ABSTRACT
The present investigation was aimed at studying the influence of primitive myocardial disease on the nutritional status of nonhospitalized patients. In a group of 93 consecutive cases, without additional organic disabilities of known nutritional deficits, a simplified protocol of anthropometric and biochemical measurements was applied, including weight/height, triceps skinfold, arm muscle circumference, albumin, cholesterol, hemoglobin, and creatinine excretion. All these findings were analyzed in the light of the left ventricular functional status, as assessed by phonomechanographic parameters. The conclusions were: (1) primitive cardiomyopathy with significant ventricular impairment is associated with some signs of malnutrition; (2) triceps skinfold is the most affected index in those cases.
Subject(s)
Cardiomyopathies/complications , Nutrition Disorders/complications , Adult , Anthropometry , Cardiomyopathies/metabolism , Cholesterol/blood , Creatinine/urine , Female , Hemoglobins/metabolism , Humans , Male , Serum Albumin/metabolismSubject(s)
Chagas Cardiomyopathy/physiopathology , Echocardiography , Heart Ventricles/physiopathology , Adolescent , Adult , Computers , Female , Humans , Male , Myocardial ContractionSubject(s)
Aged , Immunity, Cellular , Skin Tests , Antibody Formation , Dinitrochlorobenzene/immunology , Female , Humans , Male , Middle Aged , Reference ValuesABSTRACT
A young woman with acute intermittent porphyria in profound relapse and severe nervous and respiratory involvement was treated by intravenous infusions of hematin, followed by improvement of symptoms. The diet with high carbohydrate and protein content and a B-adrenergic blocking agent, not showed any beneficial effect on acute attack. The infusion of hematin was followed by a lowering effect on urine porphybilinogen and delta-aminolevulinic acid and clinical improvement. The return to normal of porphyrin precursors in the urine was accompanied by almost complete clinical remission. The relationship of remission and repression of delta-aminolevulinic acid, decrease of urinary levels of porphyrin precursors, pulmonaries tests and electromyograms, were discussed.