Drug-induced orthostatic hypotension in the elderly: avoiding its onset.

The prevalence of orthostatic hypotension in the elderly is reported to be 5 to 33%. This high prevalence contributes to the risk of syncope and falls in old age. Drugs are a major cause of postural hypotension.

Combined fractional excretion of sodium and urea better predicts response to saline in hyponatremia than do usual clinical and biochemical parameters.

Background: The treatment of hyponatremic patients requires physicians to make a therapeutic choice between saline infusion and water restriction. Therefore, they need readily available and reliable parameters to facilitate making that choice. This study was designed to determine whether the use of clearance ratios can help clinicians recognize saline-responding hyponatremic patients.

Legionnaires' disease and acute renal insufficiency: report of a case and review of the literature.

We report the case of a 73-year-old man, who developed acute renal failure in association with a Legionella pneumophila serotype 1 pneumonia. Renal biopsy revealed a tubulointerstitial nephritis. Treatment with erythromycin, rifampicin and haemodialysis resulted in a clinical resolution of the pulmonary and renal syndromes.