Linked Life Data

16321581

Source:http://linkedlifedata.com/resource/pubmed/id/16321581

Statements in which the resource exists as a subject.
PredicateObject
rdf:type
lifeskim:mentions
pubmed:issue
1
pubmed:dateCreated
2005-12-19
pubmed:abstractText
Aortoesophageal fistula, secondary to thoracic aortic aneurysm, is an uncommon cause of gastrointestinal bleeding that is uniformly fatal without surgical intervention. Typical symptoms are midthoracic pain and/or dysphagia followed by a usually short, albeit unpredictable, symptom-free interval and by a 'herald' haemorrhage, which is observed in 80% of patients before fatal exsanguinations. Dysphagia is present in 45% of patients, sometimes for several weeks, before the first bleeding occurs. However, dysphagia aortica is rarely considered in the differential diagnosis of dysphagia and lack of awareness, as well as symptom's underevaluation, both contribute to a significant diagnostic and therapeutic delay. We present a case of a 77-year-old woman who died for a bleeding AEF consequent to a thoracic aortic aneurysm and whose main symptom during the past 2 months was dysphagia, which was not taken seriously into consideration by her general practitioner. This case report emphasises that primary care physicians should be alerted to evaluate carefully the alarming symptoms like dysphagia -- especially in elderly patients -- before life threatening complications occur, as they are the ones who could suspect early the diagnosis and make a proper referral.
pubmed:language
eng
pubmed:journal
pubmed:citationSubset
IM
pubmed:status
MEDLINE
pubmed:month
Jan
pubmed:issn
1590-8658
pubmed:author
pubmed:issnType
Print
pubmed:volume
38
pubmed:owner
NLM
pubmed:authorsComplete
Y
pubmed:pagination
51-4
pubmed:meshHeading
pubmed:year
2006
pubmed:articleTitle
Dysphagia aortica: a neglected symptom of aortoesophageal fistula.
pubmed:affiliation
Department of Surgical Sciences, School of Medicine and Dentistry, University of Parma, Maggiore University Hospital, Via Gramsci 14, Italy. sandro.contini@unipr.it
pubmed:publicationType
Journal Article, Case Reports