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Biomedical subjects

U Fahrenkrog

Publications and source records attributed to U Fahrenkrog.

5 recordsLinked to original sources

[Exercise tests in spirometry].

Actual situation: There is a great variety of exercise programs (formerly called protocols) used in daily routine and general practice. Exercise programs vary with increments, step-duration, speed and grade, although standard recommendations have been published recently. In the USA, the Bruce program is widely accepted, although some criticism has been published. Comparing different exercise programs it is obvious, that maximal values (VO2, heart rate etc.) are only moderately affected by the program, but submaximal values are strongly influenced by the methodological procedure. Advantages and disadvantages of the different exercise testing procedures will be presented. As we need some standardized exercise programs to avoid "free-style ergometry", recommendations may be based on the following assumptions: Exercise testing should not be too short nor too long (10-12 min total test time), work rate increments should be intermediate (adapted to physical fitness), work rate steps should be about 2 min or an individualized ramp test should be used. Exercise test programs have to be selected according to the patient's fitness, to the disease or function to be studied, and to the laboratory setting. Standardization is strongly recommended.

Exercise Test

[Thyroid gland diseases in old age. Clinical aspects and therapy. Part 2: Hypothyroidism, bland struma, thyroid gland neoplasms].

Because of the slow lingering course of this disease, the diagnosis of hypothyroidism is generally made by chance particularly because the euthyroidism can change unobserved into manifest hypothyroidism. In old age the course of hypothyroidism may be oligosymptomatic: only adynamia and abnormal susceptibility to cold may be diagnosed. Because of the augmented oxygen requirement of tissues during therapy with thyroid hormones the medical treatment of hypothyroidism has to start - especially in old age - with a fractional part of the final dose. In old age bland struma more and more changes to nodular struma, where small autonomic areas are often developed. Conservative therapy with thyroid hormones predominates in this case. Radioiodotherapy is indicated when medical treatment has been without success and operation is contraindicated because of high risk. Cancer of the thyroid is important - with respect to differential diagnosis - especially in older patients. Cancer of the thyroid is most common in patients aged between 50-70 years, and the anaplastic carcinoma is the most frequently observed malignant growth of old age. Concerning therapy, a radical operation comes into consideration; if radical operation is combined with too high risks, remaining tissue may be treated by radioiodotherapy without danger.

Aged

[Thyroid diseases in old age. Clinical aspects and therapy. Part 1: Hyperthyroidism].

The clinical signs of thyroid disease in older people may differ considerably from those in younger patients. The symptoms are often incorrectly interpreted and attributed to old age. The age is also important to the kind of therapy. The normal clinical hyperthyroidism-indices are not relevant in the diagnosis of hyperthyroidism in older patients. Organic symptoms predominate in old age (loss of weight, muscular asthenia, tremor, cardiac arrhythmia, stenocardia, congestive cardiomyopathy). Most of the time they are wrongly interpreted as additional symptoms of old age. Probably it is not the age that causes the difficulties in hyperthyroidism-diagnostics in old age, but the atypical symptoms of solitary or multilocular adenomas, which increase with advancing age. A special symptom of hyperthyroidism in old age, often misinterpreted, is "apathetic" hyperthyroidism. Radioiodotherapy is indicated in older patients with hyperthyroidism.

Adenoma