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OBJECTIVE: To determine the respiratory symptoms in women from Paipa, Colombia, who have been exposed to wood smoke. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Observational study, single cohort with analytical phase. Women over 18 years of age exposed to wood smoke, who resided in the area of direct influence of the thermal plant, were included in the study. Data was collected from January 23 to November 22, 2019; they consisted of a consultation with two doctors belonging to the research, in which they were inquired about the research variables by applying a data collection sheet and later spirometry was performed. RESULTS: One hundred seven women exposed to wood smoke were included; all participants had respiratory symptoms. The average age was 53.14 years, 68.3% had some degree of overweight; 48.6% had dyspnea, 38.3% cough, 21.5% expectoration and on auscultation 7.5% had rhonchi, 4.7% had wheezing and 1.9% rales. CONCLUSIONS: Women in rural areas are at high risk of exposure to wood smoke and all patients presented respiratory symptoms, which is associated with these exposure factors. In addition, people who stop smoking are likely to reduce respiratory symptoms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) is a pathological entity characterized by a series of persistent physical manifestations such as cough, fatigue, dyspnea and sputum production; symptoms that generate discomfort in the patient from the moment of diagnosis and that, being an irreversible disease due to the tissue damage it causes, progressively has a negative impact on quality of life. On the other hand, the presence of psychological symptoms such as depression, insecurity, anxiety and emotional disturbances has been reported in patients diagnosed with COPD. Likewise, patients with this diagnosis tend to develop behaviors that alter their family and work social relationships, as they tend to isolate themselves due to the symptoms, especially physical. This situation generates the need to develop a research work with the objective of recognizing the cluster of physical, psychological and social symptoms of patients diagnosed with COPD, and to identify if a palliative care approach is proposed. The study was developed through a systematic literature review in which 1,776 articles were identified, of which 41 were evaluated for the identification of the symptom cluster. The binomial dyspnea and cough, fatigue and expectoration were identified as the physical symptom cluster; depression and anxiety constitute the psychological symptom cluster, and the impact on quality of life and the perception of isolation or social exclusion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Asthma is a chronic inflammatory disorder of the airway pathways characterized by an obstruction of airflow, which may be completely or partially reversed with or without specific therapy. Airway inflammation is the result of interactions between various cells, cellular elements and cytokines. In susceptible individuals, airway inflammation may cause recurrent or persistent broncho spasm, which causes symptoms including wheezing, breathlessness, chest tightness, and cough. Childhood asthma includes several different clinical phenotypes with different management strategies. The diagnosis of asthma in children requires a careful review of the child's current and past medical history, family history and a physical examination. Specialized testing is sometimes needed to diagnose asthma and to rule out other possible causes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sporothrix schenckii is a dimorphic fungi, that infects humans and it presents in a variety of clinical syndromes which can be grouped in two forms: cutaneous and extracutaneous, including affection in articular, pulmonary and disseminated form. We report the case of a 78 year-old female patient, with systemic sporotrichosis, who was admitted to the hospital because of progressive dyspnea, productive cough, fever and cutaneous lesions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It is shown two cases of idiopathic eosinophilic pneumonia, chronic and acute forms. The first clinical case had idiopathic eosinophilic pneumonia with anatomopathological confirmation, and the second clinical case was a probable acute eosinophilic pneumonia. Both patients had cough, fever and dyspnea. The radiographic plains shown alveolar lesions in both lungs with a tendency to consolidate. The marked eosinophilia in peripheral blood was an outstanding clue that helps to the diagnosis. Both patients had a very good response to steroid therapy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]