[Assessment of corticoid local injections at a health care center].
OBJECTIVE
To evaluate the effect of corticosteroid infiltrations in osteoarticular and tendinous pathology in Primary Care.


METHODS
Observational and descriptive study.


METHODS
La Unión Health Center, a town of 14,000 inhabitants in Murcia.


RESULTS
All patients older than 14 years subjected to one or more infiltrations from 1-1-1997 to 1-5-1998 were included. The following variables were analysed using information obtained from the patient's medical records: age, sex, condition treated, evolution time, previous treatment, number of infiltrations, results and complications. Descriptive statistics including frequency and distribution tables were calculated. The 70.3% of the 138 cases are women, the mean age is 57.7 years. Most infiltrations were performed for shoulder conditions (60.1%). The mean time of evolution in these cases was 90.9 +/- 13.9 days. Only 10.9% of patients hadn't received any previous treatment. The mean number of infiltrations is 1.5 +/- 0.7 and the middle is 1. Symptoms improved in 82.62% of the cases, just completely (40.6%) or partially (42%). Only in 17.4% cases failed the intervention. Only a complication was registered, one case of residual pigmentation.


CONCLUSIONS
The local corticosteroids infiltration is a useful technique in primary care because of a high effectivity, easy management, low cost and few complications.
Gallardo Juan
A
A
Centro de Salud La Unión, Murcia.
Avellaneda Molina
P J
PJ
Baeza López
J M
JM
Jiménez González
M
M
Bonet Ferreiro
M V
MV
Casas Aranda
I
I
D000305:Adrenal Cortex Hormones / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007270:Injections, Intra-Articular; D015552:Injections, Intralesional; D007592:Joint Diseases / Q000188:drug therapy*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011320:Primary Health Care
D000305:Adrenal Cortex Hormones
Evaluación de las infiltraciones locales con corticoides en un centro de salud.