São Paulo medical journal = Revista paulista de medicina
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The rapid growth of the elderly population in Brazil has implied a significant rise in the number of individuals with dementia. The real prevalence of this disease needs to be ascertained in order to establish appropriate measures for improving the quality of life of those affected. The aim of this study was to estimate the prevalence of dementia among elderly Brazilians (≥ 60 years) through a systematic review of high-quality, population-based, double-blind studies published between 1990 and 2010. ⋯ The findings from this review did not reflect the reality of the whole country. Although the results brought some information on the prevalence and distribution of dementia in Brazil, cross-sectional studies with consistent methodology are needed.
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The ideal site for lactate collection has not been clearly established. This study aimed to evaluate associations between lactate levels in arterial blood (Lart), peripheral venous blood (Lper) and central venous blood (Lcen) in patients with severe sepsis or septic shock. ⋯ Lcen, and not Lper, can replace Lart with good correlation and clinical agreement. Lper tends to overestimate Lart, thus leading to unnecessary therapeutic interventions.
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Poison control centers play an essential role in caring for poisoned patients, albeit without secure funding for their activities. The aim here was to investigate differences in length of hospital stay among poisoned patients, between those who received remote assistance from a poison control center and those who did not. ⋯ Patients with remote assistance from a poison control center had a shorter length of stay then patients without this aid. The poison control center may have reduced the length of stay of the poisoned patients.
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Farmácia Dose Certa is a program available in the State of São Paulo that is a national reference for providing drugs free of charge to the population. Elderly people receiving care deserve special attention regarding drugs that are appropriate for their age group. The objective was to assess the drugs in the program considered to be inappropriate for the elderly. ⋯ The list of drugs available within the Farmácia Dose Certa program may be considered appropriate for the general population, but not completely for the elderly population. Adjusting this list to the pharmacological aspects of aging will reduce the risks of drug interactions, falls, mental confusion and excessive sedation that result from drugs that are considered inappropriate for consumption by elderly people.
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Early detection of reduced insulin sensitivity (IS) and insulin resistance (IR) is desirable. The aim here was to evaluate correlations of anthropometric indicators for identifying IR or IS and determine the cutoff points of the most effective indicators. ⋯ The most promising indicators for showing IS among the NFPG individuals were BMI, WHtR and WC. Among the overweight women, WHtR demonstrated greater correlation with IR.