Acta Clinica Belgica最新文献

Objectives: The complex and expensive medical care for a rising number of older patients presents a significant challenge to the health care system. Identifying cost-effective preventive interventions and systematically applying them in the elderly population could help address this challenge. Frailty assessments could prove to be valuable tools by identifying at-risk individuals to which these interventions would be offered. This review seeks to provide the reader with an overview of frailty and explain how frailty assessments could contribute to daily practice.

Methods: PubMed was searched for articles concerning frailty assessment (July 2013). Articles discussing prominent frailty models and articles primarily focused on comparing frailty assessments in the home-dwelling population were used for this article. Domus Medica was searched for guidelines concerning the use of frailty in Belgian primary care.

Results: Several notable models of frailty are summarized and discussed to provide the reader with an overview of available frailty assessments. Frailty screening modalities in primary care are discussed, as well as the current recommendations for the use of frailty assessments in Belgian primary care. The advantages of a systematic frailty assessment in primary care and other settings are highlighted.

Conclusion: This article recommends the assessment of frailty status as a screening tool for the evaluation of the older person in primary care. An overview of available frailty models is offered for this purpose. A consensus should be reached on which model is most appropriate. The screening for frailty promotes early intervention and timely involvement of specialists with the purpose of avoiding unfavourable outcomes, such as death or disability.

Objectives: The D-dimer level, fibrinogen level, and D-dimer/fibrinogen ratio are used in the diagnosis of pulmonary embolism, but results vary. We evaluated these parameters in the diagnosis of pulmonary embolism in emergency clinic patients.

Methods: In this prospective study, 200 patients (pulmonary embolism, 100 patients; no pulmonary embolism, 100 patients) had D-dimer and fibrinogen levels measured before intervention. Pulmonary embolism was diagnosed with computed tomography angiography or ventilation-perfusion scintigraphy.

Results: Compared with patients who did not have pulmonary embolism, patients who had pulmonary embolism had significantly greater mean D-dimer level (pulmonary embolism, 6±7 μg/ml; no pulmonary embolism, 1±1 μg/ml; P⩽0·001) and D-dimer/fibrinogen ratio (pulmonary embolism, 3±3; no pulmonary embolism, 0·4±0·4; P⩽0·001), but similar mean fibrinogen levels (pulmonary embolism, 337±184 mg/dl; no pulmonary embolism, 384±200 mg/dl; not significant). In patients who had pulmonary embolism, mean D-dimer level and D-dimer/fibrinogen ratio were greater in high-risk than non-high-risk patients. With D-dimer cutoff 0·35 μg/ml, sensitivity was high (100%) and specificity was low (27%) for pulmonary embolism. With D-dimer/fibrinogen ratio cutoff 0·13, sensitivity was high (100%) and specificity was low (37%) for pulmonary embolism.

Conclusion: A D-dimer level <0·35 μg/ml may exclude the diagnosis of pulmonary embolism. At a D-dimer cutoff 0·5 μg/ml and D-dimer/fibrinogen ratio cutoff 1·0, the D-dimer/fibrinogen ratio may have better specificity than D-dimer level in the diagnosis of pulmonary embolism, but the D-dimer/fibrinogen ratio may lack sufficient specificity in screening.

We present the case of a 27-year-old immunocompetent man who progressively developed a generalized lymphadenopathy and B symptoms. Results of Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) serology were suggestive for a past infection, but the EBV viral load in whole blood was high. Also, core needle biopsy of the largest lymph node showed an image which could fit an EBV-driven reactive lymphoproliferation. Despite the absence of an immune disorder, all medical evidence points to an EBV-driven lymphoproliferative proces. In immunocompetent patients, it seems extremely uncommon to detect a high EBV viral load in the absence of serological evidence of an acute EBV infection or reactivation. We reviewed literature on this topic and on the selection of the appropriate sample type for EBV PCR, as this is known to be a critical point. Serological testing for the diagnosis of EBV infection is the gold standard in immunocompetent patients. Measuring EBV viral load is only recommended when dealing with immunocompromised patients. Although extremely rare, this case report shows that there is a place for EBV PCR in certain situations in immunocompetent patients. Besides, there is still no consensus regarding the specimen of choice for the determination of the EBV viral load. The preferred specimen type seems to depend on the patient's underlying condition.

Objective and importance: Physicians are likely to encounter patients with penis disorders and can be caught off guard by these uncommon pathologies, especially because they occur in a sensitive anatomical location.

Clinical presentation: Here, we report the case of a patient presenting with benign transient lymphangiectasis of the penis (BTLP), including its differential diagnosis and treatment. Conclusion headings: BTLP is not an uncommon pathology and diagnosis is based only on medical history and clinical examination. The differentiation between Mondor's disease and BTLP is not necessary for treatment.

Bluish vomiting is a symptom of poisoning that is rarely seen in Western emergency departments. Consequently, physicians are not aware of the diagnosis, complications, and treatment of this unusual form of intoxication. In this article, we report a case of bluish vomiting that occurred after an accidental ingestion of copper sulphate. In the discussion, we review three life-threatening causes of bluish vomiting (copper sulphate, boric acid, and paraquat ingestion), and we discuss their respective clinical manifestations, specificities, complications, and management therapies.

The gold standard for laboratory diagnosis of schistosomiasis is the presence of typical eggs in stool or urine. The laboratory diagnosis of schistosomiasis and Katayama syndrome in returning travellers is difficult because the number of excreted eggs is often very limited. In early infections and in patients with only a few contacts with contaminated water, the total number of parasites, migrating larvae or schistosomulae, and adult worms, is very low. Eggs can only be found in faeces or urine when there is at least one pair of adult worms at the final location. The number of parasites increases as a function of the number of contacts with infected water. The exact latency between contamination and egg production is unknown. It is estimated that excretion of eggs starts after 40-50 days. The specific diagnosis of early schistosomiasis and Katayama fever relies essentially on serologic tests or preferably on PCR (if available). These assays are much more sensitive (up to four times) in the early phase of schistosomiasis than microscopic examination for typical eggs. Eosinophilia (sometimes exceeding 50%) is often present in patients with acute schistosomiasis (Katayama fever), but may be limited or absent in late fibrotic manifestations of the disease.

The diagnosis of thoracopulmonary actinomycosis is challenging because it is a rare disease, symptoms are aspecific and can mimic a lot of other lung pathologies. Especially the differential diagnosis with pulmonary tuberculosis is difficult because clinical symptoms are often very similar. We present a case of thoracopulmonary abcedating actinomycosis in a young immunocompetent man with no predisposing illness. He was initially treated for pulmonary tuberculosis. He showed good response to IV penicillin, which was later switched to oral amoxicillin when he went home.

Objective and importance: Postprandial reactive hypoglycaemia (PRH) is a clinical syndrome characterized by the recurrence of symptomatic hypoglycaemia during postprandial periods. PRH remains a diagnostic challenge for clinicians, because of its atypical manifestations and low prevalence, especially in older persons.

Clinical presentation: We report the diagnostic work-up of severe hypoglycaemic episodes in a very old patient in whom the diagnosis of PRH was made.

Intervention: We prescribed acarbose, an alpha-glucosidase inhibitor, to this patient to prevent the recurrence of hypoglycaemic episodes. Four years later, acarbose was always used and no further episode of hypoglycaemia had occurred. Based on the literature, we discuss the limited value of endocrine tests as well as the efficacy of the therapeutic approaches.

Conclusion: Prescription of acarbose is useful in addition to nutritional education, the corner stone of the treatment, to avoid the recurrence of severe hypoglycaemic events due to PRH.