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Biomedical subjects

S Legrain

Publications and source records attributed to S Legrain.

23 records · Page 2Linked to original sources

[Subacute infectious endocarditis in the elderly. Retrospective study of 33 cases].

The authors reviewed 33 cases of infectious endocarditis in patients over 65 years of age and classified according to Von Reyn's diagnostic criteria. Twenty-four patients had organic valvular disease, 4 had a prosthetic valve, and in 4 cases the diagnosis of the murmur was uncertain. Positive blood cultures were obtained in 79 p. 100 of cases. The commonest infecting organism was the streptococcus (21 out of 26). In 11 patients, it was a Group D streptococcus and a recto-sigmoid colonic tumour was found in 3 cases. A dental portal of entry was suspected in 55 p. 100 of patients and this should guide the choice of prophylactic antibiotic therapy. The initial choice of antibiotic had to be changed in 19 patients, usually because of poor tolerance. Eight patients died and one underwent valve replacement within two months of hospital admission.

Aged↗

Systemic polyarteritis nodosa diagnosed at hysterectomy.

A 61-year-woman was referred because of declining general health. A diagnosis of uterine malignancy was suspected on the basis of uterine enlargement and an elevated erythrocyte sedimentation rate. Hysterectomy was performed, and histologic examination revealed necrotizing vasculitis affecting the ovaries, fallopian tube, and uterus. Muscle biopsy showed typical periarteritis nodosa lesions. Despite the scarcity of such cases, the incidental finding of necrotizing arteritis in a surgical uterine specimen warrants further investigation to determine if the vasculitic process is localized.

Female↗

[Heart insufficiency in the elderly].

Congestive heart failure in the elderly differs from the one in the younger. The ageing of the cardiovascular system makes the organism weaker. When a myocardial infarction or an other cardiovascular disease happens, the occurrence of congestive heart failure is precipitated. The symptoms which are often misleading and the polypathologies make the assumption of relationship difficult between a symptom like dyspnea and congestive heart failure. Further examinations are limited because of the reduced physical performances in the elderly (stress test) or because of an increased risk of side-effects (coronary angiogram). The echocardiography has a central role in the exploration of congestive heart failure. The medical treatment has the same principles than in the younger but with cautions especially regarding the renal insufficiency and the multiple treatments that an elderly patient has.

Age Factors↗