Sistema Regional de Información
en línea para Revistas Científicas de América Latina,
el Caribe, España y Portugal

Objective: To determine the prevalence of the main mental disorders in health workers and the general population, in the context of the coronavirus 19 (COVID-19) pandemic. Material and Methods: The article follows the norms of the PRISM Guide for systematic revisions. A bibliographical search was made in Pub Med /MEDLINE from March 2020 until the 24 of March of 2021, the search strategies being duly evaluated by means of the Cochrane Manual of systematic reviews; similarly, the Mendeley program was used to qualify bibliographical references and eliminate duplicated articles. Results: Twenty-two studies were included in the analysis with a total average of 24 593 participants. In the general population, anxiety had a prevalence of 36.4%; depression, 26.6%; stress, 44.2% and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), 5.9%. Women presented more frequently symptoms of anxiety and depression, whereas the majority of men manifested symptoms of stress. Among the health professionals, stress and sleep disturbances were the main problems, both with a prevalence of 43%. Conclusion: The mental health of frontline health professionals and workers, as well as the general population’s is seriously compromised in the COVID-19 pandemic, with anxiety, depression, stress, insomnia and PTSD as the most prevalent conditions.

Elderly people are at a higher risk of developing epilepsy. With a progressive increase in life expectancy, this is the fastest growing group of epilepsy patients. Their treatment is complicated by the presence of physiological changes related to aging, comorbidities, concomitant cognitive problems, complex drug interactions, and difficulties in the adherence to medication regimes. Seizures can be controlled in elderly people patients with low doses of a single epileptic seizure drug. Tolerability is an important factor in drug selection, as elderly people patients tend to be very sensitive to side effects. Enzyme-inducing anti-seizure drugs should gradually be left out of the therapeutic arsenal in favor of new anti-seizure drugs that have shown similar efficacy and better tolerability. Levetiracetam and lamotrigine are the most recommended anti-seizure drugs for elderly people with epilepsy nowadays. Although it could be easily controlled, it is recommended that elderly people continue their treatment indefinitely, due to the recurrent seizures’ proclivity. More studies are needed to address the pathophysiological mechanisms of epilepsy in this age group, and greater inclusion of elderly people in clinical trials is needed, as is the development of comprehensive care models to provide optimal patient care.

Behavioral medicine is an interdisciplinary field that involves behavioral and biomedical sciences towards the study of behavior, with the aim of preventing and treating physical illnesses and improve the human being’s health levels. The manuscript examines the evolution of the concepts of health and disease throughout the last century is indicated in principle. In this process, the events that contributed to the emergence of behavioral medicine and those that happened during its first years of consolidation, are mentioned. Its current development, substantiated in evidence- based physical and digital environments, and the interest in and relevance of how to translate this evidence in the formulation of public health policies, are also explained. The purpose of this review is to extend the principles and practice of behavioral medicine in the Spanish-speaking community, exposing the relevance of this discipline in the public health field.

Patients with eating disorder (ED) are a vulnerable population in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. Some studies describe its negative effect on ED patients and their caregivers. This article presents a narrative review of the impact of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic on these patients. Depressive and anxious symptoms, risk of self-harm and suicide are identified. Early intervention and management of patients with ED is a great challenge to the continuity of treatment, detection of comorbidities and relapse prevention.

Objective: To evaluate the relationship between each symptom of premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD) and the levels of postpartum depression (PPD). Methods: A secondary analysis of a database of 321 women evaluated cross- sectionally in the first postpartum year was conducted, determining the presence of PMDD symptoms according to the DSM-IV criteria, and the levels of PPD, using the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS). A bivariate analysis determined the variables significantly related to the EPDS scores, while a multivariate analysis helped to configure the best predictive model. Results: According to the bivariate analysis, headache (coefficient=3,26; p=0,002) and feeling overwhelmed (coefficient=4,95; p=0,003) are associated with higher scores in the EPDS, even more so than PMDD (coefficient=2,52; p<0,001) as a single variable. Other associated variables were history ofdepression (coefficient=2,42; p<0,001), having a partner (coefficient=1,54; p=0,041) and abortion (coefficient=1,44; p=0,034). The multivariate model that best predicts EPDS scores includes feeling overwhelmed, headache, history of major depression, having a partner, history of abortion and age. Conclusions: The above findings are significantly related to EPDS scores, which could be used to design screening scales for pregnant women, also taking into account other risk factors, such as age and past history of depression and abortion.

Radiation therapy-induced high-degree gliomas (RIGs) are a rare complication with an ominous prognosis. Little is known about the underlying biology of RIGs, although some studies have suggested that there are no unique histologic or cytogenetic features to distinguish them from de novo glioblastomas. Two cases that meet the criteria to be considered RIG are reported, and pertinent pieces of literature are discussed. Two patients under 10 years of age, neither of whom had relevant genetic or clinical history, were diagnosed with primary cerebral gliomas at the National Institute of Neoplastic Diseases in Lima and, after radiation therapy cycles, developed high-degree secondary gliomas, confirmed in both patients by a histopathologic analysis. This report emphasizes the need to identify risk factors, molecular mechanisms of tumor development after radiotherapy, and probable therapeutic targets.

Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a psychiatric condition that occurs in response to traumatic events and can significantly affect the patient’s functional capacities. The Peruvian highlands is a region whose population has been exposed to highly stressful events; however, there is limited information on the factors associated with PTSD in the region. Objective: To determine sociodemographic and clinical factors (comorbidity and functionality) associated with PTSD. Material and methods: A secondary study was conducted using the adult database of the Epidemiological Study of Mental Health in the Peruvian Highlands - 2017. Instruments: Mini International Neuropsychiatric Interview (MINI) Spanish version ICD-10, Mental Health Questionnaire of Colombia, Disability Scale, and an intake form with demographic data and poverty indicators. Results: Significant associations were found between PTSD and groups of married people and those who had no school education. Depressive episode was the most frequent comorbidity. The main stressors were political violence and serious accidents. Likewise, there was an association of PTSD with suicidal thinking and difficulties in planning, organizing and executing a variety of activities. Conclusions: PTSD was associated with some sociodemographic factors, traumatic events and clinical disorders. Intervention programs should be aimed at providing immediate care to people exposed to traumatic events and at reducing the presence and impact of such stressors in the Andean region.

The neurological and psychiatric manifestations in two patients who met clinical criteria of Behcet’s disease are observed and described throughout several decades. The presence of recurrent oral and genital canker sores is illustrated with images. One of the patients developed thrombosis of the femoral vein, and erythema nodosus was present in both. The ophthalmological evaluation showed absence of uveitis in both patients, and blindness by adult monocular dystrophic maculopathy without signs of retinal vasculitis in the female. Laboratory tests on blood and cerebrospinal fluid evidenced lymphocytic pleocytosis. The patergia skin test was negative. Likewise, laboratory tests determined an absence of findings compatible with other autoimmune diseases. Throughout the evaluation period, the clinical manifestations were correlated with the findings from tomography and brain magnetic resonance magnetic. Similarly, recurrent myelitis and its correlation with the results of medular magnetic resonance imaging are explained. The evaluation and follow-up period through outpatient consultation and hospitalization was prolonged: the 73-year-old male patient, who started the disease at age 35, was followed-up for 34 years; and the 50-year-old female patient, fell ill at the age of 28 and was followed-up for 8 years. This process allowed the understanding of the different morbid factors that influenced the serious evolution of the clinical picture.

Status Epilepticus (SE) in children exhibits high levels of morbidity and mortality and has been poorly studied in Perú. Objective: To describe the frequency and clinical characteristics of children with Status Epilepticus treated at Cayetano Heredia Hospital in Lima. Material and Methods: Retrospective and observational study, case series type, in children under 14 years of age, with Status Epilepticus treated between January and December of 2021. Results: SE was recorded in 28.8% of children with epileptic seizures seen during 2021. Twenty-three children presenting 46 SEs were included. The median age was 2 years, the majority (73,9%) being males, with diagnosis of epilepsy or brain malformation (21.7%) and treated in the pediatric emergency (91%). The predominant semiological pattern was of generalized motor type (52.2%), with remote symptomatic etiology (73.9%), and EEG recorded in a 63% of all cases, mainly reported as normal (75,9%). The median duration was 22 minutes of total resolution, 7 minutes, and of partial resolution, 2 minutes. Midazolam was used as the first line of treatment (78%), and phenytoin as the second line (85%). Conclusions: SE was a frequent condition observed in children throughout the year 2021. Most affected children were male, the predominant etiology was remote symptomatic, and the most common semiological type was the generalized motor. The children were treated according to international management guidelines. A systematic epidemiological surveillance approach is highly encouraged.