Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
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Query: UMLS:C0011168 (dysphagia)
 15,644 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

The rise in incidence of lung abscess due to opportunistic organisms has reemphasized the need for early recognition and treatment. Opportunistic organisms can cause lung abscess in immunocompromised hosts. Most lung abscesses are primary, occurring as a result of aspiration of oral contents into the dependent portions of the lung in persons with dysphagia or decreased consciousness. Symptoms of lung abscess include productive cough, fever, leukocytosis, weight loss, and putrid sputum. Among the complications are progression to a chronic stage, empyema, massive hemoptysis, metastatic brain abscess, and bronchopleural fistula. Treatment of lung abscess is primarily medical, consisting of an appropriate antibiotic regimen and chest physical therapy. Surgery is reserved for unresponsive patients or those with complications.
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PMID:Lung abscess: back for an encore? 708 45

Diverticula of the thoracic esophagus are uncommon disorders. The indications for surgical intervention in asymptomatic or minimally symptomatic patients are unclear. Among 20 patients referred during a 20-year period, 6 were male and 14 female, with a median age of 65 years. Two had had previous diverticulectomies. Dysphagia was present in 9 (45%) and regurgitation in 11 (55%). Nine patients had severe nocturnal cough with symptoms of aspiration. In two of these nine and in three other patients (25%), pulmonary symptoms were the only manifestation of disease, with no or minimal esophageal symptoms. In one patient the diagnosis of the presence of bronchial asthma for several years was incorrect; one patient had massive aspiration before hernia repair, in one a bronchoesophageal fistula and lung abscess developed, and two had severe persistent cough. All patients had a diagnostic barium esophagogram and endoscopy. Operation was performed in 17 patients, whereas three others declined operation. There was one hospital death. Follow-up is complete on 17 of 19 patients until June 1991. All operative survivors but one are free of symptoms. Of three patients refusing operation, one died of aspiration pneumonia, another died of myocardial infarction, and one with severe dysphagia is living. Because of the prevalence of aspiration (45%) and the potential for life-threatening pulmonary complications in some patients (15%), we conclude that operative intervention should be undertaken in all patients with thoracic esophageal diverticula regardless of the presence or absence of symptoms.
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PMID:Thoracic esophageal diverticula. Why is operation necessary? 842 53

The bacteriology of empyema fluid and the clinical background of 23 cases from July 1987 through July 1992 were studied. Nineteen cases were male and 4 female, with a mean age of 59.6 years (range; 33 to 84 y.o.). There were 15 cases of community-acquired infection and 8 of nosocomial infection. Acute pneumonia and/or lung abscess developed into empyema in 19 cases. Sixteen cases had associated predisposing conditions, such as diabetes, chronic bronchitis, disorders with dysphagia, and excess alcohol intake. Forty-one strains were isolated from empyema in 22 cases. The predominant organisms, in order of prevalence, were "Streptococcus milleri" group (11 strains), Peptostreptococcus spp. (6), Prevotella spp. (6), Fusobacterium spp. (5) and other viridans streptococci (3). The majority of streptococcal infections, which were primarily caused by "S. milleri" group, were mixed with anaerobes and/or aerobes/facultatives. These results demonstrate that oral streptococci, especially "S. milleri" group, and anaerobes play a significant role as pathogens in empyema.
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PMID:[Bacteriological and clinical studies in 23 cases of thoracic empyema--the role of oral streptococci and anaerobes]. 851 22

Foregut cysts frequently cause symptoms in the first three decades of life. The symptoms consist of dyspnea, wheezing, cough and sputum, dysphagia, stridor, and those associated with right heart strain. Symptoms and the radiological appearance of the uncomplicated cyst mimic mediastinal tumour and mediastinal obstruction. The symptoms and radiological appearance of the ruptured infected cyst simulate those of lung abscess, diaphragmatic hernia, ruptured hydatid cyst, cavitated peripheral carcinoma and pulmonary tuberculosis. In this series the differentiation from other cysts was made thus: with intralobar sequestration, a systemic arterial blood supply was demonstrated; with hydatid cyst, there was a positive intradermal skin test and (radiologically) following rupture, the appearance of a pericystic pneumatocele followed by the water-lily sign was diagnostic; with emphysematous cysts, the signs of associated bronchitis were present; in the presence of pseudocysts, there was a previous history of lung abscess, staphylococcal infection or tuberculosis. Cysts should be removed when first diagnosed.
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PMID:Foregut cysts. 1397 21

Candida esophagitis rarely involves life-threatening complications, such as necrosis, perforation, or fistula formation between the esophagus and the airway. We herein report a case of Candida esophagitis complicated by esophagobronchial and esophagopulmonary fistulas. The patient in our study was a 70-year-old man with a 3-month history of dysphagia. Based on endoscopy and histological findings, he was diagnosed with a coinfection of Candida spp. and herpes simplex virus. Antifungal and antiviral therapy was administered without success. The esophagopulmonary fistula formation and a lung abscess were identified 7 months later. The patient was deemed intolerable to an esophagectomy due to his poor general condition, thus necessitating a two-stage operation. A cervical esophagostomy and a tube drainage of the thoracic esophagus were followed by an esophageal bypass using the pedicled jejunum via an antethoracic route. Although the lung abscess resolved, the inflammation of the esophagus persisted. A fistula between the esophagus and the left main bronchus eventually formed postoperatively and the patient died due to respiratory failure.
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PMID:Candida esophagitis complicated by an esophago-airway fistula: report of a case. 1988 20

Pneumonia and primary lung abscesses may result from aspiration of infectious material from the oropharyngeal cavity and the upper respiratory tract. Most subjects suffer from an impaired mechanical or immunologic defense, for example alcoholism or dysphagia following stroke. The early course of the disease is uncharacteristic. Necrotizing pneumonia, pulmonary abscesses and the characteristic, foul-smelling, putrid discharge only occur 8-14 days after the initial aspiration event. Although common respiratory pathogens are frequently isolated from the lower airways of these patients, anaerobic bacteria play a pivotal role in cavitary lung disease following aspiration. Anaerobic coverage is therefore a requirement for an adequate antibiotic regimen, and antibacterial activity against common respiratory pathogens appears reasonable in most cases. Aminopenicillins/beta-lactamase inhibitors, newer fluoroquinolones with anaerobic activity (moxifloxacin) and clindamycin have demonstrated equal clinical efficacy in the treatment of aspiration pneumonia and primary lung abscess. Prolonged antibiotic therapy is required in cases with extensive damage of lung tissue. Since antibiotics can provide cure in 80-90% of cases, surgical procedures are limited to severe complications, such as pleural empyema. Cavitary lung disease has a broad differential diagnosis, including aspiration of sterile gastric content (Mendelson syndrome), staphylococcal pneumonia, tuberculosis, primary carcinoma of the lung, metastases and vasculitis.
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PMID:Aspiration pneumonia and primary lung abscess: diagnosis and therapy of an aerobic or an anaerobic infection? 2047 71

Actinomyces meyeri is a Gram-positive anaerobic forming bacterium of the genus Actinomyces, part of the oral cavity's flora, and its classification remains an unresolved issue. It is an extremely rare cause of disease, occurring in middle-aged immunocompetent patients and frequently misdiagnosed as malignancy or lung abscess. A 56-year-old man diagnosed with oesophageal squamous cell carcinoma had an endoscopically placed stent to palliate his dysphagia. Two weeks later he presented with thoracalgia and fever, interpreted as a common lung infection. Owing to lack of improvement, additional examinations were undertaken revealing mediastinum involvement. Unlike the good prognosis usually associated with this infection, the patient eventually died, reflecting the aggressive nature of his underlying condition. To our knowledge, this is the first report of mediastinitis by A. meyeri, supporting the described propensity of this agent to disseminate, particularly to the thoracic cavity, although probably in this case with an iatrogenic contribution.
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PMID:Mediastinitis by Actinomyces meyeri after oesophageal stent placement. 2490 27

Aspiration is a common but underrecognized clinicopathologic entity, with varied radiographic manifestations. Aspiration represents a spectrum of diseases, including diffuse aspiration bronchiolitis, aspiration pneumonitis, airway obstruction by foreign body, exogenous lipoid pneumonia, interstitial fibrosis, and aspiration pneumonia with or without lung abscess formation. Many patients who aspirate do not present with disease, suggesting that pathophysiology is related to a variety of factors, including decreased levels of consciousness, dysphagia, impaired mucociliary clearance, composition of aspirate, and impaired host defenses. In this pictorial essay, we will review the different types of aspiration lung diseases, focusing on their imaging features and differential diagnosis.
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PMID:Aspiration-related lung diseases. 2491 Nov 22

Although oesophageal candidiasis is usually a superficial mucosal infection, necrotising Candida oesophagitis has been reported to cause oesophageal perforation or lung abscess. We report the case of an elderly Japanese man presenting with painless dysphagia after thoracic radiotherapy for oesophageal cancer. Non-contrast CT demonstrated segmental and oedematous thickening of the oesophageal wall. Endoscopy revealed white plaques on the oesophageal mucosa. The patient's oesophagitis responded to systemic antifungal therapy, and did not lead to oesophageal perforation. He died of recurrent oesophageal cancer several months later. The importance of severe radiation-induced oesophagitis without pain, our pathophysiological hypothesis on the local oedema caused by Candida infection and the usefulness of CT in evaluating abnormal thickening of the gastrointestinal tract are discussed separately in the article.
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PMID:Necrotising Candida oesophagitis after thoracic radiotherapy: significance of oesophageal wall oedema on CT. 2613 95