RESUMEN
The incidence of tuberculosis (TB) is increasing globally. The diagnbsis of TB in elderly is often delayed due to the atypical presentation. There is also therapeutic problems because of presence of comorbidity, nutritional and socio-economic factors and increased incidence of adverse drug reactions and mortality. A prospective study was conducted among patients presenting with pulmonary tuberculosis at the department of TB and respiratory medicine in a tertiary care hospital between January, 2006 to July, 2006. Thirty patients aged more than 65 years were studied for their clinical characteristics, comorbid illnesses, sputum status, radiological features and adverse drug reactions. They were contrasted against the same parameters in 40 patients aged 65 years or less. The study showed that pulmonary TB in the elderly is characterised by (a) atypical symptoms, (b) more extensive radiological lesion with lower zone preponderance, (c) higher sputum positivity, (d) more frequent comorbidity, (e) more frequent side-effects and (f) higher mortality.
Asunto(s)
Tuberculosis Pulmonar/epidemiología , Adulto , Factores de Edad , Anciano , Anciano de 80 o más Años , Antituberculosos/efectos adversos , Antituberculosos/uso terapéutico , Femenino , Humanos , Incidencia , India/epidemiología , Masculino , Persona de Mediana Edad , Estado Nutricional , Estudios Prospectivos , Factores Socioeconómicos , Tuberculosis Pulmonar/diagnóstico , Tuberculosis Pulmonar/tratamiento farmacológicoRESUMEN
Serum lipoproteins including lipoprotein(a), Lp(a), are emerging as possible biological markers for cerebrovascular disease. Existing data on Lp(a) and serum lipids levels following acute ischemic stroke (AIS) are however equivocal. To determine whether serum Lp(a) and other lipid levels obtained within 24 h of acute ischemic stroke onset changed over the ensuing 4 weeks and whether these levels are related to an acute phase response, acquired nutritional deficiency, and neurovascular data, we conducted repeated measurement analyses among 19 subjects (mean age 65.0 +/- 12.1 years; 32% women) presenting with AIS (evaluated within 9.7 +/- 12.7 h). Eleven of the subjects had a moderate-to-severe stroke, defined by NIH stroke severity scale, and seven patients had a large cerebral infarction. Seven serial measurements of Lp(a), total cholesterol, high density lipoprotein cholesterol, low density lipoprotein cholesterol, and other lipoproteins, major acute phase reactants and albumin levels were collected for each subject over 4 weeks. The mean initial levels, (mg/dl), of total cholesterol, LDL cholesterol, HDL cholesterol, triglycerides, Lp(a), apolipoproteins A-I and B were: 225 +/- 57.6, 154 +/- 56.0, 40 +/- 10.4, 181 +/- 93.7, 52 +/- 28.6, 130 +/- 24.6, and 141 +/- 46.1, respectively. There were no significant changes in mean serum lipid, apolipoprotein or Lp(a) levels over the 4-week study period, analyzed by a random effects model to test for time trend. In addition, there were no significant changes in established acute phase or nutritional markers (C-reactive protein, alpha 1-glycoprotein, haptoglobin or serum albumin). Our findings suggest that serum lipid, apolipoprotein and Lp(a) levels remain stable following AIS, consistent with the absence of acute phase response or nutritional deficiency.