Idoneidad de las derivaciones de Atención Primaria a especialidades médicas hospitalarias / Adequacy of primary care referrals to medical specialities

INTRODUCCIÓN. El objetivo de este estudio es conocer la idoneidad de las interconsultas dirigidas desde Atención Primaria a especialidades médicas hospitalarias analizando sus características desde el punto de vista de las dos partes implicadas. MÉTODOS. Cuatro médicos (2 de Atención Primaria y 2 Internistas hospitalarios) analizaron retrospectivamente las peticiones de interconsulta y las notas de la primera consulta de 225 pacientes seleccionados aleatoriamente entre las consultas realizadas entre enero y julio de 2003 en un hospital de carácter provincial. RESULTADOS. El 26% de las interconsultas se consideraron innecesarias si se exige el acuerdo de los cuatro observadores (el 26,6% adecuadas y sin acuerdo en el 47,2% restante), y 37% cuando sólo se requiere que coincidan tres de los cuatro investigadores. La categoría en la que se alcanza un mayor grado de acuerdo es la de las consultas inadecuadas. Estas interconsultas corresponden a pacientes más jóvenes, procedentes del medio urbano, se acompañan de hojas de solicitud de consulta de peor calidad y generan un menor número de revisiones. CONCLUSIONES. Las consultas externas médicas hospitalarias están lastradas por un número muy elevado de IC no adecuadas o innecesarias, a las que se remiten pacientes con características diferentes de aquellos remitidos para consultas consideradas adecuadas

INTRODUCTION. This study aims to know the adequacy of specialized care referrals from Primary Care to hospital medical specialities, analyzing their characteristics from the point of view of the two parties involved. METHODS. Four doctors (2 from primary care and 2 hospital internists) retrospectively analyzed the specialized care requests and notes of the first consultation of 225 patients randomly selected among the consultations made between January and July 2003 in a provincial Hospital. RESULTS. A total of 26% of the specialized care referrals were considered unnecessary if agreement of four observers is required (26.6% adequate and no agreement in the remaining 47.2%) and 37% were considered unnecessary when three of the four investigators had to agree. The category that reaches the highest degree of agreement is that of inadequate consultations. These referrals correspond to younger patients, from urban setting. They are accompanied by consultation request sheets having worse quality and generate fewer reviews. CONCLUSIONS. The hospital out-patient visits are hindered by a very high number of inadequate or unnecessary specialized care consultations, to which patients are sent with characteristics different from those sent with consultations that are considered to be adequate

Epidemiology of biopsy proven giant cell arteritis in northwestern Spain: trend over an 18 year period.

OBJECTIVE: In Europe giant cell arteritis (GCA) is more common in Scandinavian countries than in southern regions. Epidemiological studies on GCA in other more distant countries have indicated a progressive increase in incidence. A regular cyclical pattern in incidence of GCA over 20 years has been reported in Olmsted County (Minnesota, USA). In contrast, no cyclical fluctuation has been recently reported in Sweden. To investigate further the epidemiology of GCA in southern Europe the trend in incidence and fluctuations of this vasculitis over 18 years in the Lugo region of northwestern Spain were examined. METHODS: A retrospective study of biopsy proven GCA diagnosed between 1 January 1981 and 31 December 1998 at a single hospital for a well defined population of almost 250 000 people. Annual incidence was calculated for the whole group of patients and for men and women separately. Monthly variations, annual peaks of incidence, and trend in the incidence of biopsy proven GCA with and without polymyalgia rheumatica (PMR) were also examined. RESULTS: One hundred and sixty one Lugo residents were diagnosed with biopsy proven GCA between 1981 and 1998. The average annual incidence for the population aged 50 and older was 10.24/100 000 (men 11.00/100 000, women 9.57/100 000). A progressive increase in the incidence in both men and women was seen. In men there was an annual increase of 8% (95% CI 4% to 13%; p<0.0001). In women the annual increase was 11% (95% CI 5% to 17%; p<0.0001). The overall annual increase for men and women was 10% (95% CI 6% to 14%; p<0.0001). No seasonal pattern or peaks in the incidence were seen. During the period 1981-94 GCA was more common in men than in women. In contrast, during the last years of study the increase in incidence was higher in women. In women the annual ratio of incidence of GCA with PMR/incidence of GCA without PMR was generally higher than 1. However, in men the annual ratio was initially 1 but decreased gradually, indicating a progressive decrease in the proportion of men with biopsy proven GCA associated with PMR. CONCLUSION: In northwestern Spain there has been a progressive increase in GCA incidence. As seen in other countries where GCA is more common, during the past few years the increase in incidence has been mainly due to a higher number of new cases in women.

Biopsy-negative giant cell arteritis: clinical spectrum and predictive factors for positive temporal artery biopsy.

OBJECTIVES: To examine the frequency and features of patients with biopsy-negative giant cell arteritis (GCA), establish differences with biopsy-proven GCA, and identify the optimal set of predictors for a positive temporal artery biopsy (TAB) in patients with GCA. METHODS: Retrospective study of an unselected population of patients with GCA diagnosed at the reference hospital for a defined population between 1981 and 1998. Patients were classified into biopsy-proven GCA if a TAB was positive for GCA, or biopsy-negative GCA if they fulfilled the American College of Rheumatology 1990 criteria for the classification of GCA (Hunder GG, et al Arthritis Rheum 1990; 33:1122-8) despite having a negative TAB. RESULTS: One hundred ninety Caucasian patients were diagnosed with GCA. Twenty-nine of them (15.3%) had a negative TAB. In these biopsy-negative patients, headache and polymyalgia rheumatica were frequent presenting symptoms. In contrast, jaw claudication, abnormal temporal artery on physical examination, and constitutional syndrome (asthenia, anorexia, and weight loss of 4 kg or more) were less common. They also had lower biologic markers of inflammation. The best predictive model of biopsy-proven GCA included a history of constitutional syndrome (OR = 6.1), an abnormal temporal artery on physical examination (OR = 3.2), and the presence of visual complications (OR = 4.9). CONCLUSIONS: In GCA, a subset of patients have a high likelihood of having a negative TAB. This subset seems to have less severe ischemic complications than that of biopsy-proven GCA. In patients without visual manifestations, abnormal temporal artery on examination or constitutional syndrome the risk of having an abnormal TAB is low.

Visual manifestations of giant cell arteritis. Trends and clinical spectrum in 161 patients.

Giant cell (temporal) arteritis (GCA) is the most common systemic vasculitis in Western countries. It involves large and medium-sized vessels with predisposition to the cranial arteries in the elderly. Cranial ischemic complications, in particular permanent visual loss, constitute the most feared aspects of this vasculitis. Although the use of corticosteroids and a higher physician awareness may have contributed to a decrease in the frequency of severe ischemic complications, permanent visual loss is still present in 7%-14% of patients. To investigate further the incidence, trends, and clinical spectrum of visual manifestations in patients with GCA, we examined the features of patients with biopsy-proven GCA diagnosed at the single reference hospital for a defined population in northwestern Spain during an 18-year period. Predictive factors for the development of any visual manifestation, not only permanent visual loss, were also examined. Between 1981 and 1998, 161 patients were diagnosed with biopsy-proven GCA. Visual ischemic complications were observed in 42 (26.1%), and irreversible blindness, mainly due to anterior ischemic optic neuropathy and frequently preceded by amaurosis fugax, was found in 24 (14.9%). Despite a progressive increase in the number of new cases diagnosed, there was not a significant change in the proportion of patients with visual manifestations during the study period (p = 0.37). Patients with visual ischemic complications had lower clinical and laboratory biologic markers of inflammation. Indeed, during the last years of the study, anemia was associated with a very low risk of visual complications. Also, HLA-DRB1*04-positive patients had visual manifestations more commonly. Patients with other ischemic complications developed irreversible blindness more frequently. The best predictors of any visual complication were HLA-DRB1*04 phenotype (odds ratio [OR] 7.47) and the absence of anemia at the time of admission (OR for patients with anemia = 0.07). The best predictors of irreversible blindness (permanent visual loss) were amaurosis fugax (OR 12.63) and cerebrovascular accidents (OR 26.51). The present study supports the claim that ocular ischemic complications are still frequent in biopsy-proven GCA patients from southern Europe. The presence of other ischemic complications constitutes an alarm for the development of irreversible blindness. In contrast, a higher inflammatory response may be a protective factor against the development of cranial ischemic events.