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H Knobel

Publications and source records attributed to H Knobel.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1998

[Screening for bone disease risk with clinical factors in women after physiologic menopause].

BACKGROUND: Densitometric screening for osteoporosis in postmenopausal women has not been demonstrated cost-effective. We have tried to identify clinical factors for screening previous to densitometry avoiding unnecessary explorations. PATIENTS AND METHODS SETTING: outpatient clinics of a menopausal unit in a 450-bed general hospital. Cross-sectional study, in two steps, of two groups of 140 and 284 women attending for physiological menopause. A clinical questionnaire, physical data and lumbar densitometry (Hologic QDR 1000) were obtained classifying the cases as "normal" or "low bone mass" (osteopenia or osteoporosis) according with the WHO criteria. In the first group a logistic regression analysis was done to identify predictive factors for abnormal densitometry, then validated in the second group. Sensitivity, specificity, predictive values (PV) and classification ability of clinical factors were analyzed. RESULTS: Four factors were independent predictors of abnormal densitometry: age > 51 (odds ratio [OR] = 6.64; 95% CI, 2.36-18.7); body weight < 70 kg (OR = 4.32; 95% CI, 1.71-10.09); years of fertility < 32 (OR = 3.77; 95% CI, 1.36-10.04), and number of live births > 2 (OR = 3.47; 95% CI, 1.27-9.53). Presence of one factor offers: sensitivity 91.9%; specificity 15%; positive PV 66.6%, and negative PV 50%, whereas the presence of two factors offers: sensitivity 62.7%; specificity 70%; positive PV 79.9%, and negative PV 50.3%. Clinical screening allows, when two factors are present, to avoid a 35.5% of densitometries and the false-negative cases represent 18%. CONCLUSIONS: Detection of bone-risk clinical factors (abnormal densitometry) yields a screening, previous to densitometry, that avoids at least one third of explorations in women with physiological menopause, improving the efficiency of the test.

Cross-Sectional Studies↗
PubMed1997

[Acceptance of, compliance with and tolerance to antiretroviral treatment in patients with human immunodeficiency virus infection].

BACKGROUND: The objective of the study is to assess the acceptance, compliance and side effects of antiretroviral therapy in relation to age, gender, risk group, HIV infection stage and type of treatment. METHODS: This is a cohort-observational study. Inclusion criteria were: consecutive non-selected IIV patients in which antiretroviral treatment was indicated on medical grounds. The study was carried out from February 1990 to February 1996. We measured: a) poor compliance, when suspicion (by medical history, analytical data and administered drug control by the hospital pharmacy) more than a 25% of prescribed treatment was not taken; b) adverse events that obliged to discontinued the drug; and c) long-term therapy, when treatment acceptance and compliance and regular follow-up was stated. Statistics methods: Ji-square and Student's t- test. RESULTS: 567 patients were included, with a median follow up of 609 days. Male 413, female 154. Mean age: 32.9 years. Average CD4+ cells: 0.260 x 10(9)/L. There was a history of intravenous drug use (IDU) in 60.4% of cases and CDC classification group C (1993) 34.2%. Antiretroviral treatment was refused by 16.6% of patients, more frequently IDU patients (21.3%, p < 0.0001). There was a drop-out rate of 17.3%, with no differences among different groups. Poor compliance was found in 23% of cases, more frequently in IDU and group-C patients. Adverse events were observed in 22.6% of cases, more frequently in female (33.8%, p < 0.0004) and group C patients (28.6%, p < 0.04). The treatments used (AZT monotherapy, DDI monotherapy, AZT DDI and AZT + DDC) had no influence on compliance or follow-up. Long-term follow-up and compliance was achieved in 47.6% of patients, with a lesser degree in IDU (42.4%, p < 0.002) and group C patients (39.7%, p < 0.006). CONCLUSIONS: HIV-infected patients treated with antiretroviral agents, not enrolled in clinical trials, had similar rates of compliance that patients with other chronic diseases. Treatment refusal and poor compliance were more frequent in IDU patients, while adverse events were more frequent in patients with more advanced HIV infection stage.

Adult↗
PubMed1996

[Clostridium difficile and diarrhea associated with the use of antibiotics in the origin of nosocomial and community-acquired diarrhea].

BACKGROUND: Clostridium difficile is currently recognized as an important nosocomial enteric pathogen. The significance as etiologic agent of community and nosocomial diarrhea is not well known in Spain. METHODS: Retrospective study of all cases of community diarrhea that required admission in the hospital and all nosocomial diarrhea observed in a period of three months in a 450-bed university hospital. We performed conventional coprocultives and detection of toxin-A of C. difficile with the method ELISA Premier. RESULTS: During the period of study were included 66 patients, 19 pediatrics and 47 adults patients (23 males, 24 females, age: 54.5 +/- 21.8 years). Three cases (15.8%) of pediatrics patients were diagnosticated of antibiotic-associated diarrhea, only one case were of nosocomial origin. Toxin A of C. difficile were detected in 6 cases, all were patients under two years old, represented 60% of these patients. The origin of diarrhea were: community in 32 cases and nosocomial in 15 of adults patients, in 18 cases (38.3%) were diagnosticated antibiotic-associated diarrhea, 11 were nosocomial. Toxin A of C. difficile were detected in 12 patients, 25.5% of adults, and 4 cases had criteria of C. difficile associated diarrhea, representing 8.5% of the diarrhea. None of this cases were suspected during admission. CONCLUSIONS: Antibiotic-associated diarrhea and C. difficile associated diarrhea were not infrequent cause of diarrhea of nosocomial and of community origin in our environment. We recommended culture and/or detection of toxins of C. difficile in patients who were treated with antibiotics and diarrhea of more than 72 hours of evolution.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1996

[Fever of unknown origin in patients with human immunodeficiency virus infection. Study of 100 cases].

BACKGROUND: Fever of unknown origin (FUO) has been insufficiently studied in patients infected with HIV. The aim of this study was to determine the incidence, mean hospital stay, etiology, diagnostic methods and clinical course in patients infected with HIV and FUO. METHODS: Descriptive prospective study of patients infected with HIV and with FUO for a period of 24 months (February 1993-February 1995). Out of a total of 1,202 admissions, 100 were prompted by FUO in 95 patients (61 males, 34 women). Sixty-six per cent were parenteral drug abusers or had been so and the mean T CD4+ lymphocyte count was 0.061 x 10(9)/1 +/- 0.075 x 10(9)/1. RESULTS: The incidence of FUO was 8.3 every 100 patients/year. The mean hospital stay was 31.3 +/- 17.8 days, compared with an overall mean stay for HIV-positive patients of 14.6 +/- 8 days (p < 0.001). An etiologic diagnosis was achieved in 90% of cases. Pulmonary or extrapulmonary tuberculosis accounted for approximately 50% of cases, whereas non tuberculous mycobacteria (MAI and M. kansasii) for 20%. The other etiologies (CMV, visceral leishmaniasis, PCP, toxoplasmosis, cryptococcosis, lymphoma) accounted each for less than 5% of diagnoses. In 14 occasions there were two concomitant diagnoses. Mortality rate was 22%, which was higher when two simultaneous diagnosis were present [RR: 3.17 (1.5-6.6)]. In 45% of fatal cases one of the diagnoses went undiagnosed premortem. The highest diagnostic yield was obtained with sputum culture (34.2% of diagnosis) and blood culture (21.5%). CONCLUSIONS: FUO in common in patients infected with HIV, with important health resources consumption associated. The obtention of diagnosis was possible in a high percentage of patients. It is associated with a high hospital mortality rate. The most common diagnoses were tuberculosis and infections by other mycobacteria. It is possible to obtain the diagnosis with non-invasive procedures in 75% of cases.

Female↗
PubMed1996

[Efficiency of bone marrow aspirate for diagnosis of opportunistic infections in HIV infected patients].

AIDS is the first cause of opportunistic infections. The objective of the present study was the evaluation of the efficiency of bone marrow aspirate (BMA) for diagnosis of opportunistic infections in HIV infected patients with prolonged fever. Charts from 92 patients with BMA from 1992 to 1994 were reviewed. Diagnosis was achieved in 14.1% of cases. Diagnosis cannot be made by other methods in six leishmaniasis and in two disseminated tuberculosis. The sensibility was of 33.3% for mycobacterial infections, the sensibility of hemoculture was of 50%. The hemoglobin level was lower for patients with diagnostic BMA than for patients with not diagnostic BMA (77 g/l vs 97 g/l, p < 0.0004). The WBC counts was not different in both groups of patients, and platelets counts was greater in patients with BMA diagnostic (165 x 10(9)/l vs 102 x 10(9)/l, p < 0.001). In the patients with hemoglobin lower than 100 g/l the diagnostic efficiency was 18.6% (11 of 59 cases). The BMA was unprofitable in HIV infected patients with prolonged fever without hemocytopenias. Profitability increase in patients with hemoglobin lower than 100 g/l. The BMA in useful for leishmania identification. The hemoculture has greater sensitivity than BMA for the diagnosis of mycobacterial disseminated infection.

AIDS-Related Opportunistic Infections↗
PubMed1995

[Clinico-radiologic characteristics of 8 cases of brain tuberculoma].

Several problems are presented in differential diagnosis between cerebral tuberculomas and other brain lesions. Eight cases of cerebral tuberculomas diagnosed in our hospital between 1962 and 1992 were studied. Data about age, sex, HIV antibodies, clinical manifestation, tomographic images, non cerebral locations, diagnostic method, evolution and treatment resolution were collected. Eight cases were diagnosed, seven men and one woman, age 40.75 +/- 10 HIV antibodies in three patients were positive. Meningitis (4 cases) and weight loss (4 cases) were the first clinical features. Confusional state, fever and seizures were presented in three cases one (37.5%), ataxia in two cases (25%) and headache in one (12.5%). Lesions were sole in 62.5% of cases, and several in 37.5%. Were high density in 25.9% and low density in 75%. All patients presented a other localization of tuberculosis. Mycobacterium tuberculosis was isolated in sputum in 75% of cases. After six month, most of the lesions improved.

Adult↗