RESUMO
The Maracaibo Aging Study is a longitudinal, population-based, one-step multidisciplinary study of age-related diseases, with a particular focus on memory-related disorders, among subjects over 55 years living in a neighborhood of the city of Maracaibo, Venezuela. Three phases were scheduled for this study. First, a door-to-door survey was conducted in order to build a registry and to obtain general and sociodemographic characteristics. During the second phase, information regarding changes in the abilities of the subjects was collected. The third phase consisted of a full neuropsychiatric examination, cardiovascular evaluation, nutritional assessment, neuropsychological testing, routine laboratory tests and genetic analysis. 3,657 subjects were surveyed between January and August, 1998. There were more women than men, and the average number of years of formal education was low, particularly among women. The limitations and strengths of the study are discussed.
Assuntos
Envelhecimento , Doenças Cardiovasculares/epidemiologia , Transtornos Cognitivos/epidemiologia , Demência/epidemiologia , Idoso , Idoso de 80 Anos ou mais , Doenças Cardiovasculares/diagnóstico , Transtornos Cognitivos/diagnóstico , Comorbidade , Demência/diagnóstico , Demografia , Feminino , Inquéritos Epidemiológicos , Humanos , Estudos Longitudinais , Masculino , Pessoa de Meia-Idade , Testes Neuropsicológicos , Estado Nutricional , Projetos Piloto , Estudos Prospectivos , Inquéritos e Questionários , Venezuela/epidemiologiaRESUMO
A 66-year-old woman developed chronic congestive heart failure after myocardial infarction of the anterior wall of the left ventricle. Angiographic studies revealed total proximal occlusion of the left anterior descending coronary artery and a large saccular aneurysm located on the anteroapical aspect of the left ventricle. Resection of a false aneurysm at operation resulted in improved cardiac function, and the patient made an uneventful recovery. Repeat evaluation six months later confirmed normal cardiac hemodynamics and left ventricular angiographic characteristics. To our knowledge, this is the first documented case of normalized heart function resulting from resection of a false aneurysm of the left ventricle. Functional classification according to the New York Heart Association improved dramatically, rising from Class IV preoperatively to Class I after operation.
RESUMO
A patient with severe pulmonary hypertension and no evidence of right ventricular failure who had a 4 mm "a" dip on the pulmonic valve echocardiogram is reported. Although other echocardiographic abnormalities suggesting pulmonary hypertension were recorded in our patient, the normal "a" dip of the pulmonic valve in the absence of right ventricular failure appears to be an exception to previously reported findings. We suggest motion of the entire pulmonary artery as an explanation for this phenomenon.
