[Asthma in the elderly]. / Asthme du sujet agé.

Asthma in elderly is actually well individualized. Two entities are considered: Ageing asthmatics" who have had asthma since childhood, adolescence or adulthood and persisting after 65 years old. This situation is the most frequent. Late-onset asthmatics in persons 65 years old and more. Clinically, asthma in elderly is frequently represented by a dyspnoea at rest during the day. Diagnosis remains difficult because of the non-specifity of clinical symptoms and the frequency of comorbidity. Many differential diagnosis must be considered, dominated by congestive heart failure and COPD. Concerning treatment of asthma in the elderly, a few particularities should be known: prudence in the prescription of beta-2-adrenergic drugs. Anticholinergic drugs have a place in the treatment, contrary to younger asthmatics. A great importance to inhalation devices should be allowed because of their use difficulties in the elderly. The main goal of asthma management in the elderly is to improve the quality of life.

Vertebral tuberculosis revealed by thoracic manifestations. A study of five cases.

BACKGROUND: Spine is the most frequent location of bone tuberculosis, which can seldom be revealed by thoracic manifestations. METHODS: In a seven-years retrospective study, we reported radioclinical manifestations revealing Pott's disease, methods of diagnosis and the treatment outcome. RESULTS: Five non immunocompromised female patients were hospitalized between 1997 and 2003 in Clinical Department of Pulmonary Diseases in Abderrahmane Mami Hospital Ariana Tunisia, for thoracic manifestations that led to the diagnosis of Pott's disease, which represents 4.2% of extrapulmonary tuberculosis and 1.3% of all cases of tuberculosis cared for in the same period. The median age was 48.6 years. The disease was revealed by a paramediastinal radiographic shadow infiltrating the contiguous left lung in one case, abscesses of chest wall in two cases. Another patient was hospitalized for a tuberculous empyema. The last case had a diffuse miliary shadow in both lungs. All patients complained from thoracic or respiratory problems and constitutional symptoms, that evolved for an average of 5.6 months. Computed tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the spine identified monolevel spondylitis in two cases and multilevel disease in three cases. Diagnosis of tuberculous infection was confirmed in only one case by CT-guided biopsy of a perivertebral abscess, it was retained in three cases by bacteriological and or histopathological exams obtained from extra-vertebral lesions, and presumed in the fifth on a favorable treatment outcome. All patients had at least one extra-vertebral location of tuberculosis. Four patients were treated successfully with antituberculosis chemotherapy, prescribed for 18 to 22 months. Relapse occurred only in one patient, who received 12 months of treatment. CONCLUSION: Pott's disease can be observed in non immunocompromised patients. In the Lung Diseases Department, it is often revealed by thoracic manifestations and associated to pulmonary lesions, which makes the formal diagnosis easy. Here, vertebral tuberculosis does not have anatomical specificities; nevertheless, the multilevel forms are relatively frequent. It constitutes an index of bacillus dissemination, requiring the search for other extra-vertebral locations.

[Tracheobronchial foreign bodies. Diagnostic and therapeutic aspects in children]. / Corps étrangers trachéo-bronchiques de l'enfant. Aspects diagnostiques et thérapeutiques.

In this retrospective study, the authors reviewed 31 cases of tracheobronchial foreign body in children ranging in age from one to 15 years, recruited in Ariana hospital since 1987. 74% of the patients were male, and only 26% were less than 3 years old. The foreign body is mostly revealed by a radio-clinical presentation of a feverish bronchopneumonia (32%); children were referred to the hospital within 15.4 months. Although penetration syndrome was reported in 61% of patients, it represented the reason of consultation in only 19% of cases, and children were referred within 4.5 days. The main radiographic findings were atelectasis (32%) and non specific foci of pneumonia (19%). Air trapping was noted in just 10% of cases. 55% of foreign bodies were vegetable in nature, with sunflower seeds at the head of the list (16%). They have been lodged preferentially in the right bronchial tree (58%) and 51% of them were found in the mainstem bronchus. 71% were removed by endoscopic procedures; a surgical operation was performed in 6 cases (19%): one case of pneumotomy to extract a metallic foreign body from distal respiratory tract, and five cases of parenchymal excision, including four for bronchiectasis. 77% of patients had symptoms that lasted at least 2 weeks before diagnosis; the long delay in diagnosis (average of 7.6 months) explains the high-level of bronchiectasis in our study (22%). The authors emphasize the necessity to promote preventive measures by information parents and physicians on risks of foreign body aspiration, which early diagnosis can save much trouble in children.