RESUMO
BACKGROUND: Mechanisms and causes of death in older patients with SARS-CoV-2 infection are still poorly understood. METHODS: We conducted in a retrospective monocentric study, a clinical chart review and post-mortem examination of patients aged 75 years and older hospitalized in acute care and positive for SARS-CoV-2. Full body autopsy and correlation with clinical findings and suspected causes of death were done. RESULTS: Autopsies were performed in 12 patients (median age 85 years; median of 4 comorbidities, mainly hypertension and cardiovascular disease). All cases showed exudative or proliferative phases of alveolar damage and/or a pattern of organizing pneumonia. Causes of death were concordant in 6 cases (50%), and undetected diagnoses were found in 6. Five patients died from hypoxemic respiratory failure due to coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), five had another associated diagnosis and two died from alternative causes. Deaths that occurred in the second week were related to SARS-CoV-2 pneumonia whereas those occurring earlier were related mainly to heart failure and those occurring later to complications. CONCLUSIONS: Although COVID-19 hypoxemic respiratory failure was the most common cause of death, post-mortem pathological examination revealed that acute decompensation from chronic comorbidities during the first week of COVID-19 and complications in the third week contributed to mortality.
RESUMO
BACKGROUND: Fear of falling is highly prevalent in older adults and associated with numerous negative health events. The main objective of this study was to validate a scale to assess fear of falling, based on performance in real situation (Perform-FES), in a hospitalized geriatric population. METHODS: In this cross-sectional study, 55 patients (mean age: 85.3 years; 58% women) hospitalized in a geriatric hospital in Geneva (Switzerland) were enrolled. The Perform-FES scale was administered to all patients in conjunction with four other fear of falling scales. We determined the floor and ceiling effects, internal consistency, reliability, construct validity, and discriminative power of the Perform-FES scale. RESULTS: The Perform-FES scale did not demonstrate any significant floor or ceiling effect. It had a good internal consistency (Cronbach's alpha = 0.78) and an excellent reliability (intraclass correlation coefficient = 0.94). Regarding convergent validity, good correlations were shown between the score obtained on the Perform-FES scale and those obtained on other fear of falling scales. Also, the Perform-FES scale was able to discriminate patients with severe functional impairments (area under the ROC curve = 0.81) and had significantly better discriminating performance than other fear of falling scales. CONCLUSION: Findings suggest that the Perform-FES scale has good psychometric properties and may be a relevant tool to assess fear of falling in a geriatric hospitalized population. Future research should focus in particular on assessing the sensitivity to change and the predictive value of this scale in longitudinal studies, and its validity in other populations.
Assuntos
Acidentes por Quedas , Medo , Idoso , Idoso de 80 Anos ou mais , Estudos Transversais , Feminino , Humanos , Masculino , Psicometria , Reprodutibilidade dos Testes , Inquéritos e QuestionáriosRESUMO
Stroke is the most common acute neurological disease in the world. Approximately 16 000 strokes occur each year in Switzerland. In the older population, the stroke outcomes are related to high risk of malnutrition due to neurological deficits impacting oral feeding. Therefore, systematic screening of malnutrition is required upon admission to hospital. Then, assessment of the nutritional status by a specialist should be initiated before deciding on individualised nutritional strategy. Rehabilitation is complex and must be done in multidisciplinary team to provide optimal care to the patients.
L'accident vasculaire cérébral (AVC) est la maladie neurologique aiguë la plus répandue dans le monde. En Suisse, on dénombre 16â 000 nouveaux cas d'AVC chaque année. Le patient âgé souffrant d'AVC est à haut risque de dénutrition du fait de la prévalence particulièrement élevée dans cette population, à laquelle s'ajoutent la pathologie neurologique et ses déficits impactant l'alimentation. Par conséquent, un dépistage systématique de la dénutrition est nécessaire dès l'admission en milieu hospitalier. Par la suite, une évaluation nutritionnelle par un spécialiste doit être mise en place afin de permettre au patient de bénéficier d'un traitement précoce et individualisé. L'importance d'une collaboration et d'une prise en charge multidisciplinaire fait désormais partie des objectifs de référence pour ces patients.
Assuntos
Desnutrição/etiologia , Desnutrição/terapia , Avaliação Nutricional , Reabilitação do Acidente Vascular Cerebral , Acidente Vascular Cerebral/complicações , Idoso , Hospitalização , Humanos , Desnutrição/diagnóstico , Estado Nutricional , Acidente Vascular Cerebral/epidemiologia , Suíça/epidemiologiaRESUMO
Significant progresses have been made in the understanding of the pathological mechanisms of Alzheimer's disease (AD) and in developing tools enabling to detect its stages and its progression in vivo. At present, we know that the changes in AD pathophysiology occur many years before its clinical manifestations. Atrophy of the medial temporal lobe - containing anatomical structures essential for declarative memory, mostly impaired in AD - is one of the biomarkers detectable by magnetic resonance which can help us to predict the progression to dementia in patients with mild cognitive impairment. The atrophy assessment of the posterior cingulate cortex and the precuneus, other key hubs of the declarative memory network, can also be a useful complement.
Ces dernières années, des découvertes significatives ont été faites au niveau de la compréhension des mécanismes physiopathologiques de la maladie d'Alzheimer (MA), ainsi que dans le développement des techniques capables de visualiser in vivo les différents stades et la progression de la maladie. On sait actuellement que la MA entraîne des modifications au niveau neurobiologique bien des années avant que les premiers symptômes n'apparaissent. L'atrophie du lobe temporal mésial contenant les structures anatomiques engagées dans la mémoire déclarative est l'un des biomarqueurs pouvant nous aider à prédire que les patients avec un déficit cognitif léger sont plus à risque de progresser vers la démence. L'évaluation de l'atrophie du cortex cingulaire postérieur et du précunéus, autres centres clés du réseau de la mémoire déclarative, peut aussi constituer un complément utile.
Assuntos
Doença de Alzheimer , Biomarcadores , Doença de Alzheimer/diagnóstico por imagem , Atrofia , Progressão da Doença , Humanos , Imageamento por Ressonância Magnética , Lobo TemporalRESUMO
Frontotemporal dementia is a health issue that encompasses different specialties. This type of dementia is underdiagnosed and usually confused initially with psychiatric pathologies. Its clinical aspect as well as its evolution is a challenge for the physician on a daily basis due to the heterogeneity of the various forms. The diagnosis is usually uncertain and the current treatment can only treat the symptoms. The care of the patient and his entourage must be done in a multidisciplinary way. The advancement of research in its later years has brought to light genetic mutations that have led to a better understanding of pathology and pathophysiology. In the near future, these discoveries could lead to new targeted therapies.
La démence frontotemporale constitue un problème de santé qui englobe différentes spécialités. Cette forme de démence est sous-diagnostiquée et souvent confondue dans son stade initial à des pathologies psychiatriques. Son aspect clinique ainsi que son évolution sont un défi pour le praticien au quotidien ; cela est notamment dû à l'hétérogénéité des diverses formes. Le diagnostic est souvent incertain et le traitement actuel ne peut traiter que les symptômes. La prise en charge du patient ainsi que de son entourage doit être faite de manière multidisciplinaire. Les avancées de la recherche ces dernières années ont mis en évidence des mutations génétiques qui ont permis de mieux comprendre la pathologie et la physiopathologie. Ces découvertes pourraient permettre dans un futur proche d'établir de nouvelles thérapies ciblées.
Assuntos
Demência Frontotemporal , Demência Frontotemporal/genética , Demência Frontotemporal/terapia , Humanos , MutaçãoRESUMO
The thyroid nodule is a frequent and mostly benign. The purpose of this article is to review the recent literature concerning the management and follow-up for thyroid nodule, with benign after fine needle aspiration.
