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The body's inflammatory response to surgery likely plays an important role, at least in elderly patients. Various research initiatives during recent years have evaluated whether actions taken before, during and after surgery can lessen the possible deleterious effects of inflammation. For example, anti-inflammatory agents can be given before ...
The diagnosis of hepatic encephalopathy is a clinical one, once other causes for confusion or coma have been excluded; no test fully diagnoses or excludes it. Serum ammonia levels are elevated in 90% of people, but not all hyperammonaemia (high ammonia levels in the blood) is associated with encephalopathy.
The serum-ascites albumin gradient (SAAG) is probably a better discriminant than older measures (transudate versus exudate) for the causes of ascites. [12] A high gradient (> 1.1 g/dL) indicates the ascites is due to portal hypertension. A low gradient (< 1.1 g/dL) indicates ascites of non-portal hypertensive as a cause. [13]
When the steroid treatment ended after a year, the patent's confusion and disorganized appearance stopped immediately. Within several weeks, testing showed strong improvement in almost all cognitive functions. His doctors were surprised at the improvement, since the results were inconsistent with a diagnosis of dementia or Alzheimer's.
Untreated Budd-Chiari syndrome can result in liver failure. [1] It is usually seen in younger adults, with the median age at diagnosis between 35 and 40 years, and it has a similar incidence in males and females. [2] It is a very rare condition, affecting one in a million adults. [3] [2] The syndrome can be fulminant, acute, chronic, or ...
In general, people are more sensitive to pleural effusions then ascites; much smaller effusions can cause symptoms. [6] Most people have progressive difficulty breathing and reduced exercise tolerance. Rarely, there may be acute cases that accumulate fluid rapidly and result in circulatory collapse. [7]
Stress, hypometabolism, and oxidative damage may decrease physiologic reserve in the elderly and can lead to a decrease in neuron energy production and an increase in neuron damage. [12] Thioredoxin reductase is an antioxidant that neutralizes oxidative free radicals that can cause cell death. The brain is vulnerable to oxidative free radicals ...
The serum-ascites albumin gradient (SAAG) is the most useful index for evaluating peritoneal fluid and can help distinguish ascites caused by portal hypertension (cirrhosis, portal vein thrombosis, Budd-Chiari syndrome, etc.) from other causes of ascites. SAAG is calculated by subtracting the albumin measure of ascitic fluid from the serum value.