RESUMO
To research the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on mental health, the prevalence and characteristics of all completed suicides in the city of Frankfurt am Main were compared for a 10-month period before the pandemic (March 2019-December 2019) with one during the early pandemic (March 2020-December 2020). Medicolegal data collected in the context of the FraPPE suicide prevention project were evaluated using descriptive statistical methods. In total, there were 81 suicides during the early pandemic period, as opposed to 86 in the pre-pandemic period. Though statistically not significant, the proportion of male suicides (73%) was higher during the early pandemic period than before (63%). The age-at-death was comparable in the pre-pandemic and pandemic periods (average, 54.8 vs. 53.1 years). Between these two periods, there was no difference in respect to the three most commonly used suicide methods by men: fall from a height (26% vs. 22%), intoxication, and strangulation (each 24% vs. 19%). For women, there was, however, a shift in methods from strangulation (38%), intoxication (28%), and fall from a height (19%) to fall from a height (50%), strangulation (18%), intoxication, and collision with a rail vehicle (14% each). There was a trend towards more suicides among non-German nationals during the early pandemic (suicide rate/100,000 inhabitants: German, 14.3 vs. 11.5; non-German, 4.4 vs. 8.8). Before the pandemic, 54% of the suicides were known to have a mental illness in contrast to 44% during the early pandemic. Overall, no increase in completed suicides could be observed in Frankfurt am Main during the early pandemic.
RESUMO
Mitral annulus calcification is a common finding in old people. In order to know the association of mitral annulus calcification with other pathologic conditions, 25 patients were studied by echocardiography, 20 females and 5 males. No significant differences _ere observed with respect to sex. The average age was 67 +/- 15 years. Mitral annulus calcification was associated with aortic sclerosis in 100% of the cases, to arterial hypertension in 19 (76%), to obstructive pulmonary disease in 8 (32%), to diabetes mellitus in 5 (20%), and to peripheral arterial insufficiency in 5 (20%). Mitral regurgitation was found in 14 cases, atrial fibrillation in 2 (8%). Complete A-V block was not observed, but there was enlargement of the left ventricle in 23 (92%) and of the left atrium in 17 (68%). The chest X-ray showed mitral annulus calcification in 5 (20%) with a sensitivity of 25% and a specificity of 100%. The M-mode echocardiogram showed LA-Ao ratio of 1.4 +/- 0.3, the mitral valve D-E excursion was reduced 11.9 +/- 3.1 mm. and also the E-F slope 28.6 mm/seg +/- 16.7 with appearance of mitral stenosis, but the two-dimensional study demonstrated that this was false. In all patients the left ventricle was dilated and fractional shortening was diminished. Echocardiography not only is a good diagnostic method for mitral annulus calcification, it also allow us to evaluate the hemodynamic consequences of this pathology which occurs in older patients and is often associated with other common illnesses of advanced age. In our study 56% of mitral annulus calcification cases were associated with mitral regurgitation.