Medical and legal aspects of elderly patients with dementia

Abstract: The past 50 years is witness to a continuous process of demographic transition that affecting both developed countries and developing. World's population is aging and ageing itself is a triumph of our times, a reflection of improving overall health, hygiene and socio-economic development. On the other hand, the alarming rise in the percentage of elderly in the total population has generated problems with consequences reflected national and individual level. Alzheimer disease and other dementias represent a major public health burden associated with aging and will generate important social, economic and medical problems. For those patients it is necessary to assure the equitable access to medical care and treatment, the respect of patient's dignity, the support in struggling against the stigmatization, protection against any abuse. Age is the most frequently mentioned reason for discrimination in Europe and applies especially to old age. The existence of abuse at the elderly, especially to those very dependent, like patients with dementia, is well documented being a major concern and a subject for action in the EU. Key Words: dementia, elderly, protection. Along with this phenomenon was observed increase medical services to this population-segment indicating also the fragility of the elderly. This fragility consists in polipatologia by organic diseases (cerebralcardio-vascular and osteoarticular) but also (especially) cognitive impairment, dementia, profoundly altering the quality of life of these patients. A report by the Alzheimer Society of 2004 (Wimo A. et al.) brings up a troubling statistic: every five years the prevalence of dementia doubles life. So if the age group 65-69 years the prevalence of dementia is 1.5% at 70-74 years -3% of the population 90-94 years the prevalence reaches 34% and over 95 years is more than 45%. Age can be considered the main risk factor for dementia. Age is also the most frequently mentioned reason for discrimination in Europe and applies especially to old age. In the last years an increase of 16% of discrimination against old people has been noticed Dementia, a faster detection, less suffering Dementia represents a group of affections characterized by a global intellectual deterioration

O OR RI IG GI IN NA Ultrastructural features of blood cells in atherosclerosis

Abstract Atherosclerosis is a complex process that affects specific tissues of the vasculature, susceptible to developing atherosclerosis. From 10 patients with atherosclerosis, between 50-70 years, peripheral blood was prelevated and after the technical procedures the blood cells were studied using the electron microscopy. The most characteristic morphological modifications were observed in agranulocytes and platelets. The granulocytes polymorphs showed insignificant ultrastructural changes, and the erythrocytes presented weak anizocytosis and poikilocytosis