[Atrial fibrillation and thyroid nodules]. / Fibrillazione atriale e noduli tiroidei.

Our previous papers reported an association between atrial fibrillation and supracentimeter thyroid nodules. Recently we noticed that the number of patients admitted to our ward presenting this relationship, was higher than average data relating to whole world's population. In this study we tried to prove the existence of this association in a selected group of inpatients aged between 71 and 80. This to rule-out any age-related confounding factor. We enrolled one hundred inpatients, aged between 71-80. Each patient underwent TSH, FT3, FT4 determination, ECG and thyroid ultrasound examination. 55 males and 45 females: 25 with atrial fibrillation (group A) and 75 without atrial fibrillation (group B). In group A, 80% had supracentimeter thyroid nodules, whereas in group B, only the 6.7% showed supracentimeter thyroid nodules. The rate of supracentimeter thyroid nodules in inpatients without atrial fibrillation (group B) was in line with that found in many studies about whole world's population (4-10%). On the contrary, subjects with atrial fibrillation (group A) showed a rate of supracentimeter thyroid nodules significantly higher (p < 0.001). These findings confirm our previous studies even in more age homogeneous peoples. Moreover, they suggest a link between atrial fibrillation and thyroid nodules. Cytokines and growth factors (IGF-1, EGF, FGF) might act like a connection between nodule goitre and atrial fibrillation.

Non-thyroidal illness syndrome and short-term survival in a hospitalised older population.

BACKGROUND: non-thyroidal illness syndrome (NTIS) has been associated with an adverse clinical outcome. OBJECTIVE: to evaluate the prevalence of NTIS, its impact on patients' survival and the possible pathogenic role of systemic inflammation. DESIGN: observational cross-sectional analysis. PARTICIPANTS AND SETTING: three hundred and one acutely ill older patients (156 women; median age 81 years, range 65-101) consecutively admitted to a primary care unit. METHODS: serum FT(3), FT(4) and thyrotropin levels as well as acute inflammation indexes were evaluated. RESULTS: the NTIS prevalence (specifically low T3 syndrome) was 31.9%. A significant association was found between NTIS and acute renal failure (P = 0.006), New York Heart Association classification (NYHA) IV heart failure (P = 0.003) and metastasised cancer disease (P = 0.0002). Serum FT(3) values correlated inversely with serum C-reactive protein (P < 0.0001), lactate dehydrogenase (P = 0.0004), fibrinogen (P = 0.03) and erythrocyte sedimentation rate (P < 0.0001) values, and progressively decreased with increasing tertiles of age (P = 0.0004). The mortality rate was significantly higher (P = 0.0002) among patients with low T3 syndrome, which emerged as the sole predictive factor of death (odds ratio 4.3; 95% confidence interval 1.7-10.5). CONCLUSIONS: low T3 syndrome is very common in the hospitalised older population, emerging as the most sensitive independent predictor of short-term survival. Serum FT(3) determination should be included in the assessment of short-term prognosis of acutely ill older patients.

[Celiac disease and myelodysplastic syndrome. A case report]. / Un paziente con malattia celiaca e sindrome mielodisplastica.

Celiac disease is an immune-mediated disorder induced by the intake of gluten proteins involving primarily the gastrointestinal tract. Myelodysplastic syndromes are clonal hematologic disorders, expanded from myeloid stem cells of uncertain pathogenesis. Anaemia is a common finding in patients with celiac disease. Frequently it is secondary to malabsorption of iron, folic acid or vitamin B12 and usually disappears completely with a strict adherence to a gluten-free diet and supplement of deficient factors. To the best of our knowledge, in medical literature only two cases of myelodysplastic syndrome associated with celiac disease have been described. Here we describe the case of a patient affected by adult celiac disease who went into remission following a gluten free diet. Later a macrocytic anaemia without vitamin B12 or folate deficiency appeared. Hematologic tests showed findings consistent with refractory anemia with ring sideroblasts. The association of celiac disease with myelodysplastic syndromes seems not to be casual. It raises the hypothesis of a primitive immunological disorder in both diseases.

[Hypokalemia from ectopic ACTH secretion and hypothiroidism in patient affected by small cell lung cancer]. / Ipokaliemia da produzione ectopica di ACTH ed ipotiroidismo in paziente affetto da microcitoma.

Endocrin paraneoplastic syndromes are characterized by an ectopic hormonal production. The ectopic adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) secretion is often associated with small cell lung cancer. We report the case of 64-years-old man with persistent hypokalemia in Cushing's syndrome due to ectopic ACTH secretion. The patient was affected by small cell lung cancer and presented an hypothiroidism too. A proper chemotherapy resulted in remission of the hypokalemia, but the hypothiroidism was not influenced during our observation period.

[Pure red cell anaemia secondary to medullary B cell chronic lymphoproliferative disorders. A rare case]. / Aplasia eritroide pura secondaria a disturbo linfoproliferativo cronico midollare primario a cellule B. Un caso inusuale.

Acquired erythroblastopenia is rather rare, more frequent in adult or old male. In absence of anti EPO antibody, it's associate to inhibition of the erythroid growth mediated by suppressive T lymphocytes, generally T8 or NK or mediated by IgG antibody in association with timoma, lymphoproliferative or immunological disorders, and other diseases. The course usually is chronic and follows that of the associate pathology. We report a case with pure red cell anaemia associated to non classified medullary B cell lymphoproliferative disorder in an old woman with complete remission after steroid therapy.

Relationship between serum uric acid levels and urinary albumin excretion in patients with heart failure.

OBJECTIVES: Hyperuricaemia is a constant finding in patients with heart failure (HF). Upregulated xanthine-oxidase activity seems to contribute to progression of the disease through the production of oxidative stress and the development of vascular and endothelial dysfunction. On this basis we speculated that in HF serum uric acid levels correlated with a reliable marker of endothelial dysfunction as urinary albumin excretion. METHODS: Fifty-three patients with HF underwent assessment of serum uric acid, N-terminal probrain natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP), glomerular filtration rate (GFR), other metabolic parameters and determination of urinary albumin concentration (UAC) in a morning urine sample. RESULTS: In univariate analysis there is a direct correlation between serum uric acid levels and log UAC (r = 0.43, P < 0.01); uric acid correlates also positively with log NT-proBNP (r = 0.31, P < 0.05) and negatively with log-GFR (r = -0.38, P < 0.01). In stepwise regression analysis serum uric acid emerged as the only predictor of increased UAC (standardized coefficient = 0.42, P = 0.001) independent of other clinical determinants and metabolic factors. CONCLUSION: Serum uric acid represents the strongest predictor of elevated UAC in HF. Regression of albuminuria may be a simple target to verify the efficacy of xanthine-oxidase inhibition in these patients.

[New therapeutic strategies to the advanced non small cell lung cancer]. / Nuove strategie terapeutiche nel carcinoma polmonare non a piccole cellule metastatico.

Lung cancer is an elevated mortality disease in spite of conventional therapy. Today it is possible to identify some molecules, as the epidermal growth factor receptor, involved in the earliest molecular alterations ofcancerogenesis. Here we show the inhibitors of the epidermal growth factor receptor as a therapeutic mean.

[NT-proBNP in elderly inpatients: an useful marker for detecting heart failure?]. / NT-proBNP nei pazienti anziani: un valido marcatore per la diagnosi di scompenso cardiaco?

In this study we try to determine a cut off for detecting heart failure (HF) with the highest sensitivity and specificity in a population of hospitalized people aged > or = 65 years and to identify potential confounding variables for the interpretation of plasma concentration of the marker. We evaluated 212 consecutive patients admitted to our Department of Medicine, the only inclusion criterion being an age > or = 65 years. We identified a group with clinical and/or instrumental HF, and among remaining patients we selected a normal group without obvious cardiac disease. The strongest predictors of higher levels of NT-proBNP resulted age and free-triiodothyronine as in all models they were strongly associated with Log NT-proBNP. Using receiver-operating characteristics (ROC) curves, we found an optimal discriminatory value for detecting HF in 879 pg/ml for subjects aged between 65 and 74 years and 1658 pg/ml for subjects aged > or = 75 years. In elderly hospitalized patients the discriminatory cut offs of NT-proBNP for the diagnosis of HF are significantly higher than community derived reference values. Adjustments for the independent effects of age and other confounding variables appear necessary.

[Abdominal ultrasound features in heart failure]. / Reperti in corso di ecografia addominale di pazienti con scompenso di cuore.

Heart failure involves many organs and systems. Because of heart failure is one of the most common admission diagnosis in a Medical Ward, we sought their abdominal ultrasound features in addition to the cardiac ones.

[Venous thromboembolism risk in medical inpatients]. / Rischio di tromboembolismo venoso nel paziente internistico.

Venous thromboembolism is one of the main causes of morbidity and mortality in many diseases, either in medical or in surgical wards. The aim of this study is to determine its frequency in a medical ward and to find all the patients who need a prophylaxys. We examined all the inpatients admitted in our Department during a period of three years, selecting all subjects affected by venous thromboembolism. Patients affected by metastatic cancer, namely pancreatic one, or congestive heart failure showed higher risk to develope venous thromboembolism. A prompt heparinic prophylaxys could reduce thromboembolic events. Male gender could be a further risk factor.

Systemic amyloidosis: a clinical challenge.

This study reports a case of an 82-year-old white woman with a history of congestive heart failure refractory to diuretic therapy who was found to have systemic amyloidosis, confirmed by a rectal biopsy. Cardiac involvement by amyloid should be considered in the differential diagnosis of any patient with heart failure with preserved ventricular systolic function, who does not have evidence of ischaemic heart disease or hypertension. However, the rarity of this disease and the various involvement of different organs and tissues are often responsible for missed or delayed diagnosis. Systemic amyloidosis is a life-threatening disease but an early diagnosis may modify its course; therefore it is important to maintain a high clinical suspicion and to increase the awareness of this overlooked condition among clinicians.

Relationship between low T3 syndrome and NT-proBNP levels in non-cardiac patients.

OBJECTIVES: A low T3 syndrome was described in patients with heart failure (HF), and it appears to be associated with adverse outcome, representing an independent predictor of mortality. However, it is not known if low T3 levels contribute to the pathophysiology of HF. On the other hand, it has been seen that an elevation of brain natriuretic peptides (BNP and NT-proBNP) may represent a warning signal for future cardiovascular disease and may be an early marker of diastolic dysfunction. Therefore we tested the hypothesis that low levels of free-triiodothyronine (FT3) are sufficient to determine an increased concentration of the amino-terminal fragment of pro-brain natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP), as the result of an initial and asymptomatic cardiac impairment. METHODS: A total of 52 consecutive non-cardiac patients underwent thyroid function profile evaluation and NT-proBNP determination. On the basis of FT3 values they were divided in two subgroups: a low T3 group (19 patients) and a normal T3 group (33 patients). RESULTS: The median NT-proBNP concentration of patients with low T3 syndrome was significantly higher than in those with normal FT3 (370 vs. 120 pg/ml, P = 0.002). There is a strong and inverse correlation between FT3 and Log NT-proBNP (R = -0.47, P < 0.001); this relation persists in a multivariable regression analysis, after adjustment for other potentially confounding variables (P = 0.008). CONCLUSION: In absence of overt cardiovascular disease, patients with low T3 syndrome present an increased concentration of NT-proBNP. These data suggest that low FT3 levels may be a contributing factor for the development of cardiac dysfunction.

[Incidence of thyroid nodules in patients with and without atrial fibrillation]. / Incidenza di noduli tiroidei in pazienti con e senza fibrillazione atriale.

In one of our previous articles we noted that many patients affected by atrial fibrillation had more thyroid nodules > or = 10mm (38%) than general population (10%). These data are confirmed by a same number of patients without atrial fibrillation admitted to our Department of Internal Medicine. The high incidence of low-T3 syndrome is confirmed too.

[Clinical differences between heart failure versus ischemic patients]. / Pazienti a confronto: il malato scompensato e quello ischemico.

Heart failure represents a very common disease with high mortality, despite therapeutic and preventive measures. In order to evaluate the characteristics of heart failure patients, a case-control study was carried out, comparing sixty heart failure patients versus sixty patients who presented an evident atherosclerotic disease, but not heart failure. Among the differences we found, a higher heart rate, reduced levels of free-triiodothyronine and increased levels of serum uric acid in heart failure patients might directly contribute to its pathophysiology and represent potential therapeutic targets.

[Serum uric acid levels correlate with left ventricular ejection fraction and systolic pulmonary artery pressure in patients with heart failure]. / I livelli sierici di acido urico correlano con la frazione di eiezione del ventricolo sinistro e con la pressione arteriosa polmonare sistolica in pazienti con scompenso cardiaco.

The aim of this study was to elucidate whether in patients with heart failure (HF) serum uric acid (UA) levels correlated with left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) and systolic pulmonary artery pressure (SPAP). Fifty consecutive patients with heart failure underwent serum (UA) determination and echocardiographic examination, with measurement of LVEF and SPAP. Twenty healthy age-matched subjects served as controls. Mean serum UA in patients with HF were significantly higher that in controls (7.5 +/- 0.3 vs 4.5 +/- 0.3 mg/dl, P < 0.0001). In patients group serum UA correlated negatively with LVEF (R = -0.45, P < 0.01) and positively with SPAP (R = 0.51, P < 0.001); these relations persist in a multivariable regression analysis, after adjustment for other variables potentially confounding (P = 0.031 and P = 0.003, respectively). In patients with HF, serum UA correlates with LVEF and SPAP independently from other clinical determinants, supporting the possibility that the detection of progressive hyperuricemia in these patients may be an indicator of deteriorating cardiac function.

Amylase: a disease activity index in multiple myeloma?

This study reports a case of a patient with lambda-light chain multiple myeloma who developed a high hyperamylasaemia of the salivary type during the disease and soon afterwards died. Ectopic production of amylase by myeloma cells has been described in a few cases and demonstrated by tissue culture and immunohistochemical techniques. The common characteristics of these cases were: salivary amylase isoenzyme increase, high tumor mass, extensive extra-medullary spread, extensive bone destruction and poor prognosis. In patients with amylase-producing multiple myeloma, the onset of hyperamylasaemia heralds a rapid disease progression; therefore, in these patients, a simple test such as serum amylase may represent a reliable disease activity index and provide an additional prognostic information.

[Heart failure and cholelithiasis]. / Scompenso cardiaco e calcolosi biliare.

We previously found an high incidence of gallstone or cholecystectomy for lithiasis in patients affected by heart failure (52.1% up to 58.6%). As in general population the incidence of this disease is up to 38%, we tried to explain our findings.

Refractory generalized edema: an infrequent complication of long-term pergolide treatment for Parkinson disease.

Generalized edema is the result of increased interstitial fluid volume due to altered Starling forces or capillary endothelial damage. The authors present a patient with severe Parkinson disease who presented with increasing dyspnea, bilateral pleural effusion, and peripheral edema that was refractory to diuretics. Common causes of the severe loss of fluid into the extravascular space were ruled out and pergolide was suspected. Upon discontinuation of pergolide therapy, all signs of fluid retention resolved. This report emphasizes that pergolide should be considered a cause of otherwise unexplained generalized edema in patients with Parkinson disease on this therapy.

[Atrial fibrillation and thyroid gland]. / Fibrillazione atriale e tiroide.

Many diseases can lead to atrial fibrillation and one of these is thyroid disfunction. The prevalence of atrial fibrillation does not differ between subclinical and overt hyperthyroidism. Hypothyroidism also can be associated to atrial fibrillation. Low-T3 syndrome is considered a risk factor in cardiac patients. In 100 patients affected by atrial fibrillation we studied the thyroid function and performed ultrasound examination of the thyroid gland. 30 patients had a low-T3 syndrome, 66 (38 > or =10 mm) patients had thyroid nodules, while just 10 patients had an abnormal thyroid function. So, in patients affected by atrial fibrillation, we suggest to study the levels of thyroid hormones and, even if these are normal, to perform an ultrasound examination of the gland.