Evidence that elevated temperatures can lead to increased mortality is well documented, with population vulnerability being location specific. However, very few studies have been conducted that assess the effects of temperature on daily mortality in urban areas in Portugal.

In this study we investigated the potential impact of climate change in Portugal on heat-related mortality, air pollution–related health effects, and selected vectorborne diseases. The assessment used climate scenarios from two regional climate ...

Synopsis: The point prevalence of depression measured on one occasion between 2 and 5 months after childbirth was estimated to be 13·1% in 352 mothers living in urban Portugal; the criterion was a score of 13 or more on a translated version of the Edinburgh Post-natal Depression Scale (EPDS). More detailed comparisons were made between a subgroup of 118 mothers and 118 matched controls who had not borne a child in the previous 2 years. Post-natal women were twice as likely as non-childbearing controls to meet the EPDS criterion for depression. In comparison with controls, they were also more severely depressed as judged by their total scores on another questionnaire, the Zung Scale. Comparisons of individual symptom scores (Zung Scale) showed that childbearing women, as a whole, reported more somatic symptoms than controls, but when only those women judged to be depressed or dysphoric by the EPDS were compared, this difference disappeared. Stepwise logistic analyses of symptoms contributing to the categorization of a ‘case’ of post-natal versus non-post-natal depression did not reveal any very clear divergences in selfreported psychopathology. In childbearing women, two factors were found significantly to contribute to higher depression scores; women with more children and those from lower socioeconomic groups were most at risk.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the predictive value of social support on health related quality of life (HRQoL) in multiple sclerosis (MS) patients. METHODS: The sample is composed by 150 MS consecutive patients. We used the Medical Outcomes Study Social Support Survey to assess social support and the Health Status Questionnaire to assess HRQoL. For inferential analysis, we used the Multiple Linear Regression with stepwise selection of variables. RESULTS: The age, basic education, psychological support and disability explains 41.6% of the variance in physical function, 29.4% in physical performance and 30.6% in emotional performance. Age and psychological support explains 23.1% of the variance in physical function and 29.4% in vitality. CONCLUSION: This study demonstrated that social support is a predictor with a significant effect on HRQoL in MS.

Objective To analyse the relationship between the social support network (SSN) and health related quality of life (HRQOL) in multiple sclerosis (MS) patients. Methods The sample comprised 150 consecutive MS patients attending our MS clinic. To assess the socio-demographic data, a specifically designed questionnaire was applied. The HRQOL dimensions were measured with the Short-Form Health Survey Questionnaire-SF36 and the SSN with the Medical Outcomes Study Social Support Survey. Spearman’s correlation was used to compare the magnitude of the relationship between the SSN and HRQOL. Results The mean patient age was 41.7 years (± 10.4; range: 18–70 yr); the mean Expanded Disability Status Score was 2.5 (±2.4; range: 0–9). There was a statistically significant correlation between the structure of the SSN and the HRQOL. Conclusion The composition of the SSN, social group membership and participation in voluntary work have an important role in the HRQOL of patients with MS.