Browsing by Author "Mitrovic-Jovanovic, Milica (56257450700)"

Idiopathic mediastinal fibrosis, also called sclerosing or fibrosing mediastinitis, is a very rare and aggressive fibroinflammatory process characterized by fibrous tissue proliferation in the mediastinal region. Herein, we present a rare case of idiopathic mediastinal fibrosis presenting with esophageal obstruction, most likely associated with immunoglobulin G (IgG4)-related disease, affecting the posterior mediastinum with intrapulmonary infiltration. Computed tomography revealed a narrowed lumen and thickened wall of the distal esophagus surrounded by a necrotic mass with infiltration into the nearby structures, suggesting a locally advanced malignant process. Positron emission tomography revealed intense accumulation of 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose, indicating an active inflammatory component, which complicates further differential diagnosis of mediastinal masses. Thoracoscopic biopsy and immunohistochemical analysis confirmed a fibroinflammatory process with perivascular lymphoid cell infiltration that was cluster of differentiation (CD)3 (++) and CD20 (++), with massive numbers of IgG4-immunoreactive plasma cells. Although a benign condition, sclerosing mediastinitis is a close mimicker of esophageal carcinoma, which cannot be differentiated by computed tomography or positron emission tomography and must be considered in a differential diagnosis. © The Author(s) 2023.

Idiopathic mediastinal fibrosis, also called sclerosing or fibrosing mediastinitis, is a very rare and aggressive fibroinflammatory process characterized by fibrous tissue proliferation in the mediastinal region. Herein, we present a rare case of idiopathic mediastinal fibrosis presenting with esophageal obstruction, most likely associated with immunoglobulin G (IgG4)-related disease, affecting the posterior mediastinum with intrapulmonary infiltration. Computed tomography revealed a narrowed lumen and thickened wall of the distal esophagus surrounded by a necrotic mass with infiltration into the nearby structures, suggesting a locally advanced malignant process. Positron emission tomography revealed intense accumulation of 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose, indicating an active inflammatory component, which complicates further differential diagnosis of mediastinal masses. Thoracoscopic biopsy and immunohistochemical analysis confirmed a fibroinflammatory process with perivascular lymphoid cell infiltration that was cluster of differentiation (CD)3 (++) and CD20 (++), with massive numbers of IgG4-immunoreactive plasma cells. Although a benign condition, sclerosing mediastinitis is a close mimicker of esophageal carcinoma, which cannot be differentiated by computed tomography or positron emission tomography and must be considered in a differential diagnosis. © The Author(s) 2023.

Background: With the growing increase in the older proportion of the world population, there is also an increase in specific age-related chronic diseases and conditions, including pain. We aimed to evaluate the association of sociodemographic factors with the presence and different degrees of pain intensity in people aged 65 years and older. Methods: The population-based study, conducted in 2013, included 3540 individuals from Serbia. As pain predictors, we analyzed further sociodemographic characteristics: gender, age, body mass index, level of education, marital status, and wealth index. For pain assessment, we used the pain domain of the SF-36 version 2.0 questionnaire. Results: People over the age of 85 years are 27% more likely to have moderate pain than younger respondents; however, pain is less likely reported by men (by 42%), persons with overweight (by 23%) or obesity (by 21%), respondents with secondary (by 50%) or university education (29%), as well as those belonging to the upper household wealth index (by 22%), than by their counterparts. Conclusion: Pain is less likely in people of age below 85 years, male gender, those with higher educational level and higher wealth index, as well as overweight or obese individuals. Also, we have demonstrated that sociodemographic predictors differently correlate with the onset of the pain and its severity degree in persons of 65 years and older. © 2020, Springer-Verlag GmbH Austria, part of Springer Nature.