Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
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Query: UMLS:C0023380 (lethargy)
 5,697 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

Triphasic waves (TWs) are a distinctive, but nonspecific, EEG pattern found in metabolic encephalopathies and a variety of other neurologic conditions. The prognostic value of TWs was studied in 30 patients with altered state of consciousness. Patients were either comatose (18 patients) or very lethargic (12 patients). Triphasic waves were the dominant EEG pattern, present for at least 35% of the tracing. The etiology of their underlying encephalopathy was multiple metabolic derangements (12 patients), hepatorenal syndrome (5 patients), renal failure (4 patients), hypoxic encephalopathy (4 patients), hepatic failure (3 patients), hyponatremia (1 patient), and hypoglycemia (1 patient). Patients were followed up to 22 months. Fifty percent of the subjects died within 30 days of recording TWs. The overall mortality was 77%. Seven patients (23%) have survived, but only three patients (10%) are neurologically normal. In conclusion, TWs occur most often in patients with metabolic encephalopathies, cannot be used to distinguish different diagnostic entities, and indicate a poor prognosis for survival.
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PMID:Prognostic significance of EEG triphasic waves in patients with altered state of consciousness. 279 20

A 39-yr-old male with hepatorenal syndrome type 1 and refractory ascites was treated with continuous renal replacement therapy (CRRT) resulting in clinical improvement. He was positive for antibodies to hepatitis B, C, and human immunodeficiency viruses, and had a history of chronic alcohol and iv drug abuse. The patient had 4 hospital admissions during a 12-wk period. He first presented with advanced liver disease including pedal edema and a serum ammonia level of 56 micromol/L (reference range: 11 - 35 micromol/L). In subsequent admissions, he had asterixis, nausea, vomiting, jaundice, and worsening pedal edema. On his 4th admission, there was lethargy, tense ascites, decreased urinary output, bilateral edema of the lower extremities and scrotum, serum creatinine of 6.2 mg/dl (reference range: 0.6 - 1.5 mg/dl), and weight gain of 16 kg during the prior 8 wk. During the first 3 hospitalizations, he was treated with lactulose with slight improvement. On the 4th admission, he was started on low-dose dopamine (3 microg/kg/min) and 25% salt-poor albumin without clinical improvement. A pulmonary artery catheter was placed and hemofiltration by CRRT was performed for 5 days, with removal of 26.7 L of fluid and a net reduction of 11 kg of body weight. Serum creatinine decreased to 4.2 mg/dl during CRRT and was 2.2 mg/dl at hospital discharge 2 weeks later. His PaO(2) improved from 66 to 78 mmHg and his systemic vascular resistance increased from 571 to 799 dyne.sec/cm(5). CRRT was effective in relieving severe fluid retention and producing marked clinical improvement. We suggest that CRRT should be considered for the treatment of refractory ascites including that caused by hepatorenal syndrome.
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PMID:Hepatorenal syndrome: resolution of ascites by continuous renal replacement therapy in an alcoholic coinfected with hepatitis B, C, and human immunodeficiency viruses. 1650 Dec 43