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INTRODUÇÃO/OBJETIVOS: O BRAZOS (The Brazilian Osteoporosis Study) é um estudo epidemiológico, de base populacional, realizado em amostra representativa de mulheres e homens brasileiros, de idade superior a 40 anos, com o objetivo de identificar os principais fatores clínicos de risco associados com fratura por baixo impacto. Nesse artigo são apresentados os principais resultados do estudo, de acordo com cada região do país. PACIENTES E MÉTODOS: Um total de 2.420 indivíduos, provenientes das cinco regiões do país e de todas as classes socioeconômicas foram incluídos no estudo. Foram avaliados dados antropométricos, bem como aspectos relacionados aos hábitos de vida, fraturas, ingestão alimentar, atividade física, quedas e qualidade de vida por meio de entrevista individual e quantitativa. Fratura por baixo impacto foi definida como aquela decorrente de queda da própria altura ou menos. Valor de P < 0,05 foi considerado como estatisticamente significante. RESULTADOS: Não houve diferença estatisticamente significativa da prevalência de fratura nas cinco regiões do Brasil, de acordo com o sexo ou classe social. No entanto, nas mulheres, houve maior ocorrência de fraturas na região metropolitana do que nos municípios do interior dos estados e tendência a maior frequência de fraturas em homens da região nordeste. Não foi verificada diferença estatisticamente significativa de fraturas se os homens eram provenientes das capitais ou do interior dos estados. CONCLUSÕES: De acordo com os nossos resultados, não foi observada diferença significativa da prevalência de fraturas por baixo impacto nem da frequência ou relevância de fatores de risco entre as cinco regiões do Brasil. OBJECTIVES: The BRAZOS (The Brazilian Osteoporosis Study) study is the first epidemiological and population-based study carried out in a representative sample of Brazilian men and women, 40 years or older, with the objective of identifying the prevalence and main clinical risk factors (CRF) associated with low-impact fractures. This report shows the main results according to each region of the country. PATIENTS AND METHODS: A total of 2,420 subjects (70% women) from 150 different cities in five geographic regions in Brazil, and from all different socio-economical classes were included in this study. Anthropometrical data, as well life style, previous fractures, nutritional status, physical activity, falls, and quality of life were evaluated by a quantitative individual survey. Low-impact fracture was defined as that resulting from a fall no greater than standing height of an individual. A P < 0.05 was considered significant. RESULTS: Statistically significant differences in the prevalence of fractures among the five Brazilian regions according to gender or social class were not observed. However, in women, a higher incidence of fractures was observed in metropolitan areas than in rural areas, and a tendency for a higher frequency of fractures was observed in men from Northeastern states. Statistically significant differences among men from metropolitan areas or rural areas were not observed. CONCLUSIONS: Significant differences in the prevalence of low-impact fractures among the five different regions of Brazil were not observed, as well as its frequency or relevance of risk factors.

Brazilian Health Ministry - Cooperation Term Federal University of São Paulo Background: Generic drugs (GDs) offer a way to reduce health spending without sacrificing quality. Despite this, there are doubts as to their acceptance by the population. This work aims to assess perceptions of GDs among the Brazilian population.Methods: We conducted a national household survey face-to-face between April and May 2013, with 5000 individuals aged over 15 years. the questions explored socioeconomic and demographic characteristics, the use of GDs, and perceptions about GDs as compared to brand drugs (BDs). the chi-square test was used to examine the associations between the perceptions and the characteristics of the population.Results: of the 5000 participants, 51.3% were women, 40.2% were white, 48.6% were between 15 and 34 years of age, and 52.3% had income of less than two minimum wages (US$627.78). in terms of the use of GDs, 44.6% of the participants were taking or had taken GDs in the past three months, with the highest figures among the elderly (61.1%) and female (49.2%) populations. Regarding perceptions, 30.4% of the respondents considered GDs less effective than BDs; provided the same price, 59% would prefer BD, and 45.8% agreed that physicians prefer to prescribe GDs. the most negative perceptions about GDs were observed among lower income, elderly and nonwhite populations.Conclusion: the findings provide a better understanding of Brazilians' perceptions regarding GDs. This should be considered when formulating healthcare policies aiming at improving access to effective and quality drugs, and reduction of health costs. Universidade Federal de São Paulo, GRIDES, São Paulo Ctr Hlth Econ, BR-04023062 São Paulo, Brazil Univ Estado Rio de Janeiro, Dept Internal Med, Discipline Rheumatol, BR-20551030 Rio de Janeiro, Brazil McMaster Univ, Dept Clin Epidemiol & Biostat, Hamilton, ON L8S 4K1, Canada Universidade Federal de São Paulo, Dept Med, Div Rheumatol, BR-04023062 São Paulo, Brazil Universidade Federal de São Paulo, GRIDES, São Paulo Ctr Hlth Econ, BR-04023062 São Paulo, Brazil Universidade Federal de São Paulo, Dept Med, Div Rheumatol, BR-04023062 São Paulo, Brazil Brazilian Health Ministry - Cooperation Term Federal University of São Paulo: 136/2011 Web of Science

OBJETIVO: descrever o perfil sociodemográfico, clínico-laboratorial e terapêutico dos pacientes com artrite reumatóide (AR) do ambulatório de reumatologia da Escola Paulista de Medicina (EPM-UNIFESP) que participaram de teses de pós-graduação no período de 25 anos, compreendido entre 1979 e 2004. PACIENTES E MÉTODOS: teses que avaliaram pacientes com AR da EPM. Exclusão: teses que incluíram pacientes de outras instituições ou com outras doencas. Classificação dos estudos: conforme o período de conclusão - I (1979-1984); II (1985-1989); III (1990-1994); IV (1995-1999); V (2000-2004) - e tipo de estudo (pesquisa básica; reabilitação; radiologia; qualidade de vida; epidemiologia e economia de saúde). RESULTADOS: Foram selecionadas 26 de 65 teses. Houve um predomínio de pesquisa básica (7 teses) nos três primeiros períodos, seguidos por reabilitação (6 teses) e de qualidade de vida (5 teses). Demografia: média de idade de 52 anos, predomínio do sexo feminino e raça branca. A escolaridade, avaliada em 5 estudos (qualidade de vida e economia de saúde), apresentou nível médio e superior de ensino nos últimos períodos. A classificação funcional (CF) foi pesquisada em 11 estudos, com maior prevalência da CF II. Tratamento: predomínio do uso de antiinflamatórios não-esteroidais (AINEs) e corticóides nos períodos I a III e, nos períodos III e V, de drogas modificadoras de atividade de doença (DMARDs), especialmente de metotrexato (MTX). CONCLUSÕES: observou-se alteração no nível de escolaridade e predomínio dos estudos de pesquisa básica, reabilitação e qualidade de vida. Houve preferência inicial pelos AINEs e, atualmente, pelos DMARDs. OBJECTIVE: To analyse the clinical, laboratory, treatment and social progress of patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) who attend at Escola Paulista de Medicina (EPM-UNIFESP), Brazil, submitted to researching theses from 1979 to September, 2004. PATIENTS AND METHODS: 65 researches theses were reviewed and 26 were selected according inclusion/exclusion criterias. Inclusion: researches which analysed outpatients with RA belonging to EPM ambulatory. Exclusion: researches which included outpatients from other institutions or diseases. Classifications of the studies: a) period of conclusion: I (1979-1984); II (1985-1989); III (1990-1994); IV (1995-1999); V (2000-2004); b) type of the study: laboratory; rehabilitation; radiology; epidemiology; quality of life; health economics. RESULTS: Twenty six thesis out of 65 were suitable for analysis there was a predominance of basic research (7 thesis) on the first three periods, followed by reabilitation research (6 thesis) and measurement of quality of life (5 thesis). Concerning demographic data, patients were in average, 52 years old with prevalence of white females. High levels of schooling were noted for the last periods analysed. Patients functinal class were evaluated in 11 studies, with a predominance of functinal class II. Therapeutic strategies for the treatment of RA have changed significantly, showing DMARDs in the therapeutic options. CONCLUSIONS: The demographic, clinical, laboratory, and therapeutic characteristics changed along time and type of this study developed. Initially there was a preference for NSAIDs, and nowadays for DMARDs.

OBJECTIVE: Evaluate routine clinical practices of Brazilian rheumatologists. METHOD: Virtual clinical scenarios representing a range of rheumatological practical situations were sent by mail to 831 specialists certified by the Brazilian Society of Rheumatology (SBR) with postage-paid envelopes for reply. RESULTS: Only 21.4% of the questionnaires were returned. The average age of responding rheumatologists was 42.7 years (SD=11.7), with an average time since graduation from medical school of 19.8 years (SD=10.1). In a clinical scenario describing early active rheumatoid arthritis most respondents (84.7%) chose to initiate treatment with prednisone or prednisolone. The most chosen disease modifying antirheumatic drugs were methotrexate (84,2%) and chloroquine (63.8%). Four rheumatologists (2.8%) indicated biological agents (infliximab and etanercept) as their initial choice of treatment. Prophylaxis for corticoid-induced osteoporosis and calcium and vitamin D supplementation were recommended by only 61.2% and 46.5% of the respondents, respectively. In a clinical scenario describing systemic lupus erythematosus, almost all doctors prescribed oral corticoids (93.7%), chloroquine (92.5%) and photoprotection (93.7%). In the presence of lupus nephritis with unimpaired renal function and normal blood pressure levels, the most frequently adopted management was pulse therapy with corticoids (47.7%) or high doses of oral prednisone. Pulsetherapy with cyclophosphamide was indicated by 34.6% of the respondents. In a clinical scenario describing acute mechanical back pain without alarming signs, 55.4% stated that they would request no laboratory examinations on the first encounter and the main treatments of choice were non-hormonal antiinflammatory drugs (89.3%), muscle relaxant drugs (72.9%) and physical therapy (33.3%). Bed rest was recommended by 31.6% of the respondents. In a clinical scenario describing chronic back pain with recent X-ray showing first degree spondylolisthesis and disc arthrosis, 39.6% of the rheumatologists stated that they would not request additional examinations, while 26.2% and 24.4% would request computer tomography scans and magnetic resonance scans, respectively. The most frequently prescribed treatments were physical therapy (75.1%), muscle relaxant drugs (48.5%), RPG (45.6%), physical exercise (41%), Cox-2-selective non-hormonal antiinflammatory drugs (40.5%), amitriptyline (35.3%) and opioid analgesics (34.7%). The questionnaire also included scenarios describing knee arthrosis and shoulder pain. CONCLUSION: The low rate of response from rheumatologists may be associated with aspects of Brazilian culture. In fact, respondents displayed a very similar profile throughout the country. Most of the prescribed treatments agree with available evidence and reflect a homogeneous approach to rheumatological disease among professionals. However, although the present study has provided interesting information regarding clinical practices, the small number of respondents may not be particularly representative of the population of Brazilian rheumatologists.

Objective: To translate into Brazilian–Portuguese, culturally adapt and validate the DLQI. Patients and Methods: The DLQI was translated into Brazilian–Portuguese and cultural adaptation was performed following the methodology proposed by Falcao. Inter-observer reliability and validity were assessed. Seventy-one patients with lupus erythematosus with cutaneous lesions selected from the outpatient dermatology clinic had their quality of life assessed by DLQI and SF-36. The validity of the Brazilian–Portuguese version of the DLQI was evaluated by the correlation of DLQI scores with SF-36 component scores and other outcome measures. Results: In the translation and cultural adaptation process the basic structure of DLQI was kept. Very few questions have very slightly modifications. Of the 71 patients, 83% were women and the median (SD) age was 38 (12) years. The patients had a mean (SD) disease duration of 8(6) years. There were 46 patients with active cutaneous lesions and 37 patients with alopecia. The DLQI inter-observer reliability coefficient was 0.96 (p

Background The worldwide increase of diabetes, a long duration, slow progression disease, impacts health care costs. The aim of this study was to estimate, from the society’s perspective, the annual cost per patient with Type 2 Diabetes (T2DM) at a specialized, outpatient center in the city of São Paulo, capital of São Paulo state, Brazil. Methods Data from 209 patients were collected during the years 2009 and 2010 in a São Paulo diabetes care center which is part of the tertiary sector of SUS, Brazil’s National Health Care System. Data were collected by means of interviews and reviews of medical charts, and the quality of life was appraised using the SF36-v2 questionnaire. Direct medical costs were divided in five categories: 1) medication; 2) laboratory tests; 3) hospitalizations and procedures; 4) reactive strips for capillary blood glucose monitoring; and 5) medical consultations. Direct non-medical costs referred to transportation of patient and companion for treatment. Indirect costs included early retirements, sick leave and absenteeism in the workplace. Statistical analysis of the data was performed by the SPSS software, version 17.0. Results Our sample comprised 122 women (58%) and 87 men (42%), with mean age of 63 years and average diabetes duration of 13 years. The mean annual cost was US$ 1,844 per patient, out of which US$ 1,012 corresponded to direct costs (55%) and US$ 831 to indirect costs (45%). From the direct medical costs, medications accounted for the greatest proportion (42%), followed by reactive strips (27%), hospitalizations and procedures (14%), laboratory tests and image examinations (7%), as well as medical consultations (4%). Non-medical costs (transportation) corresponded to 7% of the total direct costs. Besides, the results indicated that men have better quality of life than women. Conclusion This study demonstrated a high T2DM cost in Brazil, considering the governmental per capita expenses in health care, which accounted for US$ 466 in 2010 (World Health Statistics 2013 96-104 2013). Taking into account the high prevalence of the disease (IDF Diabetes Atlas. 5th edition. 29-48 2012), this survey recommends the enforcement of policies for the prevention of diabetes and its complications, and urges for better allocation of healthcare resources.

Background and aims Regional differences in the clinical care of Type 1 diabetes (T1D) in Brazil have been recently described. This study aimed to estimate the costs of T1D from the public health care system’s perspective across the regions of Brazil and to determine the components that influence these costs. Methods This was a retrospective, cross-sectional and nationwide multicenter study conducted between December 2008 and December 2010 in 28 public clinics in 20 Brazilian cities. The study included 3,180 T1D subjects receiving healthcare from the National Brazilian Healthcare System (NBHCS) with a follow-up of at least one year. The direct medical costs were derived from the costs of medications, supplies, examinations, visits to the center, medical procedures and hospitalizations that occurred during the previous year. Clinical and demographic factors that determined the differences in the cost across four geographic regions (southeast, south, north/northeast and mid-west) were investigated. Results The per capita mean annual direct medical costs of T1D in US$ were 1,466.36, 1,252.83, 1,148.09 and 1,396.30 in southeast, south, north/northeast and mid-west regions, respectively. The costs of T1D in the southeast region were higher compared to south (p < 0.001) and north/northeast regions (p = < 0.001), but not to the mid-west (p = 0.146) region. The frequency of self-monitoring of blood glucose (SMBG) was different across the regions as well as the daily number of SMBG, use of insulin pumps or basal or prandial insulin analogs. Age, ethnicity, duration of diabetes, level of care, socioeconomic status and the prevalence of chronic diabetic complications differed among the regions. In a regression model the determinants of the costs were the presence of microvascular diabetes-related complications (p

Objective: To evaluate the construct validity of the Medical Outcomes Study Questionnaire 36-Item Short Form Health Survey (SF-36) and to assess the quality of life of patients with end-stage renal disease (ESRD) at the initiation of maintenance dialysis treatment. Methods: Cross-sectional study. Setting: Eight ambulatory dialysis units in Sao Paulo city, Brazil. Study participants: Eighty ESRD patients at the initiation of chronic dialysis program and consecutively accepted for treatment in selected units in 1998. Main outcome measures: Quality of life as measured by the dimensions of the SF-36 questionnaire. The `Kidney Disease Questionnaire' was used in a subgroup of patients to evaluate the validity of the SF-36. Results: Median (range) scores of the SF-36 dimensions (ranging from 0 to 100, higher scores representing better quality of life) were: Physical Function 70 (0–100), Role Limitations due to Physical Problems 25 (0–100), Bodily Pain 62 (0–100), General Health 57 (5–100), Vitality 55 (10–100), Social Function 63 (0–100), Role Limitations due to Emotional Problems 34 (0–100) and Mental Health 68 (0–100). SF-36 dimensions correlated significantly with those of the `Kidney Disease Questionnaire' (correlation coefficients ranging from 0.23 to 0.68). Conclusions: The SF-36 was shown to have construct validity when used in patients with ESRD in Brazil. The quality of life of ESRD patients is impaired at the initiation of dialysis treatment and this was clearly evidenced in the Role Limitations due to Physical Function and Emotional Function items. Greater attention should be given to interventions that could improve the quality of life parameters at the initiation of dialysis treatment.

Objective: To study the physical and psychological stressors in the intensive care unit (ICU) and to correlate stressors with different demographic variables. Design: Cross-sectional analytical survey. Setting: Intensive care unit of a private hospital. Patients and participants: 50 randomly selected ICU patients during the first week of their ICU stay. Measurements and results: The Intensive Care Unit Environmental Stressor Scale was administered to 50 patients. Pain and the impossibility of sleeping due to noise and having tubes in the nose and mouth were considered the most important physical stressors. Loss of self control and lack of understanding about the attitudes and procedures were the main psychological stressors. Conclusions: Interventions should be aimed at relieving the patient’s pain and at controlling the level of noise to make sleep possible. From the psychological standpoint, the independence of the patient should be encouraged, thus stimulating the recovery of self-control. The team should also inform the patient about the procedures which will be carried out.