0000000000006198
AUTHOR
Maria Chiara Corti
Vitamin D deficiency predicts cognitive decline in older men and women: The Pro.V.A. Study
Objective: To test the hypothesis that hypovitaminosis D is associated with a higher risk of cognitive decline over a 4.4-year follow-up in a large sample of older adults. Methods: This research was part of the Progetto Veneto Anziani (Pro.V.A.), an Italian populationbased cohort study of 1,927 elderly subjects. Serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25OHD) levels were measured at the baseline. Global cognitive function was measured with the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE); scores lower than 24 were indicative of cognitive dysfunction, and a decline of 3 or more points on the MMSE over the follow-up was considered as clinically significant. Analyses were adjusted for relevant confounders, includin…
A Comparison of Objective Physical Performance Tests and Future Mortality in the Elderly People.
Background: Physical performance is an important predictor of mortality, but little is known on the comparative prognostic utility of different objective physical performance tests in community-dwelling older adults. We compared the prognostic usefulness of several objective physical performance tests on mortality, adjusting our analyses for potential confounders. Methods: Among 3,099 older community-dwelling participants included in the Progetto Veneto Anziani study, 2,096 were followed for a mean of 4.4 years. Physical performance tests measured were Short Physical Performance Battery (SPPB), 4-meter gait speed, chair stands time, leg extension and flexion, handgrip strength, and 6-Minute…
Serum Thyroid-Stimulating Hormone Levels and Frailty in the Elderly: The Progetto Veneto Anziani Study
High or low thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) levels seem to be associated with several negative outcomes in the elderly, but the literature about TSH and frailty is still limited. In this article, we investigated whether TSH is associated with prevalent and incident frailty in a cohort of older community-dwelling subjects. Among 3099 initially screened in the Progetto Veneto Anziani Study, 2571 men and women aged ≥65 years (for cross-sectional analyses) and 1732 (longitudinal, mean follow-up period of 4.4 years) were divided into sex-specific quintiles according to baseline serum TSH concentrations within normal range (0.3 and 4.2 mUI/L). Frailty was defined as the presence of three among …
Serum uric acid and incident osteoporotic fractures in old people: The PRO.V.A study
Purpose: Although high serum uric acid (SUA) levels are associated with negative outcomes in older people, recent studies reported that hyperuricemia could help protect against the onset of bone fractures. We consequently examined whether baseline SUA levels were associated with risk of incident osteoporotic fractures in a representative group of elderly people with no fractures or other bone-modifying conditions or drugs at the baseline. Methods: Among 3099 people aged ≥ 65. years initially involved in the PRO.V.A. study, 1586 participants with no prior diagnosis of osteoporotic fractures, and no conditions or medication affecting bone metabolism at the baseline were followed up for 4.4. ±…
Serum Dehydroepiandrosterone Sulfate and Risk for Type 2 Diabetes in Older Men and Women: The Pro.V.A Study
Objective: A large body of clinical data suggests the importance of endogenous sex hormones in the pathogenesis of diabetes, but very little is known about the possible relationship between dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate (DHEAS) and diabetes, particularly in the elderly. We aimed, therefore, to examine whether high serum levels of DHEAS have any protective effects on the incidence of type 2 diabetes and to elucidate the possible role of gender in a cohort of older subjects. Methods: We followed 1258 community-dwelling subjects aged ≥65 years without type 2 diabetes who belonged to the Progetto Veneto Anziani (Pro.V.A.) for 4.4±1.2 years. DHEAS were measured at baseline and categorized into …
Frailty Is Associated with an Increased Risk of Incident Type 2 Diabetes in the Elderly
Objective To investigate whether frailty is associated with an increased risk of incident type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) in a prospective cohort of community-dwelling older people. Design Longitudinal study, mean follow-up of 4.4 years. Setting Progetto Veneto Anziani (Pro.V.A.) study that involved older community-dwellers. Participants 1754 men and women older than 65 years without T2DM at baseline. Measurements Frailty status was defined according to Fried criteria and categorized as frailty (≥3 criteria), prefrailty (1-2 criteria), or no frailty (0 criterion). Incident T2DM was defined as fasting plasma glucose (FPG) ≥7.0 mmol/L, or glycosylated hemoglobin ≥6.5%, the use of glucose-lowe…
Serum 25-Hydroxyvitamin D and Orthostatic Hypotension in Old People
Interest in the association between serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25OHD) and blood pressure has increased because recent research showed a close relationship between them, but there is still little information on the possible association between 25OHD and orthostatic hypotension. The aim of this study was to explore the relationship of 25OHD levels with any presence of orthostatic hypotension in a large group of older people. This study was part of the Progetto Veneto Anziani (Pro.V.A.), an Italian population–based cohort study involving people aged >65 years. In this cross-sectional work, we considered 2640 (1081 men and 1559 women) with a mean age of 73.8±6.8 years. Orthostatic hypotensi…
Serum 25-hydroxyvitamin d and the onset of late-life depressive mood in older men and women: the Pro.V.A. study.
Depression is a debilitating chronic condition, and its diagnosis and treatment in elderly people are often challenging. Because depressive mood seems to follow a seasonal pattern, peaking in summer and winter (1), it has recently been suggested that, through its action on the hypothalamus (which is involved in mood regulation), vitamin D might account for the link between seasonal changes in photoperiod and seasonal mood swings (2). Acting as a neurosteroid hormone, vitamin D may regulate human and animal neurotransmission, neuroprotection, and neuroimmunomodulation (3), and nuclear vitamin D receptors have been located in the human cortex and hippocampus (4). Although an association betwe…
Vitamin D deficiency and leisure time activities in the elderly: are all pastimes the same?
Background Optimal vitamin D status is important for overall health and well-being, particularly in the elderly. Although vitamin D synthesis in the skin declines with age, exposure to sunlight still seems to help older-aged adults to achieve adequate serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25OHD) levels. Elderly people would therefore benefit from outdoor leisure activities, but the effects of different types of pastime on serum 25OHD levels have yet to be thoroughly investigated. Aims To assess the association of different pastimes with 25OHD deficiency in elderly subjects. Methods A sample of 2,349 community-dwelling elderly individuals (1,389 females and 960 males) enrolled in the Progetto Veneto An…
Orthostatic changes in blood pressure and mortality in the elderly: The Pro.V.A study
BACKGROUND An extensive, albeit contrasting literature has suggested a possible role for orthostatic hypotension as a risk factor for cardiovascular (CVD) and non-CVD mortality, while no data are available for orthostatic hypertension. We investigated whether orthostatic changes in blood pressure (BP) were associated with any increased risk of all-cause, CVD or non-CVD mortality in a group of elderly people. METHODS Two thousand seven hundred and eighty six community-dwelling older participants were followed for 4.4 years. Participants were grouped according to whether they had a drop ≤20mm Hg in systolic, or ≤10mm Hg in diastolic BP (orthostatic hypotension), an increase in mean orthostati…
Orthostatic Changes in Blood Pressure and Cognitive Status in the Elderly: The Progetto Veneto Anziani Study.
We studied a cohort of 1408 older subjects to explore whether postural changes in blood pressure (BP; defined as orthostatic hypo- or hypertension) can predict the onset of cognitive deterioration. Orthostatic hypotension was defined as a drop of 20 mm Hg in systolic or 10 mm Hg in diastolic BP and orthostatic hypertension as a rise of 20 mm Hg in systolic BP. Orthostatic BP values were grouped into quintiles for secondary analyses. Two cognitive assessments were considered: (1) cognitive impairment, that is, Mini-Mental State Examination scores ≤24/30, and (2) cognitive decline (CD), that is, a 3-point decrease in Mini-Mental State Examination score from the baseline to the follow-up. At t…
Changes in Frailty Status and Risk of Depression: Results From the Progetto Veneto Anziani Longitudinal Study.
Objective To evaluate whether prefrailty was associated with the risk of developing depression and if longitudinal changes in frailty status corresponded to changes in incident depression during follow up. Methods A population-based, prospective cohort study was conducted for 4.4 years in two separate geographic areas near the city of Padua in the Veneto Region of Northern Italy. In 891 nondepressed, nonfrail, community-dwelling Italian subjects aged ≥ 65 (46.6% men) belonging to the Progetto Veneto Anziani study, depression was defined according to the Geriatric Depression Scale and was confirmed by geriatricians skilled in psychogeriatric medicine. Prefrailty was defined by the presence o…
Hyperuricemia, cardiovascular profile, and comorbidity in older men and women: The Pro.V.A. Study
Hyperuricemia (HU) is growing worldwide and associates with several medical conditions in the elderly. However, data about older people and possible gender differences are sparse. The aim of this study was to compare HU prevalence rates and association with relevant medical disorders in elderly subjects of both sexes. Pro.V.A. is a survey of 3099 individuals aged 65+, focusing on chronic diseases and disability. Uric acid (UA) levels were dichotomized using 6.0 mg/dL (females) and 7.0 mg/dL (males), and multivariate logistic regression models were used to estimate odds ratios (ORs) between HU and single comorbidity. HU prevalence was 21.5% in females and 15.8% in males. HU was associated wi…
Serum 25-Hydroxyvitamin D and Osteoarthritis in Older People: The Progetto Veneto Anziani Study.
Recent work has shown that low 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25OHD) levels are associated with the presence of osteoarthritis (OA), but these studies focused on radiographical changes of OA, investigated only one joint, and did not consider the association with OA-related pain. In this study, we aimed to examine the relationship between 25OHD levels and any presence of OA and pain in a cohort of older people. This study was part of the Progetto Veneto Anziani (Pro.V.A), a population-based cohort study in older people. In this cross-sectional work, we considered 2756 subjects (1102 males and 1654 females) with a mean age of 74.2 ± 7.1 years. OA and OA-related pain were defined using a standardized al…
Association Between Short Physical Performance Battery and Falls in Older People: The Progetto Veneto Anziani Study.
It is known that weakness in the lower limbs is associated with recurrent falls in old people. Among the tests routinely used to assess lower extremity strength, the Short Physical Performance Battery (SPPB) is one of those used most often, but its relationship with recurrent falls is poorly investigated. We aimed to determine if SPPB scores are related to recurrent falling in a sample of 2710 older-aged people, and to ascertain which test in the SPPB is most strongly associated with a higher rate of falls. In this cross-sectional study, we demonstrated that participants scoring 0-6 in the SPPB were more likely to be recurrent fallers than those scoring 10-12 (odds ratio [OR]=3.46, 95% conf…
Serum Dehydroepiandrosterone Sulfate and Incident Depression in the Elderly: The Pro.V.A. Study
Objective: Dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate (DHEAS) appears to have a protective effect against depression, but contrasting findings are available. Therefore, we investigated whether high serum DHEAS levels were associated with any protective effect on incident depression and incident severe depression in a representative group of elderly men and women. Methods: In a population-based cohort longitudinal study in the general community, 789 older participants without depression and cognitive impairment at the baseline were included, among 3,099 screened subjects. Serum DHEAS levels were determined based on blood samples; incident depression and severe depression were diagnosed by means of the G…
Serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D and the incidence of peripheral artery disease in the elderly: The Pro.V.A study
Aim: This study was conducted to examine whether low serum levels of 25-hydroxyvitamin D (250HD) are associated with a higher risk of incident peripheral artery disease (PAD) in a representative group of elderly people. Methods: We followed 1568 community-dwelling elderly participants without PAD at the baseline among a sample of 2097 initially eligible over a mean of 4.4 years as part of the Progetto Veneto Anziani (Pro.V.A.) study. The baseline serum 250HD levels were categorized as <24, 25-49, 50-74, >75 nmol/L, and incident PAD was defined as an ankle-brachial index below 0.9. Results: At the baseline, there were no differences in known risk factors for PAD (BMI), waist circumfere…
Serum 25-Hydroxyvitamin D and Incidence of Diabetes in Elderly People: The PRO.V.A. Study
Context: Increasing research has shown that low levels of serum 25-hydroxyvitamin (25OHD) predict the onset of diabetes, but no research is available on this issue in elderly people. Objective: Our objective was to examine whether low serum levels of 25OHD are associated with a higher risk of incident type 2 diabetes over a lengthy follow-up in a representative group of elderly people. Design and Setting: This was a population-based cohort study as part of the Progetto Veneto Anziani (Pro.V.A.) Study over a follow-up of 4.4 years in the general community. Participants: Participants included 2227 participants (1728 with follow-up visits and 499 died during the follow-up) over 65 years of ag…