[Cardiovascular risk associated with urolithiasis]. / Risque cardiovasculaire chez les lithiasiques.

OBJECTIVE: Urolithiasis appears to be associated with several cardiovascular risk factors (excess salt and animal proteins, hypertension, metabolic syndrome) and, more recently, the development of stroke. The authors describe the frequency of cardiovascular risk factors and cardiovascular events before and after management of urolithiasis. METHOD: The authors retrospectively collected data from patients born before 1956 and managed surgically or instrumentally for urolithiasis in our establishment in 1994 concerning the frequency of cardiovascular risk factors and the incidence of acute coronary syndrome, stroke or acute lower limb ischaemia before or after treatment of urolithiasis. RESULTS: Data were obtained for 33 patients, revealing 12 events including five previous events (four cases of acute coronary syndrome, one ischaemic stroke) and seven subsequent events (five cases of acute coronary syndrome with one death, one ischaemic stroke, one case of acute lower limb ischaemia) an average of 5.7 years after management. These 33 patients had an average of more than two risk factors. CONCLUSION: This retrospective study based on a small sample size demonstrated a high frequency of risk factors and cardiovascular events. This correlation needs to be studied in more detail. Urolithiasis could constitute an indirect cardiovascular risk factor dependent on "classical" risk factors, suggesting the need for integrated management of stone patients, in the same way as for patients with erectile dysfunction.

Early myocardial infarction during chemotherapy for testicular cancer.

A 36-year-old man with testicular cancer had an acute myocardial infarction during the first course of chemotherapy with bleomycin, etoposide and cisplatin. Since the patient had no significant risk factors for coronary heart disease, the infarction was likely to be attributable to the chemotherapy regimen. The physiopathological mechanisms of this causal relationship are discussed here.

A randomized comparison of the clinical and hormonal effects of two GnRH agonists in patients with prostate cancer.

OBJECTIVE: The aims of the study were (i) to compared the efficacy of the two long-acting GnRH agonists (GnRHa) triptorelin (Trp) and leuprolide (Leu) in men with prostate cancer and (ii) to assess the pattern of plasma testosterone levels following each injection of GnRHa. PATIENTS AND METHODS: 67 patients referred for prostate cancer not suitable for surgery were randomly allocated to two treatment regimens: 33 patients received 3.75 mg Trp i.m. at 4-week intervals for 3 months and 34 patients were treated with 3.75 mg Leu s.c. at the same rhythm of administration for 3 months. RESULTS: Clinical data at entry and assessed monthly during follow-up did not differ between the two groups. Plasma prostate-specific antigen (PSA) and testosterone were measured before, 24 and 72 h after each injection of GnRHa. During treatment, PSA dropped similarly in both groups. By month 2, testosterone was < 1.0 nmol/l in 77 and 48% of patients treated with Trp and Leu, respectively (p = 0.02). 24 and 72 h after GnRHa injection, 77 (Trp) and 56% (Leu) of patients had testosterone < 1.0 nmol/l (p < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: The second and third injections of GnRHa were not followed by a significant increase in testosterone. Trp induced a higher decrease in testosterone than did Leu. The implications in terms of survival should, however, be studied in a larger and longer study.

[Controlled study of the effects of Pygeum africanum extract on the functional symptoms of prostatic adenoma]. / Etude contrôlée des effets de l'extrait de Pygeum africanum sur les symptômes fonctionnels de l'adénome prostatique.

Two random groups of sixty patients each were given an extract of pygeum africanum in one group, and a placebo in the other. The results highlight the placebo effect (50 per cent of cases), and that the extract provided an overall improvement in the functional symptoms. The differences between the two treatments were statistically significant for nocturnal frequency, difficulty in starting micturition, and incomplete emptying of the bladder.