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Under 18 months, the median age of HIV-infected children (n = 136) was 4.0 months (range, 3 d -18 mo ) and the median age of the uninfected children (n = 501) was 1.0 month (range, 3 d -18 mo ). HIV-infected children were more likely to have had injections, chloroquine, and nystatin, and to have attended a health center or hospital (p <.001). In the HIV-infected group, the Z score for weight-for-age was -1.75, length-for-age -0.78, and weight-for-length 1.86, significantly lower scores than those of the uninfected group, which were -0.60, -0.23, and 3.05, respectively (p <.05). The mean head circumference was below the third percentile in 40% of HIV-infected compared with 22% of uninfected children (p <.001). Overall, 56 (8%) children had marasmus, 6 (0.8%) kwashiorkor, and 3 (0.4%) marasmic kwashiorkor. Sixteen percent of the HIV-infected and 7% of uninfected children had marasmus (p <.05). The 1989 revised World Health Organization clinical criteria for diagnosis of AIDS had sensitivity, specificity, and positive predictive values of 28%, 98%, and 93%, respectively. Older than 18 months (n = 109), the median age was 24 months (range, 18-60 mo ). The following were significantly more common in HIV-infected children older than 18 months than in those younger than 18 months: bacille Calmette-Guérin vaccination scar, parotid enlargement, nonspecific generalized dermatitis, and chronic diarrhea ( p <.001). Oral candidiasis was more common in the group younger than 18 months (p <.001). In infants examined in the hospital for infective conditions, oropharyngeal candidiasis, ear discharge, dermatologic disorders, generalized lymphadenopathy, lobar consolidation, hepatosplenomegaly, and failure to thrive, especially marasmus, were important indicators of HIV infection.

Institución donde se llevó a cabo el estudio: Universidad Tecnológica de Pereira Introducción. Los inhibidores del factor de necrosis tumoral alfa han presentado un consumo creciente y generan una importante carga económica para los sistemas de salud. Objetivo. Determinar los patrones de prescripción de inhibidores del factor de necrosis tumoral en una población de personas afiliadas al Sistema General de Seguridad Social en Salud de Colombia. Materiales y métodos. Se trata de un estudio descriptivo observacional, de 316 pacientes que recibieron inhibidores del factor de necrosis tumoral, entre enero de 2008 y junio de 2009. Se consideraron las indicaciones, criterios de inclusión, tiempo de evolución de enfermedad, enfermedades concomitantes y reacciones adversas. Se utilizaron las pruebas t de Student y de ji al cuadrado, para la comparación de variables cuantitativas y categóricas respectivamente; se hizo un análisis multivariado. Resultados. La edad promedio fue de 44,6±13,9 años; 63,9 % de los participantes fueron mujeres. El 17,1 % de los pacientes recibía monoterapia. El orden de prescripción de los medicamentos fue: adalimumab (37,3 %), infliximab (37,3 %) y etanercept (25,4 %), todos a dosis diarias definidas adecuadas. La medicación concomitante más frecuente fue: antirreumáticos modificadores de enfermedad (82,9 %), AINE (29,1 %), omeprazol (22,5 %), antihipertensivos (21,2 %) y ácido fólico (19,9 %). El 10,4 % de los pacientes tenía registro de alguna reacción adversa a los medicamentos. El costo promedio del tratamiento por paciente y año, fue de $23.464 dólares. Conclusiones. Los anti-TNF se emplearon a las dosis recomendadas, principalmente en artritis reumatoide y en combinación con otros antirreumáticos. El costo directo del tratamiento se consideró elevado para el sistema sanitario del país.Palabras clave: agentes antirreumáticos, factor de necrosis tumoral alfa, artritis reumatoide, artritis reumatoide juvenil, espondilitis anquilosante, psoriasis, Colombia. Profile of use of anti tumor necrosis factor in Colombian patientsIntroduction. Tumor necrosis factor-alpha antagonists (anti-TNFa) have shown an increasing consumption and generate a significant economic burden on health systems. Objectives. The prescribing patterns of tumor necrosis factor-alpha antagonists were determined in a patient population associated with the Sistema General de Seguridad Social en Salud in Colombia. Materials and methods. A descriptive observational study was conducted in 316 patients with respect to use of tumor necrosis factor-alpha antagonists during a treatment period from January 2008 to June 2009. The database examined contained indications of use, inclusion criteria to medication, duration of illness, co-morbidities and adverse reactions. The data were retrieved from the clinical histories. Student´s t test was used for the comparison of quantitative variables, and the chi-square test was used to establish associations between categorical variables and multivariate analysis were used. Results. Mean age was ...

Dyslipidemia is a primary risk factor for developing coronary heart disease and stroke, frequent causes of morbidity and mortality in Colombia and the world. All of the antilipidemics are being used at lower-than-recommended dosage levels. Clearly there is a need for creating educational strategies to address these prescribing habits and for exploring clinical results of the pharmaceuticals studied.