Nihon Ronen Igakkai zasshi. Japanese journal of geriatrics
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Nihon Ronen Igakkai Zasshi · Jan 2005
Review[Expectation of new treatments for idiopathic interstitial pneumonias].
Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF), a chronic form of idiopathic interstitial pneumonia, has a poor prognosis with an average life expectancy of 3-4 years from the time of diagnosis. Although patients with IPF have been treated with steroids or immunosuppressants to control the inflammation that occurs earlier in the course of disease, these drugs have not improved the survival of patients with IPF. Recently, several clinical studies of antifibrotic drugs have been conducted in patients with IPF. ⋯ In a study of patients with pulmonary fibrosis associated with Hermansky-Pudlak syndrome in the United States, pirfenidone slowed the decrease in %FVC in patients with a %FVC of >60%, but had no significant effects on patients with a %FVC of < or =60%. Large-scale clinical studies of INF-gamma in patients with IPF in North America and Europe have reported decreases in the mortality of patients with mild IPF with a FVC of >60%, although percentages of patients with disease status rated as 'exacerbated', 'unchanged' and 'improved' after treatment did not differ between the INF-gamma and placebo groups. This presentation reported important future strategies for the treatment of IPF.
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Nihon Ronen Igakkai Zasshi · Nov 2003
Case Reports[A case of serious aspiration pneumonia associated with multiple cerebral infarctions and Alzheimer's disease followed by hospital and home care service team].
A 81-year-old man, who had been diagnosed in multiple cerebral infarction and Alzheimer's disease, was followed up in his local clinic since 1997. He had been bedridden before admission, but could eat. He was admitted with severe aspiration pneumonia in December 1999. ⋯ Besides periodic visits by his family physician, a 24-hour house visit system was introduced to control his IVH and deal with his family members' anxiety. His general condition, thereafter, has not markedly changed. The patient has continuously received medical treatment for 14 months after being discharged and his condition is stable.
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Nihon Ronen Igakkai Zasshi · Sep 2003
[Factors related to discrepancy in evaluation on functional capacity between reports by community-dwelling older people with cognitive decline and their family members].
Overestimation or underestimation of functional capacity in community-dwelling older people with cognitive impairment was evaluated between the responses of subjects and family members (proxies) by cognitive function level. Out of all the residents aged 65 years and over living in Yoita town, Niigata Prefecture in 2000 (n = 1,673), 1,544 voluntarily participated in the interview survey held at community halls or at home (92.3% response). They underwent the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) for assessment of cognitive function and answered questionnaires comprising socio-demographic, psychological, physical and medical, and social activity items (2000/11). ⋯ SCD subjects significantly overestimated total and Instrumental Self-Maintenance scores in TMIG-IC more than control or SCD subjects. Multiple logistic regression analyses indicated that complaints of memory by the proxy, response by spouse, and higher levels of education were extracted as significantly independent variables affecting overestimation for functional capacity. On the other hand, aging affected underestimation.