Search results for "elderly."
showing 10 items of 850 documents
Assessment of cardiac autonomic nervous activity in frail elderly people with postural abnormalities and in control subjects
2008
Heart rate variability (HRV), which is considered to reflect the activity of the autonomic nervous system (ANS), has been shown to decline with age. The aim of the present study was to explore cardiac ANS in older patients showing frontal-subcortical dysfunction with "Psychomotor Disadaptation Syndrome" (PDS), through the 24-h HRV. We enrolled 14 patients with PDS (mean age: 84.5+/-6.9 years), they were compared to 13 frail control subjects (mean age: 80.6+/-6.7 years). Cardiac ANS activity was assessed by 24-h ECG recordings from three leads with a Holter digital monitor. The decrease in cardiac ANS activity observed in PDS subjects was greater than the alteration found in normally aging s…
A screening instrument for a Sicilian neuroepidemiological survey in the elderly.
2003
Abstract We evaluated the sensitivity and specificity of a screening instrument developed for use in a two-phase neuroepidemiological survey in Sicily. The Sicilian Epidemiological Dementia Study (SEDES) project will evaluate the prevalence and incidence of dementia, parkinsonisms and essential tremor in four Sicilian municipalities. It is a two-phase door-to-door survey. To identify subjects with possible neurological disorders, in this study, we developed a screening instrument including a symptoms questionnaire and simple physical tasks for parkinsonisms and essential tremor. The Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) was chosen for screening dementia. The symptoms questionnaire and simple…
Multidimensional health assessment of 75- and 80-year-old men and women: a five-year prospective study.
2003
Background and aims: There are no earlier reports of regular multidimensional health check programs in elderly people. The aim of this study was to establish the number and type of previously unrecognized health conditions in two cohorts of elderly people examined twice during a 5-year period, and to determine how these conditions were subsequently evaluated and treated. Methods: This population-based study, carried out at a university research center in Finland, consisted of a multidimensional and multiphased health assessment including interviews, health questionnaires and medical examinations and tests, and follow-up of subsequent examinations and treatment. Participants were all 75- (N=…
Serum 25-hydroxyvitamin d and the onset of late-life depressive mood in older men and women: the Pro.V.A. study.
2014
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…
Hyperuricemia, cardiovascular profile, and comorbidity in older men and women: The Pro.V.A. Study
2017
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…
Changes in blood pressure in a large cohort of elderly individuals: Study 3C
2009
Summary Objective Analysis of changes in blood pressure with a two-year interval, and of factors associated with this change, in a large cohort of elderly individuals. Methods Follow-up of a cohort of 9294 individuals aged 65 years and over recruited from the general population for Study 3C. Changes in blood pressure are defined as the difference in its averages between the inclusion visit and the follow-up visit at 2 years. The factors associated with changes in systolic blood pressure were identified by univariate and multivariate analyses. Results Systolic and diastolic blood pressure decreased on average by 7.60 mmHg and 4.45 mmHg respectively in 7659 individuals included in the study b…
N-Acetylaspartate/Creatine and Choline/Creatine Ratios in the Thalami, Insular Cortex and White Matter as Markers of Hypertension and Cognitive Impai…
2008
International audience; Abstract: Our objective was to investigate the influence of hypertension on N-acetylaspartate (NAA) and choline (Cho) ratios in brain tissues in a community-dwelling elderly population. Brain flexibility was also evaluated with regard to the same metabolite ratios. Proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS) and the Trail Making Test (TMT) were performed in 80 subjects (75.7 +/- 4 years old) from the Three-City Study. Fifty-eight participants had hypertension. The NAA/creatine (Cr) and Cho/Cr ratios were obtained in the insular cortex, the thalami and the deep periventricular white matter. In addition, the B-A score of the TMT was evaluated. Uniand multi-variate ana…
Task Modifications in Walking Postpone Decline in Life-Space Mobility Among Community-Dwelling Older People: A 2-year Follow-up Study
2017
Background Task modification refers to performing a task differently than before. While task modification in walking may be a sign of looming walking difficulty, it may also be adaptive in and postpone the decline in life-space mobility. However, this has not been studied. This study examined whether changes in life-space mobility over a 2-year period differ between people who at baseline report no walking difficulty and no task modification, those who report no walking difficulty but task modification, and those who report walking difficulty. Methods Community-dwelling people aged 75–90 years were interviewed face-to-face at baseline (N = 848), and over phone one (n = 816) and two (n = 761…
Older persons with signs of frailty in a home-based physical exercise intervention : baseline characteristics of an RCT
2019
Background Increasing the level of physical activity among persons with signs of frailty improves physical functioning. There is a lack of long-term supervised physical exercise intervention studies including a validated definition of frailty. Aims To present baseline characteristics of persons with signs of frailty participating in a randomized long-term home-based physical exercise trial (HIPFRA), and to study associations between the severity of frailty, functional independence and health-related quality-of-life (HRQoL). Methods Three hundred persons, ≥ 65 years old and with signs of frailty (assessed by Fried´s phenotype criteria) were recruited from South Karelia, Finland and randomize…
Adherence to antibiotic treatment guidelines and outcomes in the hospitalized elderly with different types of pneumonia.
2015
none 22 no Background: Few studies evaluated the clinical outcomes of Community Acquired Pneumonia (CAP), Hospital-Acquired Pneumonia (HAP) and Health Care-Associated Pneumonia (HCAP) in relation to the adherence of antibiotic treatment to the guidelines of the Infectious Diseases Society of America (IDSA) and the American Thoracic Society (ATS) in hospitalized elderly people (65 years or older). Methods: Data were obtained from REPOSI, a prospective registry held in 87 Italian internal medicine and geriatric wards. Patients with a diagnosis of pneumonia (ICD-9 480-487) or prescribed with an antibiotic for pneumonia as indication were selected. The empirical antibiotic regimen was defined t…