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O Fain

Publications and source records attributed to O Fain.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2003

[Compression of the spinal cord revealing a seronegative rheumatoid arthritis].

INTRODUCTION: Craniocervical junction damages may result in a compression of the spinal cord. They may be caused by infectious, tumoral or inflammatory processes. Rheumatoid arthritis is probably among rheumatic diseases the most frequent cause of atlantoaxial arthritis. Nevertheless involvement of the craniocervical junction as the presenting symptom of rheumatoid arthritis is a very rare feature. EXEGESIS: We report the case of a 61 years old woman who presented with atlantoaxial involvement and spinal cord compression one year before the diagnosis of a seronegative rheumatoid arthritis. CONCLUSION: Symptomatic craniocervical junction damages may appear. Patients with damages of the craniocervical junction and negative investigations should be followed long-term; an underlying inflammatory disease may become evident after significant delay.

Arthritis, Rheumatoid↗
PubMed2002

[Neonatal cutaneous lupus. Necessary interdisciplinary collaboration].

INTRODUCTION: Neonatal lupus erythematosus is a rare syndrome (affecting 5% of the children born of mothers with lupus), characterized essentially by cutaneous lesions and/or congenital auricular-ventricular heart block. It is due to the transplacental passage of maternal antibodies (anti-SSA or anti-SSB, or occasionally anti-U1RNP antibodies) into the fetal circulation. OBSERVATION: We report a case of neonatal lupus erythematosus, having appeared 4 weeks after birth. The 26 years old mother exhibited systemic lupus erythematosus concomitant to Gougerot-Sjögren's syndrome, with positive antinuclear factors (1/2560), native anti-DNA, anti-SSA and anti-SSB antibodies and anticardiolipin antibodies. During pregnancy, the mother had been treated with aspirin at the dose of 100 mg/day, followed by subcutaneous enoxaparin 0.4 ml/day, and combined with prednisone 10 mg/d and hydroxychloroquine 400 mg/day. Early and regular cardiac monitoring of the foetus was performed. The clinical examination and the electrocardiogram at birth were normal. Four weeks later, the infant presented with erythematous cutaneous lesions with atrophic center. No systemic treatment was initiated and the lesions partially regressed. CONCLUSION: Cutaneous lesions can also appear after the 4th week of life. It is important that the pediatricians clinically monitor all the children born to mothers exhibiting anti-SSA or anti-SSB antibodies, at least during the first 7 months of life.

Adult↗
PubMed2002

[Pseudotumoral enterocolic phlebitis of the cecum and rutoside. A case report].

INTRODUCTION: Enterocolic phlebitis is an entity characterized by ischemic injury of the gastrointestinal tract caused by thrombophlebitis of the mesenteric veins without arterial involvement or systemic disease. EXEGESIS: We report a case of enterocolic phlebitis in a 57-year-old female treated by rutoside, revealed by intestinal obstruction related to a pseudotumoral lesion of the caecum. CONCLUSION: This case adds to the four cases of enterocolic phlebitis under rutoside already reported in the literature, suggesting a possible involvement of this drug in this rare disease.

Cecal Diseases↗
PubMed2002

[Taste disorders].

PURPOSE: This review focuses on the present state of the question about taste disorders with reference to their associated factors, diagnostic methods, and potential effects. CURRENT KNOWLEDGE AND KEY POINTS: Taste disorders may be induced by many drugs and are associated to a number of acute or chronic diseases. Patients may be asked about their taste complaints, and taste thresholds may be determined by electrogustometry or chemical gustometry. Taste impairment may provide a good indicator to the course of some diseases such as diabetes mellitus in which hypogeusia predicts occurrence of degenerative complications. Dysgeusia may induce nutritional disorders and contribute to wasting in chronic liver disease, cancer, or human immunodeficiency virus infected patients. Mechanisms involved in dysgeusia are more than one in a patient. Taste disturbance may be secondary to a variety of causes that include zinc deficiency, lesions of the lingual epithelium, neurological impairment, and a pharmacological effect. FUTURE PROSPECTS AND PROJECTS: A better understanding of the transduction mechanisms of the gustatory signal and the main pathogenic factors involved in dysgeusia may possibly improve the follow-up of the concerned patients notably in terms of nutritional status.

Acute Disease↗
PubMed2002

[Ovarian vein thrombophlebitis and post-partum fever].

INTRODUCTION: Ovarian vein thrombophlebitis (OVT) is a rare but potentially threatening complication of the postpartum period. Diagnosing it may be of some difficulty especially in case of symptoms mimicking appendicitis or pyelonephritis. EXEGESIS: We report 2 patients with postpartum right OVT. The clinical presentation included high grade fever, and pain, lumbar in one case, of the right flank in the other. Pulmonary embolism complicated both cases. CONCLUSION: Diagnostic and therapeutic management of OVT was transformed by progresses in medical imaging during the 1980's. However, optimal duration of anticoagulant treatment and secondary prevention indications have to be determined.

Adult↗
PubMed2002

[Peritoneal tuberculosis: 27 cases in the suburbs of northeastern Paris].

SETTING: Peritoneal tuberculosis did not disappear from France during the 1990s. OBJECTIVE: To determine the characteristics of peritoneal tuberculosis in the north-eastern suburbs of Paris. METHOD: A retrospective study of cases diagnosed with peritoneal tuberculosis between 1990 and 1998 in five suburban hospitals in the north-east region of Paris. RESULTS: Twenty-seven cases of adult peritoneal tuberculosis were diagnosed. There were nine women and 18 men, with a mean age of 37.5 years, 88.9% of whom were foreign born. General and digestive symptoms--abdominal pain and/or ascites--were present in 96.3% of the cases. The mean delay in treatment was 30 days. Peritoneal involvement was isolated in 25.9% of cases, and associated with pulmonary tuberculosis in 40.7% or hepatic tuberculosis in 25.9%. Co-infection with HIV (human immunodeficiency virus) was present 14.8% of cases. Culture of ascites fluid, laparoscopy and/or laparotomy (n = 17), with directed biopsy, aided in the formal diagnosis of peritoneal tuberculosis in 59.2%. One relapse and one case of multiresistance were observed. The mean duration of treatment was 9 months (range 6-12 months). Three patients received treatment with corticosteroids, and 91.2% of the patients achieved cure without sequelae. CONCLUSION: Peritoneal tuberculosis is not rare in the Paris region. The diagnosis should be suspected in case with ascites and fever, and can be confirmed by laparoscopy with sampling for bacteriology and histology. The methods of treatment need to be standardised.

Abdominal Pain↗
PubMed2001

[Rapid regression of prolonged pagophagia after treatment of iron deficiency].

BACKGROUND: Pica is an eating disorder characterized by the irrepressible and elective craving for food and non-food substances. Pagophagia is a particular form characterized by an ingestion of ice, often associated with iron deficiency. We report a case of intense and prolonged pagophagia. We also analyse literature about the nature of the link between pica and iron deficiency. CASE REPORT: A forty-two year old woman was admitted for severe anaemia secondary to iron deficiency possibly related to chronic gynaecological bleeding. A diet investigation revealed a pagophagia of about eighty ice cubes per day developing over five years. Iron supplement corrected the anaemia and the pagophagia disappeared in less than fifteen days without recurrence in the following year. CONCLUSION: The disappearance of pagophagia after the correction of iron deficiency supports the theory that pagophagia could well be a symptom of iron deficiency.

Adult↗
PubMed2001

[Perception of pica and its relationship with iron deficiency by hospital physicians in the Paris area].

OBJECTIVES: To ascertain the attitude of hospital physicians in the Paris area concerning pica and its relation to iron deficiency and to compare findings with data in the literature. METHODS: An anonymous questionnaire was sent to 174 department heads of specialty units caring for iron deficiency patients: internal medicine (n = 56), hepatogastroenterology (n = 39), hematology (n = 13), gynecology and obstetrics (n = 34), pediatrics (n = 32). RESULTS: The overall response rate was 40.2%. Ninety-seven percent of all the physicians found pica in less than 10% of patients with iron deficiency, and 95.6% considered geophagia as the most frequent pica. For 58.5% of the adult medicine practitioners, pica was regarded only as a cause of iron deficiency, but for 64.7% of the pediatricians, pica was both a cause and a symptom of iron deficiency was not sought in a systemic way in 88.6% of the physicians when a cause of iron deficiency was known. CONCLUSION: In the majority of the cases, the attitude of hospital physicians concerning pica is in disagreement with published data, suggesting either epidemiological characteristics specific to the Paris area, or unawareness of the phenomenon.

Adult↗
PubMed2001

[An index based on the age and free thyroxine rate predicts the likelihood of Graves' disease in hyperthyroidism].

PURPOSE: Graves' disease patients are generally younger and have more severe symptoms than other thyrotoxic patients. We established an index based on the normalized free thyroxine rate and age, capable of predicting Graves' disease in thyrotoxic patients. METHODS: The predictive index was established from a discriminant analysis from a retrospective population of 114 thyrotoxic patients and its predictivity was confirmed by cross-validation on the same population. RESULTS: The index IGD = 41.38 - age + 37.05 x in (normalized free T4) classifies accurately 80.7% of the patients (CI 95%: 72.2-87.5). Sensitivity is 78.5% (CI 95%: 66.5-87.7). Specificity is 83.7% (CI 95%: 70.3-92.7). Predictive positive value is 86.4% (CI 95%: 75.0-94.0). Negative predictive value is 74.5% (CI 95%: 61.0-85.3). Likelihood ratio of Graves' disease in case of prediction by the index is 4.81 (CI 95%: 2.66-9.32). Likelihood ratio of Graves' disease in case of non-prediction by the index is 0.26 (IC 95%: 0.16-0.40). CONCLUSION: A simple index based on the normalized free thyroxine rate and age provides an early diagnosis orientation toward Graves' disease in thyrotoxic patients who are waiting for complementary investigations.

Adult↗
PubMed2001

Calculi and memory.

We describe a case of transient global amnesia related to symptomatic renal stones. Transient global amnesia has been related to intense emotional or painful experiences, such as sexual intercourse, cold water bathing and trigeminal stimulation. Renal stones may be at the origin of a painful experience and thus may induce transient global amnesia.

Amnesia, Transient Global↗
PubMed2001

Treatment of reflex sympathetic dystrophy with pamidronate: 29 cases.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the efficacy of treatment with pamidronate in reflex sympathetic dystrophy (RSD) refractory to previous treatment. METHODS: We studied the response (disappearance of pain and functional improvement) to pamidronate (60 mg/day for 3 days) in 29 patients with RSD refractory to previous treatment for at least 14 days. RESULTS: On day 45, complete pain disappearance was observed in 86.2% of patients and functional improvement in 70%. The mean delay until the pain disappeared was 20+/-14 days and the delay until functional improvement was observed was 29+/-18 days. The mean delay of functional improvement was shorter in patients with post-traumatic RSD. Multivariate analysis did not reveal any factor predictive of response to treatment. Six (20.7%) patients suffered from side-effects (fever, diarrhoea). CONCLUSION: Pamidronate appeared to be effective in the treatment of refractory RSD; however, these results need to be confirmed by a controlled placebo study.

Adult↗
PubMed2000

Extrapulmonary tuberculosis in the northeastern suburbs of Paris: 141 cases.

Background: Big cities were particularly affected by tuberculosis in the 1990s. Methods: We studied 141 cases of extrapulmonary tuberculosis in patients not infected by HIV in the northeastern suburbs of Paris. Results: A total of 84 men and 57 women were included in the study. Their average age at diagnosis was 42.2 years. Some 73.6% of the patients were foreign-born. A total of 182 sites were identified in 141 patients. There was an association with pulmonary tuberculosis in 38 cases. The sites were: lymph node (48.9%), pleural (25.5%), skeletal (22.7%), genitourinary (5.7%), and meninges (5%). Unfavorable social conditions were frequently observed. The average duration of treatment was 10 months. Twenty-four adverse drug effects were noted. Sixty-eight strains of Mycobacterium tuberculosis were isolated. Five cases of primary resistance to at least one antituberculous drug and only one case of multidrug resistance were observed. Some 95.7% of the 93 patients who were not lost to follow up were cured. Conclusion: Independently of HIV infection, extrapulmonary tuberculosis is still present, particularly in the suburbs of big cities, where social conditions are poor. The significant number of patients lost to follow-up demands that measures be adapted for the therapeutic management of these patients.

Journal Article↗
PubMed1999

Systemic adverse effect of antithyroid drugs.

Antithyroid drugs adverse effects are varied and rare. Autoimmune disorders (vasculitis, lupus erythematosus, polyarthritis...) are unusual and serious complications of antithyroid drugs. Since 1945, fewer than 100 cases of systemic manifestations related to antithyroid drugs have been reported in the literature, most frequently with propylthiouracil. The outcome is usually good after drug discontinuation, but some fatal cases have been reported. Because possible cross-sensitivity with other antithyroid drugs, the appropriate treatment for hyperthyroidism relapse if a patient has had an antithyroid drug adverse reaction, should be 131I-Iodine or surgery. We report four new cases of systemic manifestations during propylthiouracil therapy.

Adult↗