Equidad en las consultas de atención primaria, la equidad de lo cotidiano / Equality in primary care clinics: equality in daily living

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Hipercalcemia como causa de lumbalgia, una entidad inusual / Hypercalcemia as a cause of low back pain, an unusual condition

Se presenta el caso de un paciente con síntomas de lumbalgia de características mecánicas. Inicialmente se trató con antiinflamatorios, sin mejoría. Se realizaron pruebas complementarias, que detectaron hipercalcemia secundaria a un adenoma de paratiroides. Tras la extirpación de la tumoración y normalización del calcio sérico, el paciente mejoró significativamente. El conocimiento y el diagnóstico diferencial de la lumbalgia son de interés en Atención Primaria, ya que supone un elevado número de consultas (AU)

A rare case of a male patient with low back pain symptoms with mechanical characteristics is presented. This was initially treated with anti-inflammatory treatment, with no improvement. Complementary tests shows hypercalcemia secondary to parathyroid adenoma. The patient significantly informed after extraction of the tumor and normalization of the serum calcium. Knowledge and differential diagnosis of low back pain is an important subject in Primary Care due to the elevated number of consultations (AU)

[Network of research units and primary health care]. / La red de unidades de investigación y la atención primaria de salud.

OBJECTIVES: To find the connections between Primary Health Care (PHC) and Research Units (RU) and the participation of PHC professionals in Research Committees (RC) and Clinical Research Ethical Committees (CREC). To evaluate RUs' PHC-related research activities, analyse the RUs and how much they are used by PHC. DESCRIPTION: A descriptive, crossover study, with data collected by means of a mailed questionnaire. SETTING: The 110 units which were part of the RU network by the end of 1993. PARTICIPANTS: Representatives of RUs. INTERVENTIONS: In May 1994 a self-filled questionnaire containing 29 items was sent out to RUs. During October/November 1994 non-repliers were recontacted. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: 80 RUs replied. 30 RUs were connected with PHC; 14 were totally dependent on PHC; and 16 were partially linked to PHC. A minority of PHC professionals took part in RCs, except in the cases of those totally dependent on PHC. Participation in the CRECs was unusual. RUs had little connection with Family & Community Medicine teaching units, although this figure was higher for RUs connected to PHC. 86.2% of RUs were open to PHC professionals, although involvement was generally low. 71.4% of RUs stated they had carried out some project of their own related to PHC; and 77.6% had collaborated in at least one PHC project. CONCLUSIONS: PHC has paid little attention to the creation of RUs and has participated little in RCs and CRECs. Teaching units should tighten their relationship with RUs, which do an important amount of PHC research. PHC researchers offered a wide range of services, which were little-used. Teaching units should publicise their existence more and extend their times of availability.

[Extent of advertising of tobacco and alcoholic beverages in a sample of Spanish weeklies]. / Magnitud de la promoción publicitaria de tabaco y bebidas alcoholicas en una muestra de los semanarios españoles.

Advertising undoubtedly influences our daily habits. In this sense, the promotion of cigarettes and alcoholic beverages is no exception, being a potential stimulus for their use. For the purpose of studying different aspects of the cigarette and alcoholic beverage advertising which appeared in a sample os Spanish weeklies was taken, these being six of the weeklies having one of the largest circulations, three of which were aimed mainly at women readers, while the other three were general information magazines. The advertising of these two products represents a significant percentage of the total advertising printed in the magazines studied (11%). The promotion of alcoholic beverages widely surpasses that of cigarettes (by 7 to 1). With regard to the groups of alcoholic beverages, whisky in the leading beverage advertised. The topics to which reference is made in the advertising slogans are widely varied, are lacking in informative elements and are limited to means of persuading one to identify with said product. Marked differences are observed between the magazines of providing general information magazines and those preferably aimed at women with regard to the amount and content of the advertising of cigarettes and alcoholic beverages. The methodological differences arising on studying the advertising-use relationship are discussed. Lastly, a number of activities for contradicting the effect of the massive advertising of cigarettes ald alcoholic beverages appearing in our weeklies are proposed.