[Quality of life in patients with inflammatory bowel diseases]. / Calidad de vida relacionada con la salud en pacientes con enfermedad inflamatoria intestinal.

BACKGROUND: To determine the health-related quality of life in patients with Crohn disease and ulcerative colitis, as well as to evaluate differences according to sex, type of disease and other sociodemographic variables. METHOD: Cross sectional study of 100 outpatients in the Digestive Service of the Navarre Hospital Complex.A questionnaire with sociodemographic and clinical variables was used, as well as a version of the Inflammatory Bowel Disease Questionnaire-32 adapted to Spanish, in order to measure quality of life. RESULTS: The average score of the questionnaire on quality of life was 166 points (D.T.=40.06) out of a maximum of 232. Statistically significant differences were found according to type of disease (p=0.005)and sex (p=0.001). CONCLUSIONS: People with Crohn disease or females perceive a worse quality of life related to health in comparison to patients with ulcerative colitis or men.

Calidad de vida relacionada con la salud en pacientes con enfermedad inflamatoria intestinal / Quality of life in patients with inflammatory bowel diseases

Fundamento: Determinar la calidad de vida relacionada con la salud en pacientes con enfermedad de Crohn y colitis ulcerosa, así como evaluar las diferencias en función del sexo, tipo de enfermedad y otras variables sociodemográficas. Método: Estudio observacional, descriptivo y transversal en 100 pacientes atendidos en el servicio de Digestivo del Complejo Hospitalario de Navarra. Se empleó un cuestionario con variables sociodemográficas y clínicas, además del Inflammatory Bowel Disease Questionnaire-32, en su versión adaptada al castellano, para medir la calidad de vida. Resultados: La media de la puntuación total del cuestionario de calidad vida es de 166 puntos (D.T.=40,06) sobre un máximo de 232. Se han hallado diferencias estadísticamente significativas en función del tipo de enfermedad (p=0,005) y el sexo (p=0,001). Conclusiones: Las personas con enfermedad de Crohn o sexo femenino perciben peor calidad de vida relacionada con la salud respecto a pacientes con colitis ulcerosa u hombres (AU)

Background: To determine the health-related quality of life in patients with Crohn disease and ulcerative colitis, as well as to evaluate differences according to sex, type of disease and other sociodemographic variables. Method. Cross sectional study of 100 outpatients in the Digestive Service of the Navarre Hospital Complex. A questionnaire with sociodemographic and clinical variables was used, as well as a version of the Inflammatory Bowel Disease Questionnaire-32 adapted to Spanish, in order to measure quality of life. Results: The average score of the questionnaire on quality of life was 166 points (D.T.=40.06) out of a maximum of 232. Statistically significant differences were found according to type of disease (p=0.005) and sex (p=0.001). Conclusions: People with Crohn disease or females perceive a worse quality of life related to health in comparison to patients with ulcerative colitis or men (AU)

Diagnostic yield and reliability of endoscopic ultrasonography in patients with idiopathic acute pancreatitis.

OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the diagnostic yield of endoscopic ultrasonography (EUS) in patients with idiopathic acute pancreatitis (IAP), find factors predictive of a positive EUS finding in these patients and investigate whether these etiological findings are maintained during follow-up. MATERIAL AND METHODS: We performed EUS in patients with IAP between July 2004 and August 2007. We recorded epidemiological data, the number and severity of previous bouts of pancreatitis and gallbladder status. RESULTS: A total of 44 patients were included in the study. EUS was normal in seven patients (16%). In the remaining 37 patients (84%) we found cholelithiasis (n = 3), microlithiasis (n = 20), chronic pancreatitis (n = 14), pancreas divisum (n = 3), pancreatic mass (n = 1), apudoma (n = 1), cystic tumor of the pancreas (n = 2) and choledocholithiasis (n = 2). Positive EUS findings were not influenced by sex, severity of pancreatitis or recurrent disease. Patients aged < 65 years (age > or < 65 years: 73.9% versus 95.2%; P = 0.097) and patients with gallbladder in situ (cholecystectomy versus non-cholecystectomy: 63.6% versus 90.9%; P = 0.054) showed a tendency to have positive EUS findings. Mean follow-up was 28.95 +/- 10.86 months (range 12-64 months; median 28 months). During follow-up the etiological diagnosis was changed in two patients, lowering the diagnostic yield to 79%. CONCLUSIONS: EUS identified the cause of IAP in 79% of patients. Patients with gallbladder in situ and patients aged < 65 years showed a tendency to have positive EUS findings. The majority of the diagnoses provided by EUS are maintained during follow-up and seem to be reliable.

[Acute hepatitis C virus infection]. / Infección aguda por el VHC.

Acute hepatitis C virus infection produces clinical and biochemical features that is non-specific and indistinguishable from those caused by other hepatotropic viruses. The specific diagnosis of acute hepatitis C virus infection is based on the detection of serum RNA-HCV through a technique of PCR whose result will be positive after 1-2 weeks of the initial contact with the virus. The anti-bodies against HCV are detected later (after 7-8 weeks on average), and are not useful, as an isolated determination, in distinguishing acute infection from chronic infection or in clearing the virus (spontaneous or following treatment). Fifty-five to eighty-five percent of patients with acute HCV infection do not clear the virus and develop a chronic infection with risk of evolution to cirrhosis and of developing hepatocellular carcinoma. For this reason, the present tendency is to treat with interferon all those patients in whom RNA-HCV remains positive after 3-4 months following diagnosis of acute infection

[Treatment of chronic hepatitis C virus infection]. / Tratamiento de la infección crónica por el VHC.

At present the treatment of chronic hepatitis C virus infection is based on the combination of pegylated interferon (PEG-INF) and rivabirin (RBV) and basically attempts to eradicate the viral infection (sustained viral response). The pattern depends above all on the viral genotype, hence, patients with genotype 1, 4 and 5 require 48 weeks of treatment and high doses of RBV, while those with genotype 2 and 3 require 24 weeks of treatment and low doses of RBV. All patients with chronic C infection are possible candidates for antiviral therapy. However, given that the response to treatment is variable, that the treatment has secondary effects and supposes a high economic cost, it is recommendable in patients with hypertransaminasemia and moderate-severe chronic hepatitis in the histological study, as long as there are no counter-indications. This does not exclude other groups of patients who should be evaluated individually. In those patients with compensated hepatic cirrhosis, treatment can stabilise the disease and reduce the risk of complications appearing, although the rate of response is lower and some adverse effects are more frequent. In patients who have received previous antiviral treatment with standard interferon, alone or in association with RBV, without response to this or with response but later relapse, the decision on treatment must be individual. In patients with coinfection by human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), special attention must be paid to the degree of evolution of the disease due to HCV and to HIV, as well as the possible hepatoxicity of the antiretroviral treatment and the risk of secondary effects.

[Inflammatory bowel disease and amyloidosis]. / Enfermedad inflamatoria intestinal y amiloidosis.

Secondary (AA) amyloidosis is a rare but serious complication of longstanding inflammatory bowel disease that can affect the patient's prognosis more than the underlying disease. Although early diagnosis of this complication is becoming more frequent, its effective treatment continues to pose a challenge to the clinician. We present two cases of Crohn's disease complicated by secondary amyloidosis after two years, and describe their outcome.

Infección aguda por el VHC / Acute hepatitis C virus infection

La infección aguda por el virus C de la hepatitis produce un cuadro clínico y bioquímico no específico e indistinguible de los causados por otros virus hepatotropos. El diagnóstico específico de la hepatitis aguda por virus C se basa en la detección en sangre del RNA-VHC mediante una técnica de reacción en cadena de la polimerasa cuyo resultado será positivo a partir de 1-2 semanas tras el contacto inicial con el virus. Los anticuerpos frente al VHC se detectan más tardíamente (a las 7-8 semanas por término medio) no siendo útiles, como determinación aislada, para distinguir infección aguda de infección crónica o aclaramiento del virus (espontáneo o tras tratamiento). El 55-85 por ciento de los pacientes con infección aguda por el VHC no aclaran el virus y desarrollan una infección crónica con riesgo de evolución a cirrosis y de desarrollo de hepatocarcinoma. Por ello, la tendencia actual es tratar con interferón a todos aquellos pacientes en los que el RNA-VHC se mantenga positivo más allá de 3-4 meses tras el diagnóstico de la infección aguda (AU)

[Length of stay in the hospital emergency department]. / Estudio de tiempos en el área de urgencia hospitalaria.

We evaluated the overall time spent by patients in the emergency department as well as the time employed in the different steps of emergency care and their relationship to patient's diagnosis. Data from 2421 patients, randomly selected, amongst those who attended hospital's emergency department units between november 22-28th 1990 were collected data in a specially designed form. The mean time required for examination was 13 minutes and this procedure was carried out, in average, 18 minutes after admission. The mean length of stay in emergency area was 127 minutes with a significant increase in those cases rated as "true" emergencies.