Publications by authors named "Fonseca-Aizpuru E"
: In susceptible hosts, SARS-CoV2-induced hyperinflammation accounts for an increased mortality. The search of adjuvant immunomodulatory therapies has been ongoing ever since the pandemic outbreak. Aim: Our purpose was to evaluate the efficacy of cyclosporin A (CsA) as an add-on therapy to the standard of care (SoC) in patients with severe COVID-19 pneumonia.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPurpose: To investigate the phenotype of sarcoidosis according to the time when a malignancy is diagnosed (preexisting to the diagnosis of sarcoidosis, concomitant, or sequential) and to identify prognostic factors associated with malignancies in a large cohort of patients with sarcoidosis.
Methods: We searched for malignancies in the SARCOGEAS cohort, a multicenter nationwide database of consecutive patients diagnosed with sarcoidosis according to the ATS/ESC/WASOG criteria. Solid malignancies were classified using the International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems 10th Revision (ICD-10) nomenclature, and hematological malignancies using the 2016 WHO classification.
Prognostic Value of D-dimer to Lymphocyte Ratio (DLR) in Hospitalized Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) Patients: A Validation Study in a National Cohort.
Viruses
February 2024
Background: This study aimed to validate the role of the D-dimer to lymphocyte ratio (DLR) for mortality prediction in a large national cohort of hospitalized coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) patients.
Methods: A retrospective, multicenter, observational study that included hospitalized patients due to SARS-CoV-2 infection in Spain was conducted from March 2020 to March 2022. All biomarkers and laboratory indices analyzed were measured once at admission.
Article Synopsis
- - The study investigates how environmental factors, specifically climate-related natural hazards, may affect the diagnosis and symptoms of Sjögren's syndrome across different countries, examining aspects like epidemiological profiles and sicca symptoms.
- - Researchers analyzed data from 16,042 patients in 23 countries, determining that those in countries severely impacted by climate hazards (like extreme precipitation and flooding) were often diagnosed with Sjögren's syndrome earlier and exhibited varying symptom frequencies.
- - Findings revealed statistically significant patterns, indicating lower occurrences of dry eyes and mouth in patients from countries facing specific climate threats, while showing that increased climate-related risks correlated with higher disease activity scores (ESSDAI).
Objectives: To analyse how the potential exposure to air pollutants can influence the key components at the time of diagnosis of Sjögren's phenotype (epidemiological profile, sicca symptoms, and systemic disease).
Methods: For the present study, the following variables were selected for harmonization and refinement: age, sex, country, fulfilment of 2002/2016 criteria items, dry eyes, dry mouth, and overall ESSDAI score. Air pollution indexes per country were defined according to the OECD (1990-2021), including emission data of nitrogen and sulphur oxides (NO/SO), particulate matter (PM2.
Article Synopsis
- - The study investigates the relationship between COVID-19 and heart failure (HF), focusing on identifying risk factors for HF among hospitalized COVID-19 patients in Spain.
- - A total of 16,474 patients were analyzed, with 5.8% developing HF; significant risk factors included older age, atrial fibrillation, obesity, and peripheral vascular disease.
- - Patients who developed HF had notably higher mortality rates, increased need for intubation, and higher ICU admission rates compared to those who did not develop HF.
Background: What baseline predictors would be involved in mortality in people with primary Sjögren syndrome (SjS) remains uncertain. This study aimed to investigate the baseline characteristics collected at the time of diagnosis of SjS associated with mortality and to identify mortality risk factors for all-cause death and deaths related to systemic SjS activity measured by the ESSDAI score.
Methods: In this international, real-world, retrospective, cohort study, we retrospectively collected data from 27 countries on mortality and causes of death from the Big Data Sjögren Registry.
Article Synopsis
- Researchers developed a machine learning model using Gradient Boosting Decision Trees (GBDT) to predict mortality in COVID-19 hospitalized patients, utilizing data from the Spanish SEMI-COVID-19 registry which included over 24,000 cases.
- The model employed advanced classifiers like CatBoost and BorutaShap to identify key indicators and risk levels for mortality, achieving a notable AUC performance of 84.76 in a test group likely containing vaccinated individuals.
- The study highlights the model's high predictive capacity despite needing a significant number of predictors, indicating its potential utility in clinical settings for managing COVID-19 patient care.
Importance: COVID-19 pneumonia is often associated with hyperinflammation. The efficacy and safety of anakinra in treating patients with severe COVID-19 pneumonia and hyperinflammation are still unclear.
Objective: To assess the efficacy and safety of anakinra vs standard of care alone for patients with severe COVID-19 pneumonia and hyperinflammation.
Background: Cardiac amyloidosis (CA) could be a common cause of heart failure (HF). The objective of the study was to estimate the prevalence of CA in patients with HF.
Methods: Observational, prospective, and multicenter study involving 30 Spanish hospitals.
Introduction: Thyroid eye disease (TED) is a complex and incompletely understood rare autoimmune disorder.
Objectives: To analyze the experience and the outcomes obtained with the use of intravenous tocilizumab in the treatment of TED.
Methods: A retrospective analysis of adult patients diagnosed with active TED resistant to intravenous corticosteroids treated in a tertiary hospital between May 2012 and May 2021.
Article Synopsis
- Some COVID-19 patients with pneumonia experience a cytokine storm that worsens their condition, potentially benefiting from anti-inflammatory treatments like colchicine.
- A trial involving 240 hospitalized patients tested the effectiveness of colchicine compared to standard care in reducing serious outcomes (like mechanical ventilation and death).
- The results showed no significant difference in outcomes between those treated with colchicine and the control group, indicating that colchicine did not offer any additional clinical benefits.
(1) Background: This work aims to analyze clinical outcomes according to ethnic groups in patients hospitalized for COVID-19 in Spain. (2) Methods: This nationwide, retrospective, multicenter, observational study analyzed hospitalized patients with confirmed COVID-19 in 150 Spanish hospitals (SEMI-COVID-19 Registry) from 1 March 2020 to 31 December 2021. Clinical outcomes were assessed according to ethnicity (Latin Americans, Sub-Saharan Africans, Asians, North Africans, Europeans).
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: The WHO ordinal severity scale has been used to predict mortality and guide trials in COVID-19. However, it has its limitations.
Objective: The present study aims to compare three classificatory and predictive models: the WHO ordinal severity scale, the model based on inflammation grades, and the hybrid model.
Objective: To describe the impact of different doses of corticosteroids on the evolution of patients with COVID-19 pneumonia, based on the potential benefit of the non-genomic mechanism of these drugs at higher doses.
Methods: Observational study using data collected from the SEMI-COVID-19 Registry. We evaluated the epidemiological, radiological and analytical scenario between patients treated with megadoses therapy of corticosteroids vs low-dose of corticosteroids and the development of complications.
Article Synopsis
- The study aims to analyze how the age at diagnosis affects the symptoms and characteristics of primary Sjögren's syndrome (pSS), specifically looking at sicca symptoms, diagnostic tests, immunological markers, and systemic disease.
- Researchers evaluated data from over 12,000 patients across 25 countries, grouping them based on the age they were diagnosed, to determine patterns in disease expression.
- Findings revealed an increase in the frequency of oral dryness with age at diagnosis, along with a decrease in levels of autoantibodies and immunological markers, indicating that older patients tend to exhibit more severe symptoms and altered disease characteristics.
Background: This work aims to identify and validate a risk scale for admission to intensive care units (ICU) in hospitalized patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).
Methods: We created a derivation rule and a validation rule for ICU admission using data from a national registry of a cohort of patients with confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection who were admitted between March and August 2020 (N = 16,298). We analyzed the available demographic, clinical, radiological, and laboratory variables recorded at hospital admission.
Background: This work aims to identify and validate a risk scale for admission to intensive care units (ICU) in hospitalized patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).
Methods: We created a derivation rule and a validation rule for ICU admission using data from a national registry of a cohort of patients with confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection who were admitted between March and August 2020 (n = 16,298). We analyzed the available demographic, clinical, radiological, and laboratory variables recorded at hospital admission.
Objective: To analyze whether immune-mediated diseases (IMDs) occurs in sarcoidosis more commonly than expected in the general population, and how concomitant IMDs influence the clinical presentation of the disease.
Methods: We searched for coexisting IMDs in patients included in the SARCOGEAS-cohort, a multicenter nationwide database of consecutive patients diagnosed according to the ATS/ESC/WASOG criteria. Comparisons were made considering the presence or absence of IMD clustering, and odds ratios (OR) and their 95% confidence intervals (CI) were calculated as the ratio of observed cases of every IMD in the sarcoidosis cohort to the observed cases in the general population.
Background: Spain has been one of the countries most affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Objective: To create a registry of patients with COVID-19 hospitalized in Spain, in order to improve our knowledge of the clinical, diagnostic, therapeutic, and prognostic aspects of this disease.
Methods: A multicentre retrospective cohort study, including consecutive patients hospitalized with confirmed COVID-19 throughout Spain.
There is some evidence that male gender could have a negative impact on the prognosis and severity of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection. The aim of the present study was to compare the characteristics of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) between hospitalized men and women with confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection. This multicenter, retrospective, observational study is based on the SEMI-COVID-19 Registry.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Identification of patients on admission to hospital with coronavirus infectious disease 2019 (COVID-19) pneumonia who can develop poor outcomes has not yet been comprehensively assessed.
Objective: To compare severity scores used for community-acquired pneumonia to identify high-risk patients with COVID-19 pneumonia.
Design: PSI, CURB-65, qSOFA, and MuLBSTA, a new score for viral pneumonia, were calculated on admission to hospital to identify high-risk patients for in-hospital mortality, admission to an intensive care unit (ICU), or use of mechanical ventilation.
Objectives: A decrease in blood cell counts, especially lymphocytes and eosinophils, has been described in patients with serious Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), but there is no knowledge of their potential role of the recovery in these patients' prognosis. This article aims to analyse the effect of blood cell depletion and blood cell recovery on mortality due to COVID-19.
Design: This work was a retrospective, multicentre cohort study of 9644 hospitalised patients with confirmed COVID-19 from the Spanish Society of Internal Medicine's SEMI-COVID-19 Registry.
Objectives: To evaluate the systemic phenotype associated with the presence of isolated anti-La/SSB antibodies in a large international registry of patients with primary Sjögren's syndrome (pSS) fulfilling the 2002 classification criteria.
Methods: The Big Data Sjögren Project Consortium is an international, multicentre registry created in 2014. Baseline clinical information from leading centres on clinical research in SS of the 5 continents was collected.