ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: One of the crucial challenges for the future of therapeutic approaches to Alzheimer's disease (AD) is to target the main pathological processes responsible for disability and dependency. However, a progressive cognitive impairment occurring after the age of 70, the main population affected by dementia, is often related to mixed lesions of neurodegenerative and vascular origins. Whereas young patients are mostly affected by pure lesions, ageing favours the occurrence of co-lesions of AD, cerebrovascular disease (CVD) and Lewy body dementia (LBD). Most of clinical studies report on functional and clinical disabilities in patients with presumed pure pathologies. But, the weight of co-morbid processes involved in the transition from an independent functional status to disability in the elderly with co-lesions still remains to be elucidated. Neuropathological examination often performed at late stages cannot answer this question at mild or moderate stages of cognitive disorders. Brain MRI, Single Photon Emission Computed Tomography (SPECT) with DaTscan®, amyloid Positron Emission Tomography (PET) and CerebroSpinal Fluid (CSF) AD biomarkers routinely help in performing the diagnosis of underlying lesions. The combination of these measures seems to be of incremental value for the diagnosis of mixed profiles of AD, CVD and LBD. The aim is to determine the clinical, neuropsychological, neuroradiological and biological features the most predictive of cognitive, behavioral and functional impairment at 2 years in patients with co-existing lesions. METHODS: A multicentre and prospective cohort study with clinical, neuro-imaging and biological markers assessment will recruit 214 patients over 70 years old with a cognitive disorder of AD, cerebrovascular and Lewy body type or with coexisting lesions of two or three of these pathologies and fulfilling the diagnostic criteria for dementia at a mild to moderate stage. Patients will be followed every 6 months (clinical, neuropsychological and imaging examination and collection of cognitive, behavioural and functional impairment) for 24 months. DISCUSSION: This study aims at identifying the best combination of markers (clinical, neuropsychological, MRI, SPECT-DaTscan®, PET and CSF) to predict disability progression in elderly patients presenting coexisting patterns. TRIAL REGISTRATION: NCT02052947 .
Subject(s)
Alzheimer Disease/cerebrospinal fluid , Alzheimer Disease/diagnostic imaging , Cerebrovascular Disorders/cerebrospinal fluid , Cerebrovascular Disorders/diagnostic imaging , Lewy Body Disease/cerebrospinal fluid , Lewy Body Disease/diagnostic imaging , Aged , Aged, 80 and over , Alzheimer Disease/psychology , Biomarkers/cerebrospinal fluid , Cerebrovascular Disorders/psychology , Cognition Disorders/cerebrospinal fluid , Cognition Disorders/diagnostic imaging , Cognition Disorders/psychology , Cognitive Dysfunction/cerebrospinal fluid , Cognitive Dysfunction/diagnostic imaging , Cognitive Dysfunction/psychology , Disease Progression , Female , Humans , Lewy Body Disease/psychology , Magnetic Resonance Imaging/methods , Male , Predictive Value of Tests , Prospective Studies , Tomography, Emission-Computed, Single-Photon/methodsABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: Few recent studies have examined the characteristics of ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) among elderly patients managed in emergency departments (EDs). AIMS: To describe the clinical characteristics and management of elderly STEMI patients in EDs. METHODS: This retrospective, multicentre study involved STEMI patients aged ≥ 75 years admitted to four different EDs in the city of Lyon between 2004 and 2008. RESULTS: Among 255 patients, reasons for admission to the ED included chest pain (41.2%), faintness and/or fall (15.7%), dyspnoea (15.7%), digestive symptoms (9.8%), impaired general condition (6.7%) and delirium (5.0%). Compared with those who presented with chest pain, patients admitted for other reasons waited longer before going to the hospital (prehospital delay< 12 hours: 32.0% vs 73.3%; P<0.001), presented with more severe clinical symptoms (Killip score≥III: 28.0% vs 10.5%; P=0.001), waited longer to be examined in the hospital (waiting time > 1 hour: 36.0% vs 11.4%; P<0.001), were less likely to receive reperfusion therapy (40.7% vs 77.1%; P<0.001) and had a higher mortality rate at 1 month (42.7% vs 21.0%; P<0.001). Such atypical symptoms are more common among patients with cognitive impairment and/or communication difficulties. CONCLUSION: Atypical clinical symptoms of STEMI are common and severe among elderly patients in EDs. Thus, rapid provision of an electrocardiogram to all elderly patients admitted to the ED is essential, even in the absence of cardiovascular symptoms.
