Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
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Query: UMLS:C0002453 (amenorrhea)
 6,245 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

A 36 year old woman was admitted to the hospital in November 1983 because of her inability to walk. For 3 months prior to admission, she took oral contraceptives (OCs) as a treatment for amenorrhea. 2 months prior to admission, she had general malaise, anorexia, and unsteady gait. 1 month before her admission, tingling and numbness began in the fingertips and spread up to the forearms, a tight feeling around the waist developed, and walking became ataxic. On admission to the hospital, she was thin and pale with greying hair. Her mind was clear and there were no abnormalities of the cranial nerves. Her extremities were hypotonic but not wasted. Slight muscle weakness of the hands and feet was noted. There was myokymia in both legs. Deep tendon reflexes of the extremities were absent. The plantar responses were extensor and lack of coordination in the extremities was noted. There was a definite glove and stocking type of hypesthesia to pinprick and cotton wool. Vibration sense was decreased below T11 and lost in both legs. There was a marked loss of position sense to passive movement in the legs and some impairment in the hands. Laboratory examination revealed mild magaloblastic anemia, elevated LDH, borderline low concentration of vitamin B12 in the serum, increased excretion of methylmalonate in the urine, achylia, positive antiparietal cell antibody and positive anti-intrinsic factor antibody. Cyanocobalamin absorption by the Schilling test was 5.6% after intrinsic factor, 11.3%. The diagnosis of pernicious anemia was made. Upper gastrointestinal studies showed typical carcinoid tumors of the stomach. Cerebrospinal fluid was normal. Peripheral nerve conduction studies demonstrated normal or slightly decreased motor conduction velocities and absent sensory action potential. Sural nerve biopsy was performed. Myelinated fibers were moderately decreased in number to 5554/mm squared and pronounced loss of large myelinated fibers was demonstrated in fiber histogram. Teased method of the single fiber showed mainly axonal degeneration. Anemia and neurologic function improved rapidly with parenteral hydroxocobalamin therapy and 1 month after treatment commenced, she was able to walk without assistance. The clinical significance of peripheral nerve involvement of subacute combined degeneration of the spinal cord was discussed, as the peripheral nerve affection is only poorly understood in contrast to the myelopathy. This was followed by discussion of the possible effect of the OCs and gastric carcinoid to neurological manifestation of pernicious anemia. (author's modified)
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PMID:[Subacute combined degeneration of spinal cord. Significance of peripheral nerve involvement]. 401 64

During the next decade, a rapid increase in the number of new cancer diagnoses in the population as well as a growing number of cancer survivors can be expected. Cancer is anticipated to exceed cardiovascular disease as the primary cause of mortality in the United States population. Despite efforts in tobacco control, the aging of the population and obesity epidemic will contribute toward the increasing incidence of cancer. Although oncology specialists will continue to play a critical role in the diagnosis and initial treatment of patients with cancer, primary care providers will need to play an expanding role in the early detection of cancer, as well as the follow-up, health promotion, and cancer surveillance that will be necessary after initial cancer treatment. Oncology specialists will need to do a better job coordinating the care of their patients with primary care providers, and work toward a shared care model that will optimize the quality of care delivered by the health care system. Cancer treatment summaries and survivorship care plans are an initial attempt to address the current fragmentation and lack of coordination in care that exist today. Cancer survivors are at risk for a wide range of late effects after their primary cancer treatment. Unfortunately, there is limited information about the exact incidence and prevalence of many physical late effects. For example, how many women given standard adjuvant chemotherapy with doxorubicin and cyclophosphamide for breast cancer at age 35 years will develop permanent amenorrhea after treatment, and be infertile? What is the excess risk of osteoporosis in a 70-year-old man receiving endocrine therapy for prostate cancer? What is the risk of coronary artery disease after mantle irradiation for Hodgkin lymphoma? Because of the limited database for many of these sequelae of treatment, clinicians have to keep all of these potential risks in mind as they interview a survivor, and develop a long-term management plan that focuses on symptomatic management and future chronic disease prevention. Until one has a better sense of the natural history of these late sequelae, as well as better information about who is at risk, focusing on a taking a cancer survivor-directed medical history may be the best detection tool that is available. Drawing on a shared care model, primary care providers should collaborate with oncology specialists to determine if cancer-specific laboratory and radiographic studies are indicated to determine if the patient has a cancer treatment-related late effect or cancer recurrence. Health promotion and aggressive management of comorbid conditions should be a standard of care for cancer survivors, as with other patients in the primary care practice. With the growing number of cancer survivors, as well as the recommendations of the IOM report directing research and policy on this subject (see Box 1), it is hoped that in the future a better evidence base to direct health care management in cancer survivors will be built up.
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PMID:Survivorship: adult cancer survivors. 1991 84