Se reporta el caso de una mujer de 32 años, que fue internada por presentar anemia severa debido a una hemorragia uterina anormal secundaria a miomatosis. En la anamnesis se detectó que la paciente presentaba la peculiar conducta de ingerir trozos de papel higiénico remojado en bencina. Un mes luego de corregida la anemia, el trastorno de la conducta alimentaria desapareció. A propósito de este caso de pica se hace una revisión razonable de la literatura sobre este interesante y poco estudiado fenómeno psicopatológico.

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Objetivos:Describir la frecuencia de ansiedad, onicofagia y síndrome de piernas inquietas (SPI) en estudiantes de medicina y explorar la relación entre los mismos. Materiales y métodos: Participaron 315 estudiantes del primer al quinto año de medicina de una universidad privada de Lima. Se administraron la Escala de Ansiedad de Beck (BAI), una escala Likert para onicofagia, el Inventario de Estudios Epidemiológicos de SPI (García - Borreguero) y el Inventario de SPI (Grupo Internacional de SPI). Resultados: Se halló la frecuencia de ansiedad (61,3%), onicofagia (52,63%) y SPI (9,29%). Ser hombre es un factor protector para ansiedad (razón de prevalencia (RP) = 0,74; p = 0,001; IC 95% = 0,63 – 0,89). Existe asociación entre sintomatología ansiosa y SPI (RP =2,52; p = 0,036; IC 95%= 1,06 – 6); y entre sintomatología ansiosa y onicofagia (RP = 1,47; p = 0,002; IC 95% = ...

Se examina el fenómeno clínico conocido como “fatiga”, resumiendo los principales hallazgos vinculados a su definición y aspectos históricos, información epidemiológica, conceptos neuroanatómicos y descripción psicopatológica. Las correlaciones entre los distintos tipos de daño estructural y funcional son numerosas generando dudas en torno a la existencia del síntoma y planteándose entonces una redefinición. La búsqueda de mecanismos fisiopatológicos y objetivos terapéuticos evidencian también el interés de los investigadores. La fatiga causa una carga ingente en la salud global debido a la disfuncionalidad resultante, por lo que se sugiere una variedad de análisis psicométricos y categorización de los componentes conocidos a fin de dejar atrás todos los elementos de confusión encontrados previamente. Finalmente, se plantea la necesidad de que futuros estudios,...

Objective: To describe different psycho-spiritual elements in a sample of stage IV cancer patients from a public hospital in Lima, Peru, through the application of the Functional Assessment of Chronic Illness Therapy - Spiritual Well-Being (FACIT-Sp) scale. Methods: Application of FACIT-Sp to a sample of patients (n = 100) diagnosed with stage IV cancer at the Oncology Service of the Hospital Nacional Arzobispo Loayza. The 33-question instrument, designed to evaluate psycho-spiritual elements, analyzes five areas: social well-being (SWB), emotional well-being (EWB), functional well-being (FWB), meaning and peace (MP) and faith (F). Results: The most prominent aspect was F (average score=13.53 ± 3.05, corresponding to 84.56% of the maximum possible score), and the lowest was FWB (average score=15.79 ± 6.89, corresponding to 56.39% of the maximum possible score). Conclusions: According t...

Objectives: To perform an expert validation study of COVID-19 Peritraumatic Distress Index (CPDI) for its eventual use in Perú. Material and Methods: In a first round by experts, the CPDI was translated into Spanish and then adapted. In a second round, (n = 13), the content validity was evaluated by using Aiken’s V (V). The V was calculated for each item, as well as for the whole instrument (VTOT). Results: Of the 24 original items, only one (S7) presented non-significant values for content validity, reason for which it was removed. The final 23-items scale did not present any alterations for the VTOT calculation Conclusions: On the basis of its adequate content validity, the Spanish version of CPDI is suitable for its application in the Peruvian population. The psychometric characteristics of the instrument, as well as its proposed modification remain to be defined through quantitati...

Objective: To determine the relationship between year levels of medical studies and depressive and anxious symptoms during the first months of the COVID-19 pandemic in a sample of medical students in Lima, controlling specifically the variables sex and presence of underlying medical conditions. Material and Methods: An online survey collected information from 250 medical students, covering general data, previous medical history and symptoms of depression (PHQ-9) and anxiety (GAD-7). Data were managed using multivariate analysis of covariance. Results: Differences were found between years of study and the combined values of PHQ-9 and GAD-7 (Wilks’ Λ = 0.86; p = 1.68 x 10-4; η2p = 0.08). Underlying medical conditions also showed significant differences for the combined values of PHQ-9 and GAD-7 (Wilks’ Λ = 0.94, p = 4.43 x 10-4, η2p = 0.06). The univariate test for year of study sh...

Objective: To determine the relationship and connecting factors between pre-existing diseases, medication intake and peritraumatic distress in physicians in face-to-face activity in the city of Lima, Peru during the COVID-19 pandemic. Method: The study included physicians working in the first line of care of patients with COVID-19, as well as physicians working in other areas. The instruments used were the COVID-19 related Peritraumatic Distress Index (CPDI), Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9), and Generalized Anxiety Disorder Scale-7 (GAD-7). A general linear model was performed taking the CPDI values as the dependent variable to assess distress-related factors. Results: 288 physicians were included, 54.50% of whom worked in the front line. The CPDI value showed a direct relationship with GAD-7 and PHQ-9, as well as with medical illness. A statistically significant direct relationsh...