Clinical and Epidemiological Features of Tuberculous Pleural Effusion in Alicante, Spain.

We aimed to (1) evaluate the incidence of tuberculous pleural effusion (TPE) over 25 years in our centre; (2) measure the yield of different diagnostic techniques; (3) compare TPE features between immigrant and native patients. Retrospective study of patients who underwent diagnostic thoracentesis and pleural biopsy in our hospital between 1995 and 2020. TPE was diagnosed in 71 patients (65% natives, 35% immigrants).

Management and referral of patients with severe and poorly controlled asthma in primary care.

Background: Over 50% of treated patients with asthma in Europe are not well controlled. Their management in primary health care (PHC) differs from that in specialized care, and there is no real coordination between the two.

Objectives: To identify barriers and solutions to improving the management of patients with severe and poorly controlled asthma and the communication between specialists and PHC, and to reach a consensus on the criteria for referral patients.

[Tuberculosis].

Tuberculosis (TB) continues to be an important public health problem. Currently, 2,100 million people--one third of the world population--are infected by Mycobacterium tuberculosis, with an estimated annual rate of 9.4 million new cases, and 440,000 cases of multidrug-resistant (MDR) TB in 2008; furthermore, cases of extensively-resistant (XDR) TB have been detected in 57 countries.

Functional sequelae of tuberculous pleurisy in patients correctly treated.

Study Objectives: To assess the functional sequelae (FS) of patients with tuberculous pleurisy (TP), to analyze the influence of different factors in the occurrence of these FS, and, finally, to evaluate the relationship between the FS and roentgenographic sequelae.

Design: An observational, retrospective study.

Setting: A community teaching hospital in Alicante, Spain.

Obstructive sleep apnea syndrome as first manifestation of pharyngeal non-Hodgkin's lymphoma.

Obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSAS) is characterized by repetitive episodes of upper airway obstruction during sleep that provoke an abnormal number of apneas and hypopneas, leading to arousals and, as a result, to an altered sleep architecture. Here we present a patient with clinical symptoms characteristic of OSAS. During follow-up, pharyngeal non-Hodgkin's lymphoma was diagnosed and treated, with a nearly complete normalization of polysomnography.