Prevalence of Systemic Lupus Erythematosus in Spain: Higher than Previously Reported in other Countries?

[Abstract] Objectives: Prevalence of SLE varies among studies, being influenced by study design, geographical area and ethnicity. Data about the prevalence of SLE in Spain are scarce. In the EPISER2016 study, promoted by the Spanish Society of Rheumatology, the prevalence estimate of SLE in the general adult population in Spain has been updated and its association with sociodemographic, anthropometric and lifestyle variables has been explored. Methods: Population-based multicentre cross-sectional study, with multistage stratified and cluster random sampling. Participants were contacted by telephone to carry out a questionnaire for the screening of SLE. Investigating rheumatologists evaluated positive results (review of medical records and/or telephone interview, with medical visit if needed) to confirm the diagnosis. To calculate the prevalence and its 95% CI, the sample design was taken into account and weighing was calculated considering age, sex and geographic origin. Multivariate logistic regression models were defined to analyse which sociodemographic, anthropometric and lifestyle variables included in the telephone questionnaire were associated with the presence of SLE. Results: 4916 subjects aged 20 years or over were included. 16.52% (812/4916) had a positive screening result for SLE. 12 cases of SLE were detected. The estimated prevalence was 0.21% (95% CI: 0.11, 0.40). SLE was more prevalent in the rural municipalities, with an odds ratio (OR) = 4.041 (95% CI: 1.216, 13.424). Conclusion: The estimated prevalence of SLE in Spain is higher than that described in most international epidemiological studies, but lower than that observed in ethnic minorities in the United States or the United Kingdom

Polysaccharide-based emulsion gels as fat replacers in Frankfurter sausages: Physicochemical, nutritional and sensorial evaluation

Agar and κ-carrageenan emulsion gels were used to produce Frankfurters with reduced animal fat content by partially (50%) or completely (100%) replacing the pork back fat. The results showed that 50% of the pork back fat substitution did not affect the mechanical and physicochemical properties of the obtained sausages compared with the control (pure pork back fat). Slight changes in the textural and TBARS values were observed for the 100% substituted sausages, while a reduction from 25.37 to 17.07 g/g sample of total fat was attained. Thus, decreasing the caloric content from 280 to 209 kcal/g sample. The saturated fatty acid/unsaturated fatty acid ratio was also reduced from 0.58 to 0.38 with 50% substitution and 0.17 with total substitution, thus diminishing the atherogenic and thrombogenic indexes by 35% and 70%, respectively. The reformulated Frankfurters with a reduced-fat content were accepted by the consumers, evidencing that the polysaccharide-based emulsion gels can be promising ingredients for developing meat products with improved nutritional composition.The projects RTI2018-094268-B-C22, RTI2018-094268-B-C21, CEX2021-001189-S and PID2020-114821RB-I00 were funded by MCIN/AEI/10.13039/501100011033 and by “ERDF A way of making Europe”. Cynthia Fontes-Candia is recipient of a pre-doctoral grant from CONACYT (MEX/Ref. 306680).Peer reviewe

The prevalence of rheumatoid arthritis in Spain.

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) prevalence is believed to be around 1% worldwide, although it varies considerably among different populations. The aim of EPISER2016 study was to estimate the prevalence of RA in the general adult population in Spain. We designed a population-based cross-sectional study. A national survey was conducted between November 2016 and October 2017 involving a probabilistic sample from the general population aged 20 years or older. Subjects were randomly selected for phone screening using a computer-assisted telephone interviewer system. Positive RA screening results were evaluated by a rheumatologist. Cases fulfilled the 1987 ACR and/or the 2010 ACR/EULAR criteria; previous diagnosis established by a rheumatologist and clearly identified in medical records were also accepted regardless of the criteria used. Prevalence estimates with 95% CI were calculated taking into account the design of the sample (weighting based on age, sex, and geographic origin using as a reference the distribution of the population in Spain). 4916 subjects participated in the study and 39 RA cases were confirmed. RA estimated prevalence was 0.82% (95% CI 0.59-1.15). Mean age of RA cases was 60.48 (14.85) years, they were more frequently women (61.5%), from urban areas (74.4%), non-smokers (43.6%), and with a high body mass index (53.8% with overweight). Extrapolating to the population in Spain (approximately 37 million are ≥ 20 years old), it was estimated that there were between 220,000 and 430,000 people aged 20 years or older with RA. No undiagnosed cases were detected, which could be related to the establishment of early arthritis clinics around the country, increasing the rates of diagnosis during early phases of RA