Impact of Diabetes Mellitus and Its Comorbidities on Elderly Patients Hospitalized in Internal Medicine Wards: Data from the RePoSi Registry

Background: Currently, diabetes represents the seventh leading cause of death worldwide, with a significant economic burden. The number and severity of comorbidities increase with age, and are identified as important determinants that influence the prognosis. We aimed to investigate comorbidities and outcomes in a cohort of hospitalized elderly patients affected by diabetes. Methods: In this observational study, we retrospectively analyzed data collected from the REgistro dei pazienti per lo studio delle POlipatologie e politerapie in reparti della rete Simi (RePoSi) registry. Socio-demographic, clinical characteristics, and laboratory findings were considered. The association between varia…

Hyperglycemia at admission, comorbidities, and in-hospital mortality in elderly patients hospitalized in internal medicine wards: data from the RePoSI Registry

Abstract Aims The association between hyperglycemia at hospital admission and relevant short- and long-term outcomes in elderly population is known. We assessed the effects on mortality of hyperglycemia, disability, and multimorbidity at admission in internal medicine ward in patients aged ≥ 65 years. Methods Data were collected from an active register of 102 internal medicine and geriatric wards in Italy (RePoSi project). Patients were recruited during four index weeks of a year. Socio-demographic data, reason for hospitalization, diagnoses, treatment, severity and comorbidity indexes (Cumulative Illness rating Scale CIRS-SI and CIRS-CI), renal function, functional (Barthel Index), and cog…

Pain and Frailty in Hospitalized Older Adults

Introduction Pain and frailty are prevalent conditions in the older population. Many chronic diseases are likely involved in their origin, and both have a negative impact on quality of life. However, few studies have analysed their association. Methods In light of this knowledge gap, 3577 acutely hospitalized patients 65 years or older enrolled in the REPOSI register, an Italian network of internal medicine and geriatric hospital wards, were assessed to calculate the frailty index (FI). The impact of pain and some of its characteristics on the degree of frailty was evaluated using an ordinal logistic regression model after adjusting for age and gender. Results The prevalence of pain was 24.…

Lipid-lowering therapies and achievement of LDL-cholesterol targets.

Screening for celiac disease in non-Hodgkin's lymphoma patients: a serum anti-transglutaminase-based approach

Several studies have shown the existence of an association between celiac disease (CD) and non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL). Our aim was to evaluate the usefulness of the serum anti-tissue transglutaminase (anti-tTG) antibody assay in screening for CD in consecutive NHL patients. In all, 80 consecutive patients (median age 61 years) with a new diagnosis of NHL were included. To compare the frequency of CD and of positive results for the anti-tTG assay, we enrolled 500 blood donors. In all patients serum anti-tTG was determined with two different ELISA: one based on tTG from guinea pig (gp-tTG) and the other based on human recombinant t-TG (h-tTG) as the antigens. Serum anti-endomysial antibodie…

Altilix

The objective was to evaluate the effects of 6 months of supplementation with Altilix®, containing chlorogenic acid and its derivatives, and luteolin and its derivatives, on cardiovascular risk and hepatic markers in subjects with metabolic syndrome (MetS). A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study was performed in 100 subjects with MetS with a follow-up period of 6 months; 50 subjects were randomized to Altilix® (26 men and 24 women, mean age 63 ± 8 years) and the other 50 to placebo (28 men and 22 women, mean age 63 ± 11 years). Anthropometric, cardiometabolic, and hepatic parameters were assessed at baseline and at the end of follow-up. Carotid intima-media thickness and endot…

Autoimmune enteropathy and colitis in an adult patient

The presence of circulating autoantibodies to gut enterocytes has been very rarely described in adults and is considered a possible cause of refractory sprue. Our aims was to describe the case of an adult patient with serum anti-enterocyte autoantibodies associated with a clinical picture characterized by involvement of both the small intestine and colon. A female, age 50, had suffered from diarrhea with mucus and blood, abdominal pain, thinness, anemia, and leukopenia since the age of 20. She also suffered from HCV infection and had mild chronic hepatitis. Family history was positive for autoimmunity. Symptoms were reported to worsen after eating gluten-containing foods, but anti-transglut…

Kidney Disease Management in the Hospital Setting: A Focus on Inappropriate Drug Prescriptions in Older Patients

Aging with multimorbidity and polytherapy are the most significant factors that could led to inappropriate prescribing of contraindicated medications in patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD). The aim of this study was to evaluate the prescriptions of contraindicated drugs in older adults in CKD and to identify their associated factors in a hospital context. An observational retrospective study was carried out considering all patients ≥65 years with at least one serum creatinine value recorded into the REPOSI register into 2010–2016 period. The estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) was applied to identify CKD. A descriptive analysis was performed to compare demographic and clinica…

The effects of statins on blood pressure: current knowledge and future perspectives.