Bronchopneumonia was found in one third of all autopsies at the VA hospital in Fayetteville, N.C. In about two thirds of the bronchopneumonia cases there was evidence of aspiration. The risk of bronchopneumonia is increased with old age, white race, length of hospital stay, and the presence of debilitating disease. This is particularly true in cases of cerebral arteriosclerosis, especially when associated with dysphagia. Aspiration due to dysphagia is a predominant cause of bronchopneumonia in these patients. The beginning of bronchopneumonia is usually insidious, the symptoms few, and the course often rapid. Meticulous preventive measures are more important than reliance upon diagnostic procedures and therapy.
During a three‐year follow‐up period a comparison was made of the plasma protein electrophoretic pattern and plasma and whole blood viscosity in 56 long‐term geriatric patients with arteriosclerotic heart disease (ASHD) and 20 “control” patients admitted after a recent attack of acute myocardial infarction (M. I.). The electrophoretic protein patterns were similar in both groups, with an increase in the height of the fibrogen peak and a decrease in the beta lipoprotein fraction. Whole blood viscosity usually was normal in the ASHD cases. In the cases of recent M. I., whole blood viscosity was normal or decreased in the patients treated with anticoagulants, and normal or increased in those who received no anticoagulant therapy. The electrophoretic data support the hypothesis of a lowered reserve of cholesterol‐binding protein in ASHD, resulting in cholesterol lability and an increased tendency toward deposition. Increased viscosity of the blood can contribute to mechanical failure of the heart, especially if damaged by M. I. The apparent increased incidence of ASHD in geriatric patients in this era of improved health care and updated diagnostic procedures is due to multiple factors which may not necessarily be present in each case. Some of these factors are discussed in relation to the data presented.
Fifty-one male patients who had been in a Veterans Administration neuropsychiatric hospital for an average of almost thirteen years underwent clinical and laboratory examinations to determine the degree of change in their condition since the last admission. The average age was 63 years (range, 29-88). N o consistent abnormalities were noted in blood viscosity, serum calcium or serum cholesterol.Although urinary 17-ketosteroid excretion was not related to age, it was related (low excretion) to osteoporosis. Plasma protein electrophoresis showed no relation between total lipoproteins and age. However, 1 2 of the 1 7 alpha, decreases and 17 of the 27 alphaz increases were in patients over 63. Chronic brain syndrome (chiefly associated with cerebral arteriosclerosis) became the predominant diagnosis after age 63.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.
hi@scite.ai
10624 S. Eastern Ave., Ste. A-614
Henderson, NV 89052, USA
Copyright © 2024 scite LLC. All rights reserved.
Made with 💙 for researchers
Part of the Research Solutions Family.