Search results for "Intensive Care Medicine"
showing 10 items of 2228 documents
Role of Cachexia and Fragility in the Patient Candidate for Cardiac Surgery
2021
Frailty is the major expression of accelerated aging and describes a decreased resistance to stressors, and consequently an increased vulnerability to additional diseases in elderly people. The vascular aging related to frail phenotype reflects the high susceptibility for cardiovascular diseases and negative postoperative outcomes after cardiac surgery. Sarcopenia can be considered a biological substrate of physical frailty. Malnutrition and physical inactivity play a key role in the pathogenesis of sarcopenia. We searched on Medline (PubMed) and Scopus for relevant literature published over the last 10 years and analyzed the strong correlation between frailty, sarcopenia and cardiovascular…
Integrated care pathways for airway diseases (AIRWAYS-ICPs)
2014
International audience; The objective of Integrated Care Pathways for Airway Diseases (AIRWAYS-ICPs) is to launch a collaboration to develop multi-sectoral care pathways for chronic respiratory diseases in European countries and regions. AIRWAYS-ICPs has strategic relevance to the European Union Health Strategy and will add value to existing public health knowledge by: 1) proposing a common framework of care pathways for chronic respiratory diseases, which will facilitate comparability and trans-national initiatives; 2) informing cost-effective policy development, strengthening in particular those on smoking and environmental exposure; 3) aiding risk stratification in chronic disease patien…
Necrotizing fasciitis of the face: A life-threatening condition
2009
Necrotizing fasciitis (NF) is a highly aggressive infectious process, polymicrobial in nature, involving soft tissues with a high risk of rapid spread through superficial and deep fascial planes and muscular layers. Cervical NF is quite rare, is mostly of odontogenic origin, and may be complicated by descendant mediastinitis with a very high mortality rate. Systemic conditions impairing the patient's immune competence, such as diabetes, may play a predisposing role. An effective treatment strategy includes prompt diagnosis (clinical findings, local microbiological tests, blood culture and, if deemed necessary, histopathology), broad-spectrum antibiotic therapy as early as possible which sho…
Diagnosis and management of asthma in the elderly.
2013
Bronchial asthma is one of the most common chronic diseases worldwide, and by definition not expected to recover with aging. However, the concept that asthma can affect older individuals has been largely denied in the past. In clinical practice, asthma that occurs in the most advanced ages is often diagnosed as COPD, thus leading to undertreatment or improper treatment. The heterogeneity of clinical and functional presentation of geriatric asthma, including the partial loss of reversibility and of the allergic component, contributes to this misconception. A large body of evidence has accumulated demonstrating that the prevalence of asthma in the most advanced ages is similar to that in youn…
Challenges in the pharmacological treatment of geriatric asthma
2016
ABSTRACTAsthma in older populations is characterized by frequent comorbid conditions, which increase the risk of side effects and of detrimental interactions between respiratory and non-respiratory drugs. These observations lead to the need to manage asthma in older populations by applying a multidimensional assessment and a multidisciplinary treatment; therefore, we favor the use of the ‘geriatric’ term to define asthma in the elderly. Geriatric asthma is a complex disease, which may not necessarily imply that it is also complicated, although the two conditions may often coexist. On this basis, the switch from an organ-driven management to the holistic approach may be the key factor to att…
The COVID-19 pandemic and physical activity
2020
The SARS-CoV-2-caused COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in a devastating threat to human society in terms of health, economy, and lifestyle. Although the virus usually first invades and infects the lung and respiratory track tissue, in extreme cases, almost all major organs in the body are now known to be negatively impacted often leading to severe systemic failure in some people. Unfortunately, there is currently no effective treatment for this disease. Pre-existing pathological conditions or comorbidities such as age are a major reason for premature death and increased morbidity and mortality. The immobilization due to hospitalization and bed rest and the physical inactivity due to sustained…
Chronic gout in the elderly
2013
Gout is the most common cause of inflammatory arthritis in men over 40 years old; it is a debilitating disease and, if untreated, can result in a chronic progressive disease, including tophaceous gout. In the elderly it represents a special issue, with notable clinical and therapeutic differences from the classical form with a systemic involvement. The burden of the disease increases particularly in the very old people, in whom arthritis, impaired gait and eyesight problems may enhance the related disability. Chronic gout moreover could aggravate heart and kidney disease and increase overall mortality and organ-related damage. Early diagnosis and appropriate treatment are important goals fo…
Comorbidities of Lung Disease in the Elderly
2017
Comorbidities are common in elderly individuals with chronic respiratory diseases. They can affect disease manifestations and severity and can even impact management. Comorbidities can affect the treatment of the lung disease, particularly because of the interaction with the respiratory drugs. Thus, a multidimensional approach with multidisciplinary intervention is suggested for elderly respiratory patients, switching from a disease-oriented scheme to a dysfunction-oriented approach. Unfortunately, older individuals are often excluded from clinical trials because of advanced age and comorbidities. This article reviews the role of comorbidities in the management of respiratory diseases in th…
The relevance of magnesium homeostasis in COVID-19
2021
Abstract Purpose In less than one and a half year, the COVID-19 pandemic has nearly brought to a collapse our health care and economic systems. The scientific research community has concentrated all possible efforts to understand the pathogenesis of this complex disease, and several groups have recently emphasized recommendations for nutritional support in COVID-19 patients. In this scoping review, we aim at encouraging a deeper appreciation of magnesium in clinical nutrition, in view of the vital role of magnesium and the numerous links between the pathophysiology of SARS-CoV-2 infection and magnesium-dependent functions. Methods By searching PubMed and Google Scholar from 1990 to date, we…