Verónica Iglesias

University of Chile · Facultad de Medicina

Understanding temporal and spatial trends in pregnancy and birth outcomes within an urban area is important for the monitoring of health indicators of a population. We conducted a retrospective cohort study of all births in the public hospital of Temuco, a medium-sized city in Southern Chile between 2009 and 2016 (n = 17,237). Information on advers...

In the city of Arica, northern Chile, the population has been involuntarily exposed to arsenic of natural and anthropogenic origin. This study aims to evaluate the association between urinary arsenic concentration and bronchial asthma diagnosis in the children of Arica. A cross-sectional analysis of a database of 1892 subjects under 18 years of age...

Exposure to pesticides during infancy is associated with numerous adverse health outcomes. The assessment of knowledge and perception of pesticides exposure and risk among children has not been thoroughly studied. The aim of the study was to evaluate the reliability and validity of a questionnaire that measures the knowledge and perception of expos...

Objective: To explore the association of occupational pesticide exposure with acute and mental health symptoms. Methods: Cross-sectional survey carried out with 78 Brazilian family farmers, who were pesticide applicators and helpers conveniently selected. Symptoms and exposure data were collected by interviews, and mental health outcomes by the...

OBJECTIVE: To explore the association of occupational pesticide exposure with acute and mental health symptoms. METHODS: Cross-sectional survey carried out with 78 Brazilian family farmers, who were pesticide applicators and helpers conveniently selected. Symptoms and exposure data were collected by interviews, and mental health outcomes by the Sel...

Objectives. To report the surveillance of COVID-19 pandemic in Chile and analyse the response to public health interventions implemented from 3 March to 30 June 2020 and to assess the risks of collapse of the health care system. Methods. We analysed the effective reproductive number, underreporting of cases, burden of critical beds, case fatality r...

Background Several studies showed that early exposure to pesticides affects the development and health of children. In Maule, there is previous evidence of the high exposure to organophosphate pesticides (OP) of schoolchildren. However, to date, there are no studies assessing exposure to pyrethroids and the herbicide 2,4-D. Objetive. To evaluate...

Introduction: Exposure to lead and arsenic has been associated with child behavior problems. In Arica, a northern city of Chile, the natural presence of arsenic in water has been registered. Also, the city has a history of heavy metals contamination of anthropogenic origin. The purpose of this study was to explore the association between the concen...

Introduction In epidemiology, generalized linear models are the main statistical methods used to explore associations. However, the use of other methods such as Structural Equation Modelling (SEM) is gradually increasing. Objective The aim of the study was to illustrate the use of SEM in the assessment of salivary cortisol concentration in infants...

INTRODUCCIÓN - PROBLEMA En zonas con historia de contaminación a arsénico donde las concentraciones de arsénico en el agua potable se ha logrado mantener dentro de la recomendación de la normativa, se ha observado que los alimentos contribuyen como la principal fuente de exposición. OBJETIVOS - PROBLEMATIZACIÓN Determinar la contribución de la fue...

Inorganic arsenic and arsenic compounds are considered class 1 chronic non-threshold carcinogenic to humans. Long-term oral exposure to arsenic is associated with several multi-systemic health conditions. Furthermore, in utero and early-life exposures to arsenic have been linked to increased risks for several types of cancer and other diseases duri...

Background: Organophosphate (OP) pesticides can be hazardous to human health if not applied with appropriate precautions. There is evidence in the Maule region of Chile that rural schoolchildren are exposed to OP pesticides. Objective: To evaluate the effectiveness of an educational intervention on OP exposure and understanding of pesticides and t...

Introduction In animal models, gestational exposure to inorganic arsenic has been associated with higher corticosterone concentration and consequent impairment of stress control in offspring. An equivalent association relating cortisol, a glucocorticoid hormone, in humans has not been previously studied. Objective The aim of the study was to explo...

Introduction: Studies that evaluated the association between type 2 diabetes mellitus and hypertension has been consistent in population exposed to high levels of arsenic. However, the evidence is no clear regarding low levels of exposure. The aim of this study was to explore the association between the concentration of inorganic arsenic in urine a...

Background: Allergic rhinoconjunctivitis (ARC) has a prevalence of 30% in industrialized countries. For an accurate diagnosis and treatment, it is crucial to identify the causative aeroallergen. Aim: To evaluate aeroallergen sensitization in adults with ARC in the city of Temuco, Chile. Patients and Methods: A skin test against the main aeroaller...

Background: Organophosphate (OP) pesticides, if not applied with due precautions, can be hazardous to health. There is evidence in the Maule region that rural school children are exposed to OP. Objective: To evaluate the impact that an educational intervention has on the exposure to OP and risk perception of two school communities in the Maule Regi...

Introducción: Existe evidencia de aumento de mortalidad diaria cardiovascular (CV) por exposición a material particulado 2,5 (MP2,5) y ozono (O3) principalmente. Mecanismos fisiopatológicos sugieren interacción entre los efectos del MP2,5 y O3. Objetivos: Evaluar si la exposición aguda a O3 modifica el efecto del MP2,5 sobre muertes diarias CV en g...

The aim was to evaluate the reliability and validity of a questionnaire to assess organophosphate pesticide (OP) exposure in agricultural workers. We then enrolled a random sample of 114 agricultural workers from the region of Maule, Chile (mean age = 50 years [SD = 12]). An internal consistency analysis (Cronbach’s alpha> 0.70) and a Varimax rotat...

Vulnerability assessments are commonly based on complex indices that may be inappropriate for characterizing risks in small groups of people exposed to environmental hazards. The aim was to present a multivariate and geostatistical approach to explore human health risks at the individual, household and community level. First, biological and socioec...

Introduction: The association of total arsenic exposure with impaired glucose tolerance and gestational diabetes has been shown; however, evidence regarding urinary inorganic arsenic in pregnant women is still limited. Our aim was to evaluate the association between urinary inorganic arsenic concentration and gestational diabetes among pregnant wom...

The article describe interaction effects between ozone and PM2.5 in Santiago Chile

There is evidence that the exposure to highly hazardous pesticides is associated with cancer development. Organophosphate pesticides (OP) are within this group and are widely used in Latin America. The aim of this paper was to review the Latin American research on exposure to organophosphate pesticides and its effects on the development of human ca...

Introduction The workplace remains a significant source of secondhand smoke (SHS) exposure. This pollutant is known to be associated with respiratory and cardiovascular problems, but its effects on specific pulmonary function parameters remain largely unexplored. The objectives of this study were to measure SHS exposure among non-smoking employees...

Background: While the relationship between inorganic arsenic exposure and psychological impairment has been studied previously, the association between low-level arsenic exposure during pregnancy and postpartum depression has not yet been examined. The objective is to estimate the association between low-level arsenic exposure during pregnancy and...

Between 1984-1998, people living in Arica were involuntarily exposed to metalcontaining waste stored in the urban area. The study aims to determine whether children who lived near the waste disposal site during early childhood experienced negative effects on their cognitive development. The cognitive performance was assessed using the Wechsler Inte...

The objective was to evaluate the characteristics of exposure to OP pesticides and health status in Chilean farm workers from the Maule Region. An occupational health questionnaire was administered in 207 agricultural and non-agricultural workers. For the group of agricultural workers, we asked about specific occupational exposure history and sympt...

Poster Científico

Objective: To evaluate indoor polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) concentrations in bars and restaurants and identify the main determinants of airborne PAH concentrations. Methods: This study included 57 bars/restaurants in Santiago, Chile. PAH concentrations (ng/m(3) ) were measured using photoelectric aerosol sensor equipment (PAS 2000CE mod...

Background: Previous studies have demonstrated that acute poisoning from exposure to organophosphate (OP) pesticides in agricultural workers causes adverse health effects. However, neuropsychological and cognitive effects of chronic occupational exposure to OP pesticides remain controversial. Objective: To identify, evaluate, and systematize exi...

Evidence suggests that an old mineral storage site removed in 1998 due to high lead content, remains as a source of exposure in the city of Antofagasta, Chile. The aim was to determine the association between blood lead levels in children and the residential proximity to the old mineral storage site. A cross sectional study was conducted with 185 c...

Objetivo: Evaluar la exposición a plaguicidas organofosforados y el desempeño neuropsicológico y motor de trabajadores/as agrícolas y no agrícolas de la Región del Maule, Chile. Método: Estudio transversal analítico con 93 trabajadores/as agrícolas expuestos/as a plaguicidas organofosforados y 84 trabajadores/as no agrícolas no expuestos/as. Se adm...

Introduction: Housing interventions aimed at overcoming poverty can lead to changes in the health status of children by modifying risk factors in their physical and social environment OBJECTIVE: the aim was to identify children's environmental health factors to change with the relocation of families from slums to public housing. Subjects and meth...

Background: Chile has recently been reclassified by the World Bank from an upper-middle-income country to a high-income country. There has been great progress in the last 20 to 30 years in relation to air and water pollution in Chile. Yet after 25 years of unrestrained growth, there remain clear challenges posed by air and water pollution, as well...

The objective of this study was to compare personal exposure to particulate matter (fine and ultrafine particles) in commuters using different transport modes (bicycle, bus, car and subway) in a busy, assigned route in downtown Santiago, Chile. Volunteers carrying personal samplers completed scheduled commutes during the morning rush hours, while c...

To describe pesticide concentrations in distinct environmental matrices at two time points (low and high seasons in local agricultural production) and to estimate the association between the presence of pesticide residues in matrices and the use of pesticides in the home with the sociodemographic variables of schoolchildren in the Province of Talca...

The aim was to establish the prevalence of hip fracture in the elderly residing in benefic institutions in Santiago city. A cross-sectional study of 200 institutional clinic records of interned >60 years selected by proportional stratified random sampling was performed. The prevalence of hip fracture was 9.5%. Women comprised 62.5% of the sample wi...

Objetivo: evaluar la presencia de metabolitos organofosforados en la orina de escolares rurales y estimar la asociación con eldesempeño cognitivo. Metodología: estudio exploratorio de diseño transversal. Se midió en 25 niños el funcionamiento cognitivo con el test de inteligencia WISC-III y concentraciones de metabolitos organofosforados en orina....

This study assesses the degree of impairment of children's IQ scores due to exposure to lead from a storage site. In 2005, we studied 192 children in Antofagasta, Chile, age 7-16 years who had been exposed to a lead storage site from birth until its removal in 1998. We used past (1998) and current (2005) blood lead levels as explanatory variables f...

OBJECTIVE: to evaluate the presence of organophosphate metabolites (OP) in the urine of rural schoolchildren and estimate its association with their cognitive performance.METHODOLOGY: a cross-sectional exploratory study in which a total of 25 children were assessed. Cognitive functioning was measured using the WISC-III intelligence test. Additional...