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

Objective: This study aimed at: 1) Assessment of the frequency of stroke and related mortality rate in patients hospitalized for COVID-19 in two major hospital referral centers in Peru; 2) Exploration of factors associated to mortality and dependency in these patients; 3) Comparisons of frequency of admissions of stroke patients and reperfusion treatments in similar periods of time prior to (2019) and during the pandemia occurrence. Material and Methods: A retrospective cohort study was conducted in two of the largest referral hospital centers for COVID-19 in Peru. The study included patient victims of stroke and COVID-19, hospitalized between April and August 2020. Demographic, clinical and laboratory data, radiological findings, and severity levels measured by the NIHSS scale were collected. Poisson regression models to evaluate associated factors to mortality and dependency were applied. Results: A 31% reduction of admissions for stroke, and of 81% of intravenous reperfusion treatment, respectively, were found in 2020 when compared with 2019. 1.37% of the patients with COVID-19 experienced a stroke, with an overall mortality rate of 40.6%, and a dependency rate of 68.3% at discharge time (Rankin > 2). An age increase of 10 years was found in mortality, associated with a 29% increase in mortality risk. As well, having hypertension, chronic kidney disease, inflammatory markers (D dimer and ferritin) and the severity of the stroke were associated with mortality. Finally, the severity of stroke, lymphopenia, and inflammatory markers (D dimer and fibrinogen) were associated with greater risk of dependency. Conclusions: The care system of stroke patients was affected by the COVID-19 pandemic in two of Perú’s major public hospitals. There was a decrease in admissions and reperfusion treatments of stroke cases, and 1.37% of patients with COVID-19 presented a stroke. Age, hypertension, chronic kidney disease, inflammatory markers and severity of stroke were associated with mortality in these patients.

During the severe acute respiratory syndrome due to the COVID-19 pandemic, dementia has been identified as disproportionately common in elderly people than 65 years who develop a serious viral infection. Data from the International Consortium on Severe and Emerging Acute Respiratory Infections confirmed a high prevalence of dementia in elderly people hospitalized. Dementia is likely to be associated with a variety of comorbidities, in particular, frailty, which can further exacerbate the risk of serious infection. In addition, up to a third of patients with COVID-19 have demonstrated cerebral/neurological sequelae with direct (brain infection, vascular effects) and indirect (host immune response, treatment impact) effects. It is possible that the infection may accentuate any pre-existing neurodegenerative disease. Several studies have described cognitive decline, depressed mood, anxiety, insomnia, and post-traumatic stress disorder in a proportion of patients after discharge. Therefore, chronic illnesses, such as dementia, can be associated with higher hospitalization and mortality rates, and may exacerbate the vulnerability of elderly people and the breakdown of their caregivers.

Objective: To adapt the Problem Internet Use Questionnaire (PIUQ) for its utilization in Peru. Material and Methods: The translation and cultural adaptation of the PIUQ followed a systematic process that involved direct translation, evaluation and judgment by expert committees and back-translation, culminating with the final approval by the scale creators. For each of the 18 items, a first group of experts assessed comprehensibility, acceptability, relevance and quality of the response set in the preliminary version; subsequently, a second group of experts, evaluated clarity, relevance and pertinence in the final version. Aiken’s V was calculated for each of the different features evaluated in the 18 items. Results: In the preliminary version, Aiken’s V had low values for the comprehensibility of items 1, 3, 4, 6 and 16, and for the response set of item 4. The analysis of the first expert committee led to modifications in items 1, 4 and 16 of the obsession dimension, 5 and 8 of neglect, and 15 of control disorder. The evaluation by the second expert committee resulted in adequate Aiken V values for all aspects of the 18 items. Conclusions: The final Peruvian version thus obtained proved to be aligned to the purposes of the original questionnaire, without altering the meaning of the items.

The role of excess and deficit of thyroid hormone in the pathogenesis of mood disorders has been recorded for almost two centuries. Thyroid pathologies, the most numerous among endocrine diseases, are causally associated with psychiatric pathology in a significant percentage of cases. Specifically, hyperthyroidism produces multiple psychopathological manifestations of anxious and depressive type, manic episodes and, infrequently, psychosis. Although the influence of the thyroid axis on the neural pathways of norepinephrine, dopamine, and serotonin plays a fundamental neurobiological role in these phenomena, there are still multiple underlying mechanisms to be elucidated. Given the need for a broad and comprehensive differential diagnosis between primary and secondary psychiatric pathologies, we report the case of a 52-year-old patient with psychotic depression in whom the late diagnosis of hyperthyroidism had painful and lethal consequences. Clinical and laboratory-based evaluations of thyroid function should be part of the psychiatric evaluation of any person with affective and anxiety disorders.

The objective of this review is to describe the psychometric characteristics of the Spanish versions of instruments for the detection of common mental disorders, on the basis of a systematic search carried out in PubMed and Google Scholar. The following instruments with pertinent psychometric information were identified: General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-12 and GHQ-28), Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS), Personal Health Scale (PHS), Self-Reporting Questionnaire (SRQ -20), Kessler Psychological Distress Scale (K-6 and K-10), Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ), Edinburgh Scale (EPDS), Dep5, Anx5 and Symptom Checklist (SCL-90 and SCL-90-R). The most studied instruments were GHQ and HADS. Most of the studies were carried out in Spain. In Peru, SRQ-20, PHS, K-6, K-10 and GHQ-28 were evaluated. The psychometric properties described include internal consistency, factorial structure, area under the Receiver Operating Characteristic curve (AUC), sensitivity, specificity and Youden index (J). J of the instruments were between 0.2389 and 0.767, and the AUC, between 0.758 and 0.933. This review could help to choose psychometric instruments in Spanish for studies and clinical practice, as well as to systematically identify research needs about this topic.  

The case report of a male patient admitted to the emergency hospital with the diagnosis of Miller Fisher syndrome (MF), is presented. MFS is characterized by the presence of a triad of signs: ophthalmoparesis, areflexia and ataxia, and may present other less frequent signs such as speech and swallowing disorders. On the basis of findings during the speech therapy evaluation it was possible to identify severe oropharyngeal dysphagia, vocal hypernasality and other speech disorders. The patient presented a good evolution following an integrated multi-professional treatment program, including speech-language therapy.

Epilepsy is a condition that frequently coexists with significant morbi-mortality levels, seriously affects the quality of life and, in up to one third of patients, is refractory to a variety of treatment approaches. Artificial intelligence (AI) has largely benefitted the study, treatment, and prognosis of patients with epilepsy through the course of recent years. These achievements applied the fields of diagnosis, automated seizure prediction, advanced seizure monitoring and electroencephalogram, use of genetics in diagnosis and management, imaging algorithms in the treatment, neuromodulation, and robotic surgery. This review conveys the actual and future directions of AI. a branch of science that has shown promising results in the treatment and diagnosis of patients with epilepsy.

The approach to intoxicated patients with a previous history of psychopathological manifestations represents a challenge to medical care. The presence of a dual pathology can lead to somatic symptoms being dismissed and not considered as possible manifestations of a serious underlying pathology. We report the case of a patient who, during her hospitalization for a depressive episode, presented an incidental opioid overdose. Upon recovery, she presented disorganized behavior and delusions, initially attributed to her depression. Further studies demonstrated, however, a serious underlying organic cause: A bilateral ischaemic injury of the globus pallidus. The clinical picture is analyzed in the light of the relevant literature, addressing the issues of delirium, clinical spectrum of globus pallidus lesions and ending with a brief description of opioid overdoses and neurotoxicity. Faced with symptoms that are not consistent with the usual course of a psychopathological decompensation or drug intoxication, possible organic causes should be delved into. It is suggested that neuroimaging studies be considered in any patient who suffers from an opioid overdose and who later presents severe cognitive alterations.

Among the so-called delusional disorders, the erotomanic subtype is characterized by, the delusional belief that a person, usually of higher social and intellectual status, is in love with the patient. The case of a young man whose clinical picture consists in his romantic relationship with an Argentinian singer who fell in love with him through the screen and communicates by telepathic connections, is presented. Erotomanic delirium is an uncommon and poorly documented pathology, particularly in mental health areas of general hospitals. It is important to remain awareness of cases like this in order to provide reliable information and make it possible a timely diagnosis and treatment.