[Risk factors for the development of medical complications in patients with hip fracture].

Objective: To evaluate the clinical features and outcome of inpatients with hip fracture and to investigate the clinical variables associated with the risk of medical complications.

Methods: Prospective study of hip fracture patients aged 65 or more, admitted to the Department of Orthopaedic Surgery of the Xeral-Calde Hospital, in Lugo, Spain, in 2008. The different clinical and biochemical variables as regards the baseline health status and presentation features of the hip fracture and its complications were all recorded.

[Clinical course and features of the alcohol withdrawal syndrome in a general hospital].

Introduction: Despite its frequency and high clinical burden, few studies have analyzed the clinical features of the alcohol withdrawal syndrome in a hospital setting. Our purpose was to describe its manifestations and clinical course in a general hospital.

Patients And Methods: Patients with a diagnosis of alcohol withdrawal since January 1983 to December 2003, according to the revised fourth edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders criteria, at the Xeral-Calde General Hospital in Lugo, were studied.

[Should we use oral replacement for vitamin B12 deficiency as the first option of treatment?].

Objective: Analyze whether the tablets available in Spain are useful for oral replacement in the treatment of vitamin B12 deficiency.

Methods: From June 2003 to December 2005, patients with vitamin B12 deficiency attended at the Internal Medicine Clinic, were offered the possibility of starting or switching to oral therapy. Clinical and biochemical responses were monitored at baseline and at 2, 4, 6, 12, 18 y 24 months of follow-up.