What was wrong with this man?

[jennywren001]

Hi,
Does anyone know what the underlying illness might be for this cause of death.  I understand the same condition had plagued him throughout his adult life?

"Fatty degeneration of the heart and kidneys and enlarged prostate. Uncertain for chronic stages."

Many thanks
Jen

[barryd]

One wonders if this was a lifestyle problem. Today doctors would say cut this and that out of your diet and excersise more!

[Gadget]

Sounds like diseases of  old age - how old was he?

[jennywren001]

Hi Gadget,
He was 71 when he died. When he died there was reference to him having suffered with the same problem that had plagued him earlier in his life.  When I got the death cert I expected something like Malaria - now I wonder if he had a drink problem!
Jen

[jorose]

steatosis (fatty degeneration) is sometimes linked to alcohol:

"The story of fatty heart. A disease of Victorian times"
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC487085/

Fothergill dealt especially with fatty degeneration as a late complication of cardiac hypertrophy
from renal disease, what he called the stage of failing hypertrophy, and he even described a peculiar gait of patients with fatty heart who walked with a guarded, quiet, and distrustful step. Alcohol was often mentioned as a cause and the condition was stated to be common in publicans and London gin drinkers

(of course there could be more causes, I thought this was interesting though given that your man also had kidney problems).

[philipsearching]

Could be atherosclerosis?

Philip

[Gadget]

The fatty degeneration (steatosis ) can, as jorose found,  be linked to alcohol, but this more likely to also have liver symptoms. Other diseases that might cause this are diabetes and some other underlying diseases:

General:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steatosis

Liver:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Non-alcoholic_fatty_liver_disease


Gadget

[jennywren001]

Thanks for all the info...I've gone back and had another look at his obit.  It reads "Several years ago the doctor was seized with a severe illness which for a considerable time rendered him unfit for the duties of his office and it was a second attack of this disease that cut him off at the age of 71."

Jen