engleski

Gaetano Donizetti’ s neurosyphilis and stroke (1797– 1848)

Pathography on occasion of 210th anniversary of his birth. Famous Italian composer Gaetano Donizetti was infected by syphilis already at age of 19. The course of illness showed many subsequent fever states with general worsening at his age of 27 and again at age of 37.His illness was complicated with episodes of headache, vertigo, fluctuating palsies followed by subacute organic brain psychosyndrome.Another exacerbation of his illness followed at his age 47 with demented state and palsies. He was escorted to the Ivry hospital in Paris where he was diagnosed “ syphilitic general paresis” . Later on he was transported to Italy, to his native town Bergamo where he met temporary improvement.At age of 51 his illness deteriorated with fever – pneumonia, uremia and he finally died of stroke, after 6 years of inactive and useless life. The autopsy showed syphilitic atrophy and inflammatory swelling of brain – spinal cord and meninges.

Gaetano Donizetti; neurosiphilis

nije evidentirano