His
mother died at the age of 97 and his father at 47 (from an acute
pneumopathy). His maternal grand-mothers died at 80-years of "unknown" causes. The patient always lived in an urban area. He had a mixed
diet and moderate alcohol consumption. Up until the age of 60 he
smoked up to 60-cigarettes daily! He stopped smoking on his own
will at the age of 62.
The
patient's physical examination in 1965
The
reasons that he came to see a doctor at the National Institute of
Gerontology and Geriatrics in Bucharest in 1965, was that he was
suffering from a depressive state, which was leading to a tendency
to isolation. He also had intermittent pains, mostly on the cervical
and lumbar spine, as well as the lower limbs. Furthermore he suffered
from palpitations, arrhymia, memory impairment and constipation.
His
height was 168cm, his weight was 78Kg. His skin appeared dry and
rough with less elastic and persistent skin folds. There were "senile" spots on the face, trunk and dorsal side of the hands. His hair
was brittle and dry with 80% achromotrichia. His body hair loss
was diffusely distributed. He also had Gerontoxon; (gerontoxon or
arcus senilis is a degenerative change in the cornea, commonly occurring
in people past the age of 50 and appearing as a greyish white ring
about one-two millimetres wide).
Musculoskeletal
apparatus confirmed that he had dorsal kiphosis with lumbar rectitude.
The cervical spine was sensitive to percussion, there were crepitations
at the mobilization of the cervical column and knees and there was
a limitation of the spine rotation and lateral and anterior flexation
to 30 degrees. His hip flexion on the pelvis and the left coxofemeral
abduction declined to 60 degrees. Finally, there was hypotrophy
of the maseteric, temporal and interosseous muscles.
Respiratory
apparatus confirmed that he had a thoracis perimeter and inspiration
of 99cm, with an expiration of 96cm. He experienced a morning cough
with mucous expectoration and had moderate hypersonority. Also present
was a Alveolar murmur, rough near the basis and rare ronflant rales.
Cardiovascular
apparatus confirmed that his Decubitus blood pressure was 160/80
mmHg and orthostatic blood pressure was 170/80 mmHg. VR = 77/ min.
with extrasystolic arrhythmia. Heart sound II was louder by the
aorta area and there was a short apexial systolic murmur. Also present
were permeable indurated peripheral arteries and superficial leg
varices.
Digestive
apparatus confirmed a complete edenate. The hypotonos abdominal
wall was rich with adipose tissue and diffuse gaseous distension.
In the liver, the upper edge at the 5th intercostals space on the
medioclavicular line and lower edge 1cm under the rebord had a harder
consistency and was slightly sensitive.
Urogenital
apparatus confirmed an intermittent dysuria and occasional nocturia
with urinary flow discontinuation. The daily rate was 7-8/1.Neuropsychiatric
examination confirmed that he was neurologic, with a diminished
ROT and no Achilles' reflex. Noica's sign was positive and his psychic
displayed a depressed mood having had a loss of interest and pleasure
for a period of 6-months. He was feeling a normal affectivity and
diminished fixation memory. His appetite had declined and there
had been an increase in sleep disturbances, as well as a decrease
in energy, difficulty in concentration and sometimes displayed signs
of psychomotor and agitation.
His
sense organs showed signs of presbyopis with discrete hypoacousia
but normal olfaction and taste. His paraclinical tests were an EEG:
SR of 66/min; AQRS= +30 degrees; P-Q=0.20 with atrial and medional
premature ventricular contractions. Pulmonary and cardiac X-rays
ascended on the left hemidiaphargm with low mobility. Horizontalized
heart and aorta had increased opacity.
Dynamometric
tests showed a pre-exercise of 32/25 and a post-exercise of 26/18.
Respiratory tests were BPI 72% and an AVC of 95%. Biochemical tests
were Hb 80%; RBC 4,080,000; WBC 4,100 with a normal formula. The
Urea was 0.50mg%; cholesterolemia of 232mg%, total lipids 990mg%,
a beta/ alpha lipoproteins ratio of 3%. The urine gravity was 1017,
PH=acid, and many leukocytes and frequent calcium oxalate was present.
There were repeated urocultures and urinary infections of E. coli
and Proteus. The EEG showed a slow tracing, free of lesional foci
and corresponded to his age.
Diagnosis
The
patient was suffering from a depressive disorder, cervico-lumbar
osteoarthritis, chronic urinary infection (secondary to obstructive
uropathy), benign hypertrophy of the prostate and varicose veins.TreatmentFrom
1965 until 1994, the patient received an annual course of 12 Gerovital-H3® ampoules, injected intramuscularly everyday, followed by a 2-week
break and then 12-days with Gerovital-H3® tablets
Clinical
progress
Over
the period from 1965 to 1990, he displayed less cervical and lumbar
spine pains and there were no repeated acute sciatic attacks. From
1980 onwards the patient had not had viral infections of the upper
airways, nor acute bronchitis. The respiratory tests showed the
discrete enhancement of the obstructive ventilation dysfunction.
His BPI declined to 68% and AVC to 81.5%. Since 1972, his blood
pressure became stable at 140Hgmm over 80-85Hgmm. The premature
ventricular contractions became monfocal, monomorphous. The varicose
veins of the legs persevered, but have created neither trophic nor
thrombotic complications. The patient still suffered from bacteraemia
with E. coli and Proteus, but since 1980, no subjective symptoms
of polakiuria or dysuria appeared, despite bacteraemia. Dynamic
tests pointed out the lowering of both clearance rates; urea 19ml/min.
and creatinine 63ml/min.As for his neuropsychic system, except for
the periods of acute respiratory or urinary episodes (when the psychic
functions lowered), the patient displayed no other deterioration
and carried out multiple intellectual activities, including translation
and typewriting.
Until
1984, he also used to make long journeys. The beneficial effects
of 26-years of Gerovital-H3® treatment compared to 1965 (when
the patient begun treatment at the age of 74), in 1989 (when the
patient was 98-years old), he had the appearance of a longevous-orthogerous
person. The patient's height was 165cm (Figure 2) and weight 70Kg
(Figure 3) and his appetite was preserved.
The
elasticity of his skin improved and his extremities were warm. The
skin on the back of his neck has remained remarkably supple. The
rhomboidal skin (specific to elderly people) is absent. His cervical
and knee pains disappeared. His lumbar pains appear seldom, and
mostly appear only when he is carrying heavy things. There is slightly
apparent dorsal kiphosis, but no forward body flexion when walking.
The frequency of acute respiratory infections or influenza-like
symptoms lowered gradually. After a bronchopneumonia in 1980, the
patient suffered in 1982 from a nasopharyngeal cathar from which
he recovered rapidly in 2-3 days, without any anti-biotic therapy.
Despite the previously rich pathological respiratory history, AVC
decreased during the first 10-years of treatment similarly with
the standard curve of the decade of 60 to 69 years, preserving a
good bronchial permeability index.
The
patient's very good memory was particularly noted, as was his lack
of depression and improvement of attention. He made good conversation
on various topics and was interested in current events. His personality
pattern was normal and he made annual journeys in the country and
abroad, speaking both German and French (as well as his native tongue)
and personally conducting a large amount of correspondence and translations.
The patient is willing to work and has a more active neuropsychic
presence than 10-years before! He also continues to take daily walks
without any aids. From the parameters investigated comparatively
with standard values, mention should also be made of: Total blood
proteins remained higher than the standard ones without hypoalbuminemia.
Cholesterol
remained within the normal range, i.e., the values found in healthy
adults. Sugar levels, (at first within normal ranges), subsequently
decreased. This is opposite to the common opinion that sugar levels
raise with age, this is despite the patient retaining a normal appetite.
Serum urea and creatinine levels remained within normal ranges,
(except for the episodes of acute respiratory disease mentioned
above). Uric acid levels increased slightly from 5.8mg% at 80-years
of age to 8mg% at 95-years of age. Oxygen uptake increased considerably
(as compared with the standard figures). Electrolyte levels were
preserved within normal ranges, as were serum ionised calcium and
magnesium.
Conclusion
The
life-expectancy of the patient's generation was 5.8 years at the
beginning of the treatment in 1965 (and at the beginning of that
treatment he cannot have been considered to be in good health, as
the personal examination above reveals). However, the patient outlived
this by a further 23.2 years despite his multiple ailments. I appreciate
that the above data indicates objectively the overall improvement
in this patient's functions. I estimate from the biological parameters
that with Gerovital-H3® treatment, the patient's bio-markers place him at a healthy
70 something-year old, whereas in-fact he was chronologically very
close to 100.