Clinicoepidemiological characteristics of RT-PCR positive patients for COVID-19 of Las Tunas

Background: COVID-19 has a great variability in its behavior. It is necessary to study the patients with the disease in each geographical area in which cases are identified.Objective: to describe the clinical and epidemiological characteristics of COVID-19 positive patients of the province of Las Tunas.Methods: a cross-sectional observational and descriptive study was carried out with the 18 patients diagnosed as positive to RT-PCR to detect COVID-19, until June 29, 2020, belonging to the aforementioned province. The data were taken from epidemiological surveys guarded at the Provincial Center of Hygiene, Epidemiology and Microbiology.Results: the sample had an even distribution regarding sex. The vigilance of acute respiratory infections (ARI) and the focalization control made it possible to detect 55,55 % of the cases. In the vigilance of ARI the male sex and the patients older than 60 years prevailed; in the focalization control there was a prevalence of the female sex and the 19 to 39 age group. The municipalities with the highest incidence were Puerto Padre (38,89 %) and Las Tunas (33,33 %), which are the most densely populated ones. Eight patients (44,44 %) were asymptomatic, with a predominance of the female sex. Among the ten symptomatic patients the male sex, cough, fever and dyspnea were more frequent. Hypertension and ischemic cardiopathy were the clinical histories with the highest incidence.Conclusions: the clinical and epidemiological characteristics of COVID-19 patients of Las Tunas were described.</p

HIV/AIDS in people aged 50 and older in the province of Las Tunas, a fifteen year study

Background: the prevalence of infection by the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) is increasing in the population aged over 50 years, both due to increased survival and new diagnoses.Objective: to characterize the people aged 50 years and older, diagnosed with HIV/AIDS in the province of Las Tunas from January 2004 to December 2018.Methods: an observational descriptive study was carried out with the patients and during the period stated in the objective. The universe was made up of 76 patients aged 50 years and older of the province included in the computerized HIV/AIDS register of the Ministry of Public Health. The following variables were assessed: age groups, sex, sexual orientation, source of research and clinical onset. For the analysis of the data descriptive statistics was used.Results: 73,7 % of the cases were diagnosed in the last five-year period, men accounted for 78.9 %, and the 50 to 59 age group was the most affected one, for 73,6 %. The predominant sexual orientation was homosexuality with 63,2 %. The most frequent source of research was detection with 39,5 %, 15,8 % had a clinical onset.Conclusions: in recent years there has been a marked increase of patients with HIV/AIDS aged 50 years and older in Las Tunas.</p