis. Age was also a strong predictor of survival (p = 0.0001) and modality treatment (p = 0.0001). We concluded that diabetes, the elderly and the hemodialysis modality, had the lower survival rate in the puerto rican population

[Permanent renal disease in Puerto Rico, morbidity and mortality trends 1970-1994]. / Enfermedad renal permanente en Puerto Rico, tendencias de morbilidad y mortalidad 1970-1994.

To describe the characteristics and trends of the incidence and mortality of End-Stage Renal Diseases (ESRD) in Puerto Rico, a descriptive analysis of the data of all patients treated with dialysis between 1970 through 1994 was conducted. A total of 7,256 patients received dialysis treatment for ESRD in Puerto Rico. Of these, 61% were males and 39% were females. Diabetes (41.7%) and glomerulonephritis (18.3) accounted for the largest number of cases followed by circulatory problems (8.3%). Hemodialysis was the predominant treatment modality (76%). The incidence trend was significant for the predictor variable period of time after adjusting by age and gender (Poisson). The mortality trend was significant for the predictor variables, period of time, gender and age (Poisson). A substantial increment in the incidence and mortality of persons receiving dialysis was found, particularly in the diabetics, males and elderly persons. The casual explanations of these findings requires further study.

[Development of a system for epidemiologic surveillance for the XVII Central American and Caribbean Sport Games, Puerto Rico, 1993]. / Diseño de un sistema de vigilancia epidemiológica para los XVII Juegos Deportivos Centroamericanos y del Caribe, Puerto Rico, 1993.

The probability of recording infectious diseases and injuries to the musculoskeletal system during sports events with a large number of participants is very high. From an historical perspective the distribution and trends of diseases that have an impact on public health have been evaluated by means of epidemiological surveillance systems. However, the application of these epidemiological methods to sports medicine is relatively recent. The utilization of an epidemiological surveillance system during sports events with a large number of participating athletes and countries has been reported in a limited number of competitions. In this article we describe the design of a system for epidemiological surveillance utilized during the XVII Central American and Caribbean Sports Games held in Puerto Rico in 1993, as an example of a surveillance system that could be regularly established in this type of event.

[Description of morbidity notified in the epidemiologic surveillance system of the XVII Central American and Caribbean Sport Games, Puerto Rico, 1993]. / Descripción de la morbilidad reportada en el sistema de vigilancia epidemiológica de los XVII Juegos Deportivos Centroamericanos y del Caribe, Puerto Rico, 1993.

The objective of the epidemiological surveillance system for the XVII Central American and Caribbean Sports Games in 1993 in Puerto Rico was to estimate the morbidity related to infectious diseases and sports injuries during the competitions. In the village hospital a total of 794 medical consultations were reported; 57.7% of the patients were athletes. Among athletes, the rate of consultation was 10.4 for every 100 participants. The consultations were more frequent in males (535, 67.4%). The analysis by country of origin revealed that the athletes from Guatemala (42, 9.2%) and Jamaica (35, 7.6%) used the services more frequently. The incidence of consultations by sport was higher in field hockey (47, 10.3%), followed by athletics (46, 10%), and softball (36, 7.9%). The most frequent diagnoses were injuries--302, 38.04%; of these 229 (75.8%) were athletes--,conditions of the respiratory system (180, 22.67%), problems of the skin and mucous membranes (85, 10.71%), and problems of the gastrointestinal tract (56, 7.05%). The severity of the majority of the conditions was mild and required primary care health professionals.