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Biomedical subjects

E L Sampson

Publications and source records attributed to E L Sampson.

9 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2005

A systematic review of the scientific evidence for the efficacy of a palliative care approach in advanced dementia.

BACKGROUND: Patients with dementia often receive poor end-of-life care, with inadequate pain control and without access to the palliative care services that patients with cancer are offered. This has been identified as an area of need in recent UK. Government reports and by the Alzheimer's Society (UK). Our objective was to perform a systematic review of the scientific literature regarding the efficacy of a palliative care model in patients with dementia. METHODS: A systematic review was carried out to identify controlled trials that investigated the efficacy of palliative care in patients with dementia. Data sources included were Medline, EMBASE, PsycINFO, CINAHL, British Nursing Index, AMED, Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, Web of Science, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, International Standard Randomised Controlled Trial register, the NHS Economic Evaluation Database and the System for Information on Grey Literature in Europe. Other data was sourced from hand searches of papers identified on electronic databases and review articles. RESULTS: The search identified 30 review articles, but only four papers were eligible for full appraisal and only two of these met the full criteria for inclusion. These papers gave equivocal evidence of the efficacy for a palliative model of care in dementia. CONCLUSION: Despite the increased interest in palliative care for patients with dementia there is currently little evidence on which to base such an approach. This may in part be due to the ethical difficulties surrounding such research, prognostic uncertainty in clinicians and the lack of clear outcome measures for patients who are unable to express their needs or wishes. Further systematic research is urgently needed to educate an important and developing area of clinical practice.

Aged↗
PubMed2004

EEG abnormalities in frontotemporal lobar degeneration.

The EEG appearances in patients with frontotemporal lobar degeneration (FTLD) were compared with those in patients with Alzheimer disease (AD). EEG abnormalities were found in 61% of FTLD patients, with the degree of EEG abnormality increasing with dementia severity. There was no significant difference in the severity of EEG abnormality between the FTLD and AD patient groups. These data suggest a need for reappraisal of the role of the EEG in the diagnostic differentiation of FTLD from AD.

Alpha Rhythm↗
PubMed2004

Young onset dementia.

Young onset dementia is a challenging clinical problem with potentially devastating medical and social consequences. The differential diagnosis is wide, and includes a number of rare sporadic and hereditary diseases. However, accurate diagnosis is often possible, and all patients should be thoroughly investigated to identify treatable processes. This review presents an approach to the diagnosis, investigation, and management of patients with young onset dementia, with particular reference to common and treatable causes.

Age of Onset↗
PubMed2003

Vulnerability to neuroleptic side effects in frontotemporal lobar degeneration.

BACKGROUND: Frontotemporal lobar degeneration (FTLD) is commonly associated with behavioural disturbances such as disinhibition and aggression; these often result in the use of neuroleptic medication. METHODS: All available case notes of patients attending a specialist cognitive disorders clinic with a diagnosis of FTLD were selected. This gave 100 subjects (62 male, 38 female). RESULTS: In 61 patients significant behavioural disturbances were present. Of these patients, 24 had been prescribed neuroleptics. Significant extrapyramidal side effects were reported in eight patients (33%); in five patients these were severe enough to cause severe mobility problems and in one patient resulted in impaired consciousness. In some instances the extrapyramidal side effects took weeks to wear off. CONCLUSION: These results suggest that patients with FTLD may, as in Lewy body dementia, be particularly sensitive to the extrapyramidal side effects of neuroleptics. We suggest that neuroleptics should be used cautiously in FTLD and treatment should be started at low doses avoiding depot preparations until further prospective studies have been performed.

Adult↗
PubMed1965

Myelin Membrane: a molecular abnormality.

Myelin was isolated from cerebral white matter from a patient who had died of metachromatic leukodystrophy, and its lipid composition was analyzed. Although the lipid content was nearly normal, the myelin contained a three- to fourfold excess of cerebroside sulfate and a threefold deficiency of cerebroside compared to normal myelin. The deficiency of cerebroside and the excess of cerebroside sulfate may account for defective myelination in this disease.

Amino Alcohols↗