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Introduction: Eosinophilic angiocentric fibrosis (EAF) is a rare lesion that predominantly affects the upper respiratory tract. Its etiology is unknown and it has been recently associated with the IgG4- related disease (IgG4-RD) spectrum. To the author's knowledge, this is the sixth case report of the relationship between EAF and IgG4-RD. Case Report: We report the case of a 37-year-old woman with nasal deformity and facial pain. The lesion was surgically excised. Histological examination revealed features of EAF with an IgG4/IgG plasma cell ratio >73% and 31 IgG4 stained cells per high power field. No clinical or radiological recurrence was detected during follow-up. Serum IgG4 quantification one year after surgery was within normal limits. Discussion: The relationship between both entities may have therapeutic impact because IgG4-RD of the head and neck has a high remission rate with corticosteroids and immunosuppressive therapy. Additional reports of this infrequent disease are necessary to elucidate appropriate treatment and prognosis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

La obesidad en niños está relacionada con morbimortalidad en la edad adulta. La percepción materna como un juicio se asocia al estado nutricio del niño. Se examinó diferencia de percepción materna y estado nutricio de hijos en grado de preescolar. Se realizó estudio descriptivo, explorándose 376 binomios, madre e hijos, en Matehuala, San Luis Potosí (SLP). Utilizando X2 para diferencia de proporciones, estimándose prevalencia de: bajo peso, sobrepeso, obesidad. El peso del preescolar, 17.6 ± 3.3 kg, índice de masa corporal (IMC) 15.8 ± 1.8 kg/m2, con prevalencia de bajo peso, 8.5% (IC 95%: 6%, 11%), sobrepeso 8.5% (IC 95%: 6%, 11%), obesidad 8.8% (IC 95%: 6%, 12%). En percepción materna, 65 por ciento de las madres perciben niños normales, 6 por ciento bajo peso, el 50 por ciento peso adecuado, 8.5 por ciento sobrepeso, y el 8.8 por ciento obesidad. Alcanzando diferencia significativa, la percepción materna, bajo peso, sobre peso y obesidad (X2. = 99.9, p ≤ 0.00001). Concluyendo que la percepción materna no corresponde al peso real de sus hijos. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To compare the incidence of selected spontaneously reported adverse events (AEs) in patients with osteoarthritis (OA) treated with rofecoxib (VIOXX, 12.5 mg qd) or Arthrotec (diclofenac 50 mg/misoprostol 200 mcg bid).Methods: Double-blind, parallel-group, 6-week study of patients aged > or = 40 years with a clinical diagnosis of OA treated with rofecoxib or Arthrotec. Primary endpoint: self-reported diarrhea; secondary endpoints: abdominal pain, discontinuations due to AEs, GI AEs and NSAID-type GI AEs (ie., acid reflux, dyspepsia, epigastric discomfort, heartburn, nausea, vomiting).Results: Among 483 patients (80.3% females, mean age 62.1), the rofecoxib group vs the Arthrotec group respectively reported diarrhea 6.2% vs 16.2% (p<0.001); drug-related diarrhea 3.7% vs 16.2% (p<0.001); one or more clinical AEs 52.9% vs 73.0% (p<0.001); GI AEs 28.9% vs 48.5% (p<0.001); NSAID-type GI AEs 18.6% vs 29.9% (p=0.004); discontinuations due to abdominal pain 0.4% vs 3.7% (p<0.05); and discontinuations due to any AE 4.1% vs 9.1% (p=0.029). No significant differences were observed in efficacy.Conclusion: Rofecoxib 12.5 mg qd has improved GI tolerability and similar efficacy compared to Arthrotec (diclofenac 50 mg/misoprostol 200 mcg bid). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objetivo. Determinar el costo de la atención de la hipertensión arterial, su impacto en el gasto en salud y en el producto interno bruto (PIB) de México. Material y métodos. Diseño ecológico, efectuado de junio a noviembre de 1999 en el Instituto Mexicano del Seguro Social (IMSS), en la ciudad de Monterrey, Nuevo León, México. Se seleccionó aleatoriamente una muestra de expedientes clínicos con diagnóstico de hipertensión arterial, a los cuales se les contabilizó el uso de los servicios de salud y paralelamente se estimó el costo unitario por servicio. El costo por servicio y por paciente hipertenso se calculó ajustando el costo unitario en función de la utilización promedio y de un escenario extremo, cantidad que se proyectó a la población total de hipertensos y el resultado se comparó con el gasto anual en salud realizado en México. Resultados. El costo anual por hipertenso en la Seguridad Social correspondió a $1 067 en el escenario promedio y de $3 913 en el escenario extremo. El gasto anual en hipertensión arterial equivale a 13.95% del presupuesto destinado a la salud y a 0.71% del PIB, valores que se modifican a 51.17% y 2.62% respectivamente en el escenario extremo. Conclusiones. La hipertensión arterial consume gran cantidad de recursos, por lo que deberá ser objeto de estudio por equipos multidisciplinarios de salud, en la búsqueda de alternativas de manejo más eficientes.

Objetivo. Determinar la magnitud y jerarquizar la necesidad de salud satisfecha del diabético tipo 2, usuario del primer nivel de atención. Material y métodos. Se realizó un estudio transversal comparativo con representatividad rural y urbana, en el Instituto Mexicano del Seguro Social, en Nuevo León, en 1999. Fueron entrevistados, al azar, 256 diabéticos tipo 2 con dos o más años de diagnóstico. La información fue complementada con el expediente clínico y encuesta al proveedor. Se evaluaron cinco áreas y cuatro determinantes de salud, con base en estándares de la Norma Oficial Mexicana y la Asociación Americana de Diabetes. El plan de análisis consistió en estadística descriptiva y estimación de puntajes z. Resultados. Se registró una media de satisfacción global de necesidades de salud de 48.8%. En la zona rural la media de satisfacción fue menor que en la urbana (36.8% vs 53.3%, phttp://www.insp.mx/salud/index.html

OBJETIVO: Identificar factores de riesgo nutricional en pacientes con tuberculosis pulmonar (TBP).MATERIAL Y MÉTODOS: Se seleccionaron al azar 185 pacientes con TBP atendidos en dos instituciones de salud de Monterrey, Nuevo León, México, durante 1997. Se identificaron variables antropométricas, socioeconómicas, utilización del servicio de nutrición, accesibilidad a los alimentos, efectos secundarios de drogas antifímicas, y atribución de la enfermedad a la alimentación. El plan de análisis incluyó estadística descriptiva, análisis bivariado y multivariado de regresión logística múltiple, además se estimó razón de prevalencia e intervalos de confianza de 95%. RESULTADOS: El promedio de edad fue de 42.4±19.9 años. La media de índice de masa corporal fue de 19.8±3.2 y se encontraban desnutridos 56.8% del total de los pacientes. El 26.4% de éstos fue enviado al servicio de nutrición y, únicamente, 24.3% lo utilizó. El análisis multivariado mostró como factores de riesgo para desnutrición a los efectos secundarios de las drogas antifímicas, independientemente de la edad, sexo, escolaridad, ocupación, tiempo de evolución, accesibilidad a los alimentos, atribución de la enfermedad al tipo de alimentación y utilización del servicio de nutrición (ji²=10.58; p=0.0515, r²=0.42). CONCLUSIONES: El riesgo nutricional al que se enfrenta el paciente es responsabilidad tanto de éste, por la escasa utilización que hace del servicio de nutrición, como de los servicios de salud, debido a la existencia de barreras de tipo organizacional que dificultan el acceso al servicio de nutrición. Además, la falta de accesibilidad a los alimentos y el impacto de los efectos secundarios de las drogas antifímicas justifican la necesidad de focalizar la atención en este grupo de riesgo.

Objetivo. Determinar la calidad del Programa de Detección Oportuna de Cáncer Cervicouterino en Nuevo León. Material y métodos. Se analizaron 4 791 informes citológicos emitidos por los módulos de detección oportuna de la Secretaría de Salud Estatal, el Hospital Universitario y el Instituto Mexicano del Seguro Social, seleccionados al azar. Se excluyeron aquellos que pertenecían a mujeres con histerectomía, embarazo actual, menopausia o resultado citológico positivo. La calidad se midió con apego a estándares. El análisis incluyó, además de la estadística descriptiva, pruebas para diferencias de proporciones y de medias. Resultados. La calidad del Programa fue moderadamente satisfactoria en el ámbito estatal. La calidad de la toma de la muestra fue poco satisfactoria; 39.9% presentó células endocervicales. La calidad en términos de la cobertura fue poco satisfactoria; 15.6% correspondió a mujeres de 25 y más años atendidas por primera vez. La calidad en términos de la oportunidad fue muy satisfactoria; 8.5 ± .7 días hábiles entre las fechas de toma e interpretación. Conclusiones. Se requiere de estrategias para incrementar el impacto del Programa en el estado, tales como el mejoramiento en la calidad de la toma de la muestra y de la cobertura.

Introduction: Premature cardiovascular events have been observed in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) patients, but the reason for this accelerated process is still debatable; although traditional risk factors are more prevalent in such patients than in the general population, they do not seem to fully explain that enhanced risk. One of the most important conditions is a proatherogenic lipid profile. There is not enough data about it in Mexican SLE patients. Objective: To establish the differences in the lipid profiles between Mexican patients with SLE and the general population. Material and methods: Observational, transversal, descriptive and comparative study, between SLE patients and age-sex-matched healthy volunteers. We performed a full lipid profile (by spectrophotometry) 14 hours of fast. The results obtained were analyzed by the statistical program SPSS® Statistics version 17. Results: We studied the full lipid profiles of 138 subjects, 69 with a diagnosis of SLE and 69 age-sex-matched healthy volunteers; 95.7% were females and 4.3% males. Average age was 30 years; average body mass index (BMI) 25.96 ± 5.96 kg/m² in SLE patients and 26.72 ± 4.36 kg/m² in the control group (p = 0.396). Average of total cholesterol 156 mg/dl in the SLE patients and 169.4 mg/dl in the control group (p = 0.028); average of low density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol 85.27 mg/dl in the SLE patients and 97.57 mg/dl in the control group (p = 0.023). Conclusions: We did not find statistical differences in the lipid profiles among patients and healthy volunteers, which could explain increased cardiovascular morbidity and mortality observed in SLE patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is a chronic multisystem autoimmune disorder where the disease activity itself and the medications used for its treatment, may have adverse effects on ovarian function. This study aimed to assess the ovarian reserve (OR) in SLE patients. Materials and methods: The anti-müllerian hormone (AMH) and the antral follicle count (AFC), two markers to evaluate the OR was assessed in 64 SLE patients and compared to normal individuals. Additionally, we assessed whether the disease per se or the pharmacological treatments affect the OR. Results: Patients with SLE displayed alterations in the OR regardless of the presence of alterations of the menstrual cycle. The AFC and AMH were significantly lower in SLE patients with and without menstrual alterations when compared to control individuals (p<0.0001). However, the AFC and AMH levels were significantly correlated (p=0.006) in the SLE patients with menstrual alterations. Except for hydroxychloroquine that was statistically higher in SLE patients with menstrual alterations (p=0.04), the cumulative dose for cyclophosphamide, corticosteroid, and methotrexate was similar in SLE patients regardless of the occurrence of menstrual alterations. Conclusion: The monitoring of AMH and AFC in SLE patients should be used to detect the rapid and irreversible decline of the OR to provide a possibility of pregnancy to the SLE patients., (Copyright © 2021 Tehran University of Medical Sciences. Published by Tehran University of Medical Sciences.)

Introduction: Although low back pain (LBP) is a high-impact health condition, its burden has not been examined from the syndemic perspective., Objective: To compare and assess clinical, socioeconomic, and geographic factors associated with LBP prevalence in low-income and upper-middle-income countries using syndemic and syndemogenesis frameworks based on network and cluster analyses., Methods: Analyses were performed by adopting network and cluster design, whereby interrelations among the individual and social variables and their combinations were established. The required data was sourced from the databases pertaining to the six Latin-American countries., Results: Database searches yielded a sample of 55,724 individuals (mean age 43.38 years, SD = 17.93), 24.12% of whom were indigenous, and 60.61% were women. The diagnosed with LBP comprised 6.59% of the total population. Network analysis showed higher relationship individuals' variables such as comorbidities, unhealthy habits, low educational level, living in rural areas, and indigenous status were found to be significantly associated with LBP. Cluster analysis showed significant association between LBP prevalence and social variables (e.g. Gender inequality Index, Human Development Index, Income Inequality)., Conclusions: LBP is a highly prevalent condition in Latin-American populations with a high impact on the quality of life of young adults. It is particularly debilitating for women, indigenous individuals, and those with low educational level, and is further exacerbated by the presence of comorbidities, especially those in the mental health domain. Thus, the study findings demonstrate that syndemic and syndemogenesis have the potential to widen the health inequities stemming from LBP in vulnerable populations. Key points • Syndemic and syndemogenesis evidence health disparities in Latin-American populations, documenting the complexity of suffering from a disease such as low back pain that is associated with comorbidities, unhealthy habits, and the social and regional context where they live. • The use of network and cluster analyses are useful tools for documenting the complexity and the multifaceted impact in health in large populations as well as the differences between countries. • The variability and impact of socioeconomic indicators (e.g., Gini index) related to low back pain and comorbidities could be felt through the use of cluster analysis, which generates evidence of regional inequality in Latin America. • Populations can be studied from different models (network and cluster analysis) and grouping, presenting new interpretations beyond geographical groupings, such as syndemic and inequity in health.

Introduction: Eosinophilic angiocentric fibrosis (EAF) is a rare lesion that predominantly affects the upper respiratory tract. Its etiology is unknown and it has been recently associated with the IgG4- related disease (IgG4-RD) spectrum. To the author's knowledge, this is the sixth case report of the relationship between EAF and IgG4-RD., Case Report: We report the case of a 37-year-old woman with nasal deformity and facial pain. The lesion was surgically excised. Histological examination revealed features of EAF with an IgG4/IgG plasma cell ratio ≷73% and 31 IgG4 stained cells per high power field. No clinical or radiological recurrence was detected during follow-up. Serum IgG4 quantification one year after surgery was within normal limits., Discussion: The relationship between both entities may have therapeutic impact because IgG4-RD of the head and neck has a high remission rate with corticosteroids and immunosuppressive therapy. Additional reports of this infrequent disease are necessary to elucidate appropriate treatment and prognosis.

Objectives: This study aims to describe salivary beta-2 microglobulin (sB2M) levels in our setting and to assess the performance of sB2M for the diagnosis of Sjögren's syndrome (SS)., Patients and Methods: This cross-sectional, comparative study included 192 SS patients (2 males, 190 females; mean age 53.1 years; range 23 to 84 years) and 64 healthy controls (1 male, 63 females; mean age 46.9 years; range 21 to 82 years). Patients were divided into three groups as those with primary SS, secondary SS, and sicca non-Sjögren's syndrome (snSS). sB2M was measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay in whole unstimulated saliva (ng/mL). Differences in sB2M were evaluated using the Kruskal-Wallis test. Receiver operating curves were generated to determine the performance of sB2M for distinguishing between SS and non-autoimmune snSS groups, and between SS group and healthy controls., Results: The primary SS and secondary SS groups had a significantly higher concentration of sB2M than the other two groups. There was no significant difference in the concentration of sB2M between primary SS and secondary SS groups, and neither between snSS group and healthy controls. The receiver operating curve analysis for distinguishing SS and snSS showed an area under the curve of 0.661 (95% confidence interval 0.590-0.728, p=0.0001) with an optimal cutoff value of 0.582 ng/mL. Sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, and negative predictive value were 68.7%, 59.3%, 20.2%, and 92.7%, respectively. The reported prevalence of SS in Mexico was considered when calculating the last two values., Conclusion: In our setting, sB2M effectively distinguished between SS patients and non-autoimmune sicca symptoms. Including sB2M in our conventional diagnostic arsenal may assist in the evaluation of patients in whom SS is suspected; however, further studies are needed to clarify this hypothesis.

Introduction: Different prediction rules have been applied to patients with undifferentiated arthritis (UA) to identify those that progress to rheumatoid arthritis (RA). The Leiden Prediction Rule (LPR) has proven useful in different UA cohorts., Objective: To apply the LPR to a cohort of patients with UA of northeastern Mexico., Methods: We included 47 patients with UA, LPR was applied at baseline. They were evaluated and then classified after one year of follow-up into two groups: those who progressed to RA (according to ACR 1987) and those who did not., Results: 43% of the AI patients developed RA. In the RA group, 56% of patients obtained a score ≤ 6 and only 15% ≥ 8. 70% who did not progress to RA had a score between 6 and ≤ 8. There was no difference in median score of LPR between groups, p=0.940., Conclusion: Most patients who progressed to RA scored less than 6 points in the LPR. Unlike what was observed in other cohorts, the model in our population did not allow us to predict the progression of the disease., (Copyright © 2013 Elsevier España, S.L.U. All rights reserved.)

Objective: Rheumatic diseases are vastly underdiagnosed and undertreated, particularly among minorities and those of low socioeconomic status. The WHO-ILAR Community Oriented Program in the Rheumatic Diseases (COPCORD) advocates screening of musculoskeletal complaints in the community. The objective of this study was to evaluate the performance of the COPCORD Core Questionnaire (CCQ) as a diagnostic tool for rheumatic diseases., Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional study designed in parallel with a large COPCORD survey in Mexico. A subsample of 17,566 questionnaires, selected from 4 of the 5 states included in a national COPCORD survey were included in the analysis as a diagnostic test to evaluate sensitivity, specificity, receiver operating characteristics curve (ROC), and positive likelihood ratio (LR+) of the CCQ as a case-detection tool for rheumatic diagnosis and for the most frequent diagnoses identified in the survey, osteoarthritis, regional rheumatic pain syndromes, and rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Logistic regression with the questions with LR+ ≥ 1 was performed to identify the strength of association (OR) for each question., Results: Pain in the last 7 days, high pain score (> 4), and previous diagnosis were the questions with highest LR+ for diagnosis, and for diagnosis of RA treatment with NSAID. The variables that contributed most to the model were pain in the last 7 days (OR 2.0, 95% CI 1.8-2.3), NSAID treatment (OR 3.3, 95% CI 3.0-3.7), a high pain score (OR 1.15, 95% CI 1.13-1.17), and having a previous diagnosis (OR 1.4, 95% CI 1.3-1.6). These 4 questions had R(2) = 0.24, p < 0.01, for detection of any rheumatic diagnosis. The single variable that explains 16% (OR 1.33, 95% CI 1.31-134) of variance was a high pain score in the last 7 days., Conclusion: Some variables were identified in the CCQ that could be combined in a brief version for case detection of rheumatic diseases in community surveys. The validity of this proposal has to be tested against the original version.

Objective: To estimate the prevalence of musculoskeletal (MSK) disorders and to describe predicting variables associated with rheumatic diseases in 5 regions of México., Methods: This was a cross-sectional, community-based study performed in 5 regions in México. The methodology followed the guidelines proposed by the Community Oriented Program for the Control of the Rheumatic Diseases (COPCORD). A standardized methodology was used at all sites, with trained personnel following a common protocol of interviewing adult subjects in their household. A "positive case" was defined as an individual with nontraumatic MSK pain of > 1 on a visual analog pain scale (0 to 10) during the last 7 days. All positive cases were referred to internists or rheumatologists for further clinical evaluation, diagnosis, and proper treatment., Results: The study included 19,213 individuals; 11,602 (68.8%) were female, and their mean age was 42.8 (SD 17.9) years. The prevalence of MSK pain was 25.5%, but significant variations (7.1% to 43.5%) across geographical regions occurred. The prevalence of osteoarthritis was 10.5%, back pain 5.8%, rheumatic regional pain syndromes 3.8%, rheumatoid arthritis 1.6%, fibromyalgia 0.7%, and gout 0.3%. The prevalence of MSK manifestations was associated with older age and female gender., Conclusion: The prevalence of MSK pain in our study was 25.5%. Geographic variations in the prevalence of MSK pain and specific diagnoses suggested a role for geographic factors in the prevalence of rheumatic diseases.

Objective: To estimate the social costs of rheumatoid arthritis (RA), ankylosing spondylitis (AS), and gout from the patient's perspective., Methods: We carried out a cross-sectional analysis of the cost and resource utilization of 690 RA, AS, and gout patients from 10 medical centers and private facilities in five cities of Mexico. The information was obtained from the baseline of a dynamic cohort. We estimated out-of-pocket expenses, institutional direct costs, and direct medical costs., Results: The mean (SD) annual out-of-pocket expense (USD) was $610.0 ($302.2) for RA, $578.6 ($220.5) for AS, and $245.3 ($124.0) for gout. Figures correspond to 15%, 9.6%, and 2.5% of the family income. They also represented 26.1%, 25.3%, and 24.4% of the total annual cost per RA, AS, and gout patients, respectively. The expected direct institutional patient/year costs were 1,724.2 for RA, $1,710.8 for AS, and $760.7 for gout. The total patient annual costs were $2,334.3 for RA, $2,289.4 for AS, and $1,006.1 for gout. Most out-of-pocket expenses were used to purchase drugs, pay for laboratory tests, imaging studies, and alternative therapies., Conclusions: From the patient's perspective, the cost of RA, AS, and gout represents 25% of direct medical costs. The cost of RA is higher than that for AS and gout.

Background: The objective was to compare the use of family planning methods during the immediate postpartum period and two years following childbirth among the adolescent females who had followed two different intervention programs during their pregnancies., Methods: A quasi-experimental study was designed. A total of 62 pregnant adolescents were selected to comprised two intervention groups, the PRECEDE model and the Health Belief model (MCS) groups. Non-parametric statistical tests were employed and 95% confidence intervals estimated., Results: The average starting knowledge in the MCS groups was 69.12 points (95% CI 63.27-74.97) and ending 89.71 points (95% CI 86.24-93.17), while the starting knowledge for the PRECEDE group was 49.39 points (95% Cl 42.24-56.54) and ending 75.25 points (95% CI 71.12-79.38). IN the immediate postpartum, 93% (95% CI 83.5-100) of the adolescents in the PRECED group accepted the use of a family planning method similar to that employed by the MCS group, of 94.2 (95% CI 86.3-100). As regards the continued use of the method, that is, two years later, the PRECEDE strategy had a greater effect that the MCS strategy, respectively 92% (95% Cl 82-100) and 72% (95% CI 56.9-87.1)., Conclusions: A difference was found to exist between models as regards the use of family planning methods 2 years following childbirth. The PRECEDE program is proposed as the education strategy for preventing a second pregnancy among adolescent females.

Background: Chronic and degenerative disorders are the leading causes of morbidity-mortality in Mexico, as a result of which the Health Sector has implemented preventive and suitable detection measures. The use of the health services is a dynamic behavior on the part of the population. In order for people to use these preventive measures, the barriers to accessing these services must be lessened. Hence, the objective of this study was that of ascertaining the use of the services for the detection of diabetes mellitus, high blood pressure, cervical-uterine and breast cancer and tetanus and diphtheria toxoide vaccinations., Methods: The sample size was that of 254 individuals age 25 and over living in Monterrey or in the greater Monterrey metropolitan area. Those having employed preventive measures during the year immediately prior to the study were taken into account with regard to the use of preventive measures. The analysis consisted of descriptive statistics and bivariate analysis., Results: Over 60% of the population was female, the average age being 42.3 + 14 years of age, three fourths of the population being on the social security rolls. A total 37% mentioned having undergone the diabetes test, and 44.5 the test for high blood pressure, while 31.1% had been vaccinated with the tetanus and diphtheria toxoide. Regarding specifically female checkups, 34.3% of all females had undergone the corresponding cervical-uterine cancer test, 29.5% having been screened for breast cancer. No relationship was found to exist between the use of measures and family histories and the perception of the importance of the checks., Conclusions: The use of preventive measures fall below some international standards. Individuals exposed to the risk must be sought in order to fittingly detect any chronic disorder.

Extracutaneous calcifications are rare in scleroderma and related conditions. We describe a female patient with linear scleroderma en coup de sabre and a longstanding clinical history of tonic and clonic convulsions. Radiographic study showed extensive cerebral calcifications in the right occipital hemisphere, homolateral to the involved side of her face. This report further suggests a relationship between localized scleroderma and neurological manifestations. Brain imaging studies should be routinely performed in scleroderma patients exhibiting neurological manifestations, especially seizure disorder.

Objective: To determine the impact of primary care on hospitalization of type 2 diabetics with equal conditions of health insurance., Design: A case-control study. Case = diabetic hospitalized by a disease related condition. Control = diabetic without hospitalization during the last 12 months., Setting: Urban primary care centers., Participants: Cases were consecutively selected from four out of five urban hospitals (n=123). Controls were chosen at random from primary care units matched by primary care source (n=135). Women with gestational diabetes were excluded as well as individuals with missing medical charts (approximately 15%)., Measurements: A primary care index was constructed with process and outcome indicators recommended by the American Medical Association, the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations, the National Committee for Quality Assurance, the American Diabetes Association and the Official Mexican Standards. Compliance to less than 60% of recommendations was considered unsatisfactory primary care., Results: The following were hospitalization risk factors: less than 2 visits to family physician during the last year (OR adjusted, 16,2; 95% CI, 1,5-174,2), glucose level (OR adjusted, 1,006; 95% CI, 1,002-1,010) and cognitive level (OR adjusted, 0,98; 95% CI, 0,96-0,99), in addition to exercising and year of diagnosis. Sixty-five percent of cases observed unsatisfactory primary care compared with 49,1% of controls (P=0,03). Unsatisfactory primary care increased 2,5 times the risk of hospitalization (95% CI, 1,2-5,0) (pseudo R2=0,279; P<0,001)., Conclusions: Primary care is a potential factor for reducing hospitalization of type 2 diabetics. Effective primary care programs would contribute to a better disease control and less unnecessary hospitalizations.

Objective: To determine the extent and importance of unmet health needs of type 2 diabetic patients seen at primary care services., Material and Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted in 1999, among rural and urban patients of the Mexican Institute of Social Security, in Nuevo Leon, Mexico. The study population consisted of 256 subjects selected at random, diagnosed with type-II diabetes for at least two years. Data were obtained by interview and complemented with medical charts and provider interviews. Five health areas and four health determinants were evaluated, through Mexican Official Standards and American Diabetes Association standards of medical care for diabetic patients. Analysis consisted of descriptive statistics and estimation of z scores., Results: Health needs were met in 49% of cases. A lower mean of health need satisfaction was found in rural regions as compared to urban regions (36.8% vs. 53.3%, p < .01). Nutrition was the most affected health area (z score = -6), followed by the physical exercise (z score = -1), the metabolic health area (z score = +1), the non-smoking health area (z score = +2), the prevention and early detection of complications health area (z score = +2), and the cognitive health area (z score = +3). The health determinant with the highest requirement corresponded to utilization (z score = -5), followed by resource availability (z score = -4), perceived health need (z score = +4), and access barriers (z score = +6)., Conclusions: Health need measurement allows evaluating the effectiveness of existing interventions, in addition to identifying areas with higher unmet health needs. These findings facilitate analysis and decision-making to devise specific health policies and actions directed at improving the quality of care for diabetic patients. The English version of this paper is available at: http://www.insp.mx/salud/index.html

Unlabelled: Preeclampsia and eclampsia are the primary causes of maternal mortality. In the state of Nuevo León, from 1990 to 1998, these conditions represented 44.1% of maternal deaths. The presence of thrombogenic substances (homocysteine, C protein, and anticardiolipin antibodies) in the mother's blood has been related to this problem. The C677T polymorphism of the enzyme methylene tetrahydrofolate reductase (MTHFR) favors the increase of homocysteine levels, while folic acid (FA) supplementation decreases its levels., Objective: To establish the role of FA in the physiopathology of preeclampsia in our environment. KIND OF STUDY: Longitudinal, prospective and comparative., Cases: Women with severe preeclampsia and/or eclampsia (n-13)., Controls: Women in the third trimester of a normal pregnancy (n + 15). 20 mL Blood samples were taken during the first 24 hours of puerperium, and their AF, homocysteine and MTHFR polymorphism were measured. The t Student test and the Exact Fisher test were used to compare between both groups., Results: The values obtained for homocysteine were (x + SD):, Cases: 9.85 micromoles/L + 2.88, and controls: 7.61 micromoles/L + 1.32 (p < 0.04). The frequency (%) of the genetic polymorphism for MTHFR was: positive homozygotes (T/T): 38.46 vs. 20, heterozygotes (C/T): 38.46 vs. 26.6, negative homozygotes (C/C): 23 vs 53, for cases and controls, respectively., Conclusions: According to our study, the frequency of the homozygote state (T/T) of MTHFR and increased blood levels of homocysteine is greater in women suffering from preeclampsia.

Objective: To assess health care access integrating the availability of resources, medical institution and the patient point of view., Setting: Nuevo León, México., Measurements and Main Results: A random sample of patients were interviewed about their perceptions on different barriers, which also were assessed for the institution utilizing the corresponding indicator. Availability of resources were also measured for every primary and secondary medical care unit of the greatest Mexican health care system in Nuevo León. It was observed a 70% access; 70% for primary care and 73% for secondary care. Availability of human resources was an important factor but barriers as observed by the institution were the most important (waiting time and traveling cost). Barriers were rated different by the institution and the patient., Conclusions: The combination of institutional barriers, patient barriers and resources for assessing health care access is discussed.

Objective: To determine nutritional risk factors in a population of patients with pulmonary tuberculosis (PT)., Material and Methods: During 1997, one-hundred and eighty-five patients with PT were chosen at random from two health institutions in Monterrey, Nuevo León, México. Variables analyzed were: anthropometric measures, socioeconomic status, utilization of the nutrition clinic, access to foodstuffs, adverse reactions to drugs, and disease attributable to malnutrition. Statistical analysis consisted of descriptive, bivariate, and multivariate logistic regression, in addition to prevalence ratios and 95% confidence intervals., Results: The mean age was 42.4 +/- 19.9 years. The mean body mass index was 19.8 +/- 3.2; 57% of patients presented malnutrition; 26% of them were referred to the nutrition clinic, 24.3% of whom actually attended it. Multivariate analysis showed that adverse reactions of tuberculosis drugs were risk factors for malnutrition, independent of age, gender, education, occupation, year of diagnosis and access to foodstuffs, disease attributable, and utilization of the nutrition clinic. (chi 2 = 10.58; p = 0.051, R2 = 0.42)., Conclusions: Nutritional risk in patients with pulmonary tuberculosis is both a patient and a health services issue. The high prevalence of malnutrition, the low utilization rate of nutritional services, and the effect of adverse reactions to therapeutic drugs, justify the need to focus attention on this particular group of patients.

Objective: To assess if work-related activities represented a threatening situation for nursing personnel through the correlation between the level of usual anxiety (trait-anxiety) and the level of anxiety present during working hours (state-anxiety). As well as, to determine state-anxiety risk factors., Material and Methods: The state-trait-anxiety inventory was administered to 285 nurses of a health care institution chosen at random., Results: The correlation coefficient was 0.53 (CI 95% = 0.43, 0.60, p = 0.001), after controlling for age, marital status, number of children, workload, service, category, level of care, years of service and personal relationships. Negative personal relationships and = 1 year of service influenced the level of anxiety present during working hours (beta = -0.21, beta = -0.24, p = 0.001, respectively)., Conclusions: Work-related activities represented a threatening situation and contributed to anxiety. It is necessary to recognize anxiety work-related risk factors for developing coping strategies and preventing well-being damage.

Partial and total maternal and child health care costs were estimated. The study was developed in a Primary Care Health Clinic (PCHC) and a General Hospital (GH) of a social security health care system. Maternal and child health care services, type of activity and frequency utilization during 1995, were defined; cost examination was done separately for the PCHC and the GH. Estimation of fixed cost included departmentalization, determination of inputs, costs, basic services disbursements, and weighing. These data were related to depreciation, labor period and productivity. Estimation of variable costs required the participation of field experts; costs corresponded to those registered in billing records. The fixed cost plus the variable cost determined the unit cost, which multiplied by the of frequency of utilization generated the prenatal care, labor and delivery care, and postnatal care cost. The sum of these three equaled the maternal and child health care cost. The prenatal care cost was $1,205.33, the labor and delivery care cost was $3,313.98, and the postnatal care was $559.91. The total cost of the maternal and child health care corresponded to $5,079.22. Cost information is valuable for the health care personnel for health care planning activities.

Objective: To determine the quality of the Early Cervical Cancer Detection Program in the state of Nuevo León., Material and Methods: A random selection of 4791 cytologic reports were analyzed, emitted by the State Ministry of Health, the University Hospital and the Mexican Institute for Social Security early cervical cancer detection modules. Pap tests of women with hysterectomy, current pregnancy, menopause or positive result were excluded. Quality was measured with previously defined standards. Analysis included, besides univariate statistics, tests of significance for proportions and means., Results: The quality of the program was fairly satisfactory at the level of the State. The quality of the sampling procedure was low; 39.9% of the tests contained endocervical cells. Quality of coverage was low; 15.6% were women 25+years with first time Pap test. Quality of opportunity was high; 8.5 +/- 7 weekdays between the date of the pap smear and the interpretation date., Conclusions: Strategies are needed to increase the impact of the state program, such as improving the sampling procedure and the coverage quality levels.

Objective: To estimate the unit cost of 15 causes of demand for primary care per health clinic in an institutional (social security) health care system, and to determine the average cost at the state level., Material and Methods: The cost of 80% of clinic visits was estimated in 35 of 40 clinics in the social security health care system in the state of Nuevo Leon, Mexico. The methodology for fixed costs consisted of: departmentalization, inputs, cost, weights and construction of matrices. Variable costs were estimated for standard patients by type of health care sought and with the consensus of experts; the sum of fixed and variable costs gave the unit cost. A computerized model was employed for data processing., Results: A large variation in unit cost was observed between health clinics studied for all causes of demand, in both metropolitan and non-metropolitan areas. Prenatal care ($92.26) and diarrhea ($93.76) were the least expensive while diabetes ($240.42) and hypertension ($312.54) were the most expensive. Non-metropolitan costs were higher than metropolitan costs (p < 0.05); controlling for number of physician's offices showed that this was determined by medical units with only one physician's office., Conclusions: Knowledge of unit costs is a tool that, when used by medical administrators, allows adequate health care planning and efficient allocation of health resources.