Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
Pivot Concepts:   Target Concepts:
Query: UMLS:C0032290 (aspiration pneumonia)
 2,291 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

Pneumonia is a common cause of death in elderly people. A series of our studies have demonstrated that pneumonia in the elderly is characterized by silent aspiration, impaired swallowing and cough reflex, partly due to cerebral infarctions at basal ganglia. These infarctions probably induce the disruption of the specific central neurotransmitter system including dopamine and substance P, which plays an important role for swallowing and cough reflex. Use of ACE inhibitor and stimulation of the oral cavity by simple oral care, which are effective in increasing substance P. reduced the incidence of aspiration pneumonia. Moreover, use of a dopamine agonist such as amantadine hydrochloride and a folic acid supplement that are known to potentiate dopaminergic neurons also prevented aspiration pneumonia. For patients bedridden due to lowered ADL, it is essential for them to keep an upright position a few hours after meals to prevent aspiration pneumonia caused by the reflux of ingested foods. Also, administration of neuroleptics may cause aspiration pneumonia by suppression of dopaminergic neurons.
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PMID:[Cerebrovascular disease and pneumonia in the elderly]. 1293 58

The purpose of the present study was to investigate some symptoms related to dysphagia, comprehensive health status, and oral care in the frail elderly. The subjects were 92 elderly individuals (30 men, 62 women) above 65 years in a nursing home. The risk factors of dysphagia were evaluated by 15 items of self-assessment and 18 items of assessment by their caregivers. Both assessments contained 12 identical items. Basic ADL, cognitive status, and QOL were evaluated by the Barthel index, HDS-R, and PGC morale scale respectively. The status of oral care was evaluated by the frequency of tooth cleaning a day and the number of total anaerobic bacteria or streptococci in the dental plaque. "Chewing difficulty with hard food" was frequently found (21.74%) in the self-assessment, while "fever" was frequently found in the caregiver's assessment (20.65%). Also, in the duplicate items in both assessments, "anamnesis of pneumonia" showed a high agreement (k = 0.85), while "decline of appetite" had a low agreement (k = 0.27). These results suggest that dual assessment is effective to detect dysphagia. We also investigated the relationship among dysphagia, comprehensive health status, and oral hygiene. The status of dysphagia was related only to the Barthel index (p < 0.01). These results suggest that subjects with decreased basic ADL tend to have some risk factors related to dysphagia, and that subjects with dysphagia risk factors need to improve oral care to prevent aspiration pneumonia.
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PMID:[Care assessment related to dysphagia in the frail elderly]. 1514 61

A 74-year-old man developed instability of gait from age 64, difficulty in writing from age 66 and dysarthria-hypohidrosis from around age 67. These symptoms progressed slowly accompanied with orthostatic hypotension and dysarthria, which decline his ADL. At age 71, he was admitted to our hospital and underwent nasogastric intubation. After admission, he also showed the decrease in his voluntary activities, accidental ingestion and loud snoring during sleep. He died of accidental aspiration pneumonia at age 74. Postmortem examination revealed severe pathological changes as multiple system atrophy (MSA) in the central nervous system. There was a small ulcer in the hypopharyngeal region, and acute inflammation of the ulcer came down to the posterior cricoarytenoid muscle. Combined with severe neurogenic atropy due to MSA, local inflammation of the ulcer associated with nasogastric intubation appeared to have resulted in severe damage of the posterior cricoarytenoid muscle.
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PMID:[Pathological study on abducent paralysis of the vocal cord in a patient having multiple system atrophy with nasogastric intubation]. 1763 6

Aspiration pneumonia remains a major cause of death in the elderly. However, fundamental and effective treatment has not been established yet. Onset of aspiration pneumonia is based on the presence of dysphagia, such as delayed triggering of the swallowing reflex. The swallowing reflex in the elderly is temperature sensitive, even if it is impaired. Swallowing reflex was delayed when the temperature of the food was close to body temperature. The actual swallowing time shortened when the temperature difference increases. The improvement of swallowing reflex by temperature stimuli could be mediated by the temperature-sensitive TRP channel. Administration of the TRPV1 agonists improves the delay of the swallowing reflex. Red wine polyphenols have been suggested to improve the swallowing reflex by increasing TRPV1 response. Food with menthol, an agonist of TRPM8 which is a cold temperature receptor, also decreased the delay in swallowing reflex. Olfactory stimuli, such as black pepper, can be a useful tool to improve swallowing reflex in people with lower ADL and consciousness levels. By combining these various sensory stimuli, we developed a protocol to start oral intake in patients with aspiration pneumonia This protocol shall continue to contribute to the ingestion of many older people.
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PMID:Stimulating oral and nasal chemoreceptors for preventing aspiration pneumonia in the elderly. 2212 60

Aspiration pneumonia is a major health problem in the elderly. A swallowing disorder, such as a delayed triggering of the swallowing reflex, predisposes in patients with aspiration pneumonia. Swallowing reflex was delayed when the temperature of the food is close to body temperature. The actual swallowing time shortened when the temperature difference increases. The improvement of swallowing reflex by temperature stimuli could be mediated by the temperature-sensitive TRP channel at pharynx. The administration of capsaicin as an agonist stimulus of TRPV1, a warm temperature receptor, decreased the delay in swallowing reflex. Food with menthol, agonist of TRPM8 which is a cold temperature receptor, also decreased the delay in swallowing reflex. Olfactory stimulation such as black pepper was useful to improve the swallowing reflex for people with low ADL levels or with decreased consciousness. Thus, we found anti-aspiration drugs with various site of actions on the hierarchical structure of neuronal control of swallowing. By combining anti-aspiration drugs and swallowing rehabilitations, we developed a protocol to start eating more efficiently and safely. Implementation of this protocol would help avoid re-aspiration in many elderly people with aspiration pneumonia. The combination of various anti-aspiration drugs may improve the swallowing disorders and prevent aspiration pneumonia.
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PMID:[Therapeutic approach targeting TRP channels and development of anti-aspiration drugs]. 2319 61

Despite the development of strong antibiotics, the pneumonia death is increasing all over the world in these decades. Among the people who died of pneumonia, the majority were 65 years old or over. Although pneumonia is recently categorized into several entities, aspiration pneumonia includes all entities. Therefore, targeting dysphagia and aspiration to treat pneumonia is a promising strategy and anti-aspiration drugs will be a part of pneumonia treatment. The swallowing reflex in elderly people was temperature-sensitive and the improvement of swallowing reflex by temperature stimuli could be mediated by the thermosensing TRP channels at pharynx. The administration of capsaicin as an agonist stimulus of TRPV1, a warm temperature receptor, decreased the delay in swallowing reflex. Red wine polyphenols improved swallowing reflex by enhancing TRPV1 response. Food with menthol, agonist of TRPM8 which is a cold temperature receptor, also decreased the delay in swallowing reflex. Olfactory stimulation such as black pepper was useful to improve the swallowing reflex for people with low ADL levels or with decreased consciousness. Thus, recent advancement of geriatrics found several anti-aspiration drugs such as thermosensing TRP channel agonists, black pepper odor, amantadine, cilostazol, theophylline and angiotensin- converting enzymes inhibitors. Thermosensing TRP channel agonists include capsaicin, capsiate, menthol, and red wine polyphenols. Controls of swallowing are mediated by various stages of neural system from peripheral sensory nerves to the entire cerebral cortex. Each anti-aspiration drug acts on various sites of neural axis of swallowing reflex. The combination of various anti-aspiration drugs may improve dysphagia and prevent aspiration pneumonia.
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PMID:Thermal taste and anti-aspiration drugs: a novel drug discovery against pneumonia. 2388 80