Estimation of the prevalence of asymptomatic pancreatic cysts in the population of San Marino.

BACKGROUND: There has been a dramatic increase in the number of pancreatic cystic lesions observed in the past two decades but data regarding the prevalence of cysts in the general population are lacking. METHODS: All the individuals who undergo CT at the San Marino State Hospital are residents of the Republic of San Marino; their demographic distribution is available and precise. CT scans carried out over 1 year at the State Hospital were reviewed for asymptomatic pancreatic cysts. RESULTS: 1061 relevant CT scans were carried out on 814 patients; 762 individuals were eligible for the study and 650 patients underwent contrast-enhanced CT. Thirty-five patients had at least one cyst at contrast-enhanced CT (5.4%). The prevalence of cysts increased with increasing age up to 13.4% (95% CI 6.6-20) in individuals 80-89 years of age (p < .001). Cyst prevalence was significantly higher in patients who underwent CT for malignancy (p = .038) but this difference was no longer significant in multivariate analysis. The odds of a cyst being present increased by 1.05 (95% CI 1.02-1.09) for each increasing year of age (p = .002). Approximately a quarter of the patients with cysts died within 1 year after CT from non pancreas-related disease. The estimated standardized age-adjusted cyst prevalence is 2194 per 100,000 people. CONCLUSIONS: The likelihood of having a pancreatic cyst correlates with increasing age, not with the presence of extra-pancreatic malignancies. The estimated prevalence of CT-detectable asymptomatic pancreatic cysts in the general population is 2.2%.

Diogenes syndrome or isolated syllogomania? Four heterogeneous clinical cases.

Diogenes syndrome (DS) is an acquired behavioural disturbance more often affecting elderly patients, but possible in all ages. It is characterised by social withdrawal, extreme self and house neglect, tendency to hoard any kind of objects/rubbish (syllogomania), and rejection against external help for lack of concern about one's condition. It is considered infrequent, but with quite high mortality. DS might be divided into several forms including Active (the patient gathers objects outside and accumulates them inside his house), Passive (patient invaded by his own rubbish), "à deux" (DS sharing between two people), and "under-threshold" (DS "blocked" by precocious intervention). Four cases are here presented. In case 1 (passive DS) alcoholism and cognitive impairment could be trigger factors for DS, predisposed by a "personality alteration". In case 2 (active, "à trois") superimposed psychosis could be the trigger, borderline intelligence being the predisposing factor. In case 3 (active), fronto-parietal internal hyperostosis might support an organic aetiology. Finally, case 4 was an example of isolated syllogomania in patient with evolving Alzheimer's dementia. Despite being heterogeneous, our casuistry suggest that DS can develop in both sexes, is prevalent in geriatric age and often associated with cognitive impairment/psychiatric disturbances, which are not specific, nor sufficient to justify DS. Isolated syllogomania only shares the characteristic hoarding with DS; although cognitive impairment might be present, the other DS typical aspects (social isolation, help refusal, characterial aspects, personal hygiene neglect) are absent.