RESUMO
BACKGROUND: Sudden death is unanticipated, non-violent death taking place within the first 24 h after the onset of symptoms. It is a major public health problem worldwide. Moreover, the effects of living at moderate altitude on mortality are poorly understood. AIM: To retrospectively report the frequency and the main causes of sudden deaths in relation to total deaths at Asir Central Hospital, 2255 m above sea level, in the southern region of Saudi Arabia over a period of 4 years from 2013 to 2016. METHODS: The medical records of 1821 deaths were examined and showed 353 cases (19.4%) of sudden death. RESULTS: The highest incidence of sudden death was among the elderly (51%), whereas, the lowest was among children and adolescents (6.5%). With regard to gender, the incidence of sudden death was higher in males (54.4%) compared to 45.6% in females. In this study, we found that the most common direct causes of sudden death were cardiovascular diseases (29.2%), respiratory disease (22.7%), infectious disease (12.2%), cancer (9.4%) and hematological diseases (6.2%). With respect to seasonal variation, the highest incidence was during winter (31.32%) followed by summer (25.8%). CONCLUSION: The results of this study will help emergency physicians and health care providers to exercise due care to reduce the incidence of sudden death and raise public awareness about the impact of sudden death.
RESUMO
PURPOSE: The aim of this preliminary study was to evaluate maxillary bone resorption with conventional dentures and implant-supported prostheses opposed by distal-extension removable partial dentures (RPDs). MATERIALS AND METHODS: Fifteen patients (seven women and eight men) with totally edentulous maxillary ridges and partially edentulous mandibular ridges (Class I Kennedy classification) received maxillary fixed prostheses on four implants and mandibular distal-extension RPDs (study group). The control group consisted of 15 patients who received conventional maxillary dentures and distal-extension mandibular RPDs without any implant treatment but were matched to the study group and acted as a historical group. Evaluation of vertical maxillary bone resorption for both groups was made at the time of prosthesis insertion (T0) and 5 years later (T2) using the proportional area measurements made on digital panoramic radiographs for anterior and posterior areas. RESULTS: The control group showed significantly higher vertical bone loss than the test group (P < .001). The control group had 0.270 higher maxillary bone loss than the test group. For both groups, anterior maxillary areas showed significantly higher bone loss than posterior areas (P < .003). Anterior maxillary areas had 0.122 higher bone loss compared with posterior areas. Women had 0.035 higher maxillary bone loss compared with men. CONCLUSION: Within the limitations of this study, implant-supported fixed prostheses for the edentulous maxilla opposed by remaining mandibular anterior teeth reduce maxillary anterior and posterior alveolar bone loss compared with conventional dentures. However, they do not prevent maxillary bone loss.