The prevalence of Type 2 diabetes and its associated health problems in a community-dwelling elderly population.

AIMS: Prevalence estimates of Type 2 diabetes and its associated health problems in elderly populations are rare, especially in the very elderly. METHODS: A sample of 15 095 community-dwelling older people aged > or = 75 years were assessed. Type 2 diabetes and associated health problems were identified using self-reporting, general practitioner records, drug histories, and blood and urine measurements. RESULTS: There were 1177 people identified as having Type 2 diabetes mellitus, giving an overall prevalence of 7.8% (95% confidence interval 7.1, 8.5), 9.4% (8.4, 10.5) for men and 6.8% (6.1, 7.6) for women. The age, sex and smoking adjusted odds ratios for various health problems, comparing people with and without diabetes were: low vision 1.6 (1.3, 1.9), proteinuria 1.7 (1.4, 2.1), chronic kidney disease stage 4 or 5 1.5 (1.0, 2.1), angina 1.3 (1.1, 1.6), myocardial infarction 1.5 (1.2, 1.8), cerebrovascular event 2.0 (1.8, 2.1) and foot ulceration 1.7 (1.2, 2.4). CONCLUSIONS: The prevalence of Type 2 diabetes is not high in community-dwelling older people, but diabetes was a contributory factor to a number of health problems

The MRC trial of assessment and management of older people in the community: objectives, design and interventions [ISRCTN23494848].

BACKGROUND: The benefit of regular multidimensional assessment of older people remains controversial. The majority of trials have been too small to produce adequate evidence to inform policy. Despite the lack of a firm evidence base, UK primary care practitioners (general practitioners) are required to offer an annual health check to patients aged 75 years and over. DESIGN: Cluster-randomised factorial trial in primary care comparing a package of assessments (i) universal versus targeted assessment and (ii) management by the primary care team (PC) or a multidisciplinary geriatric assessment team (GM). The unit of randomization is the general practice. METHODS: Older people aged 75 and over eligible for the over 75s health check and excluding those in nursing homes or terminally ill were invited to participate. All participants receive a brief assessment covering all areas of the over 75s check. In the universal arm all participants also receive a detailed health and social assessment by a study nurse while in the targeted arm only participants with a pre-determined number and range of problems at the brief assessment go on to have the detailed assessment. The study nurse follows a standard protocol based on results and responses in the detailed assessment to make referrals to (i) the randomised management team (PC or GM) (ii) other medical services, health care workers or agencies (iii) emergency referrals to the GP. The main outcomes are mortality, hospital and institutional admissions and quality of life. 106 practices and 33,000 older people have been recruited to the trial

Left ventricular hypertrophy and incident cognitive decline in older adults with hypertension

The association between raised blood pressure and increased risk of subsequent cognitive decline is well known. Left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH), as a marker of hypertensive target organ damage, may help identify those at risk of cognitive decline. We assessed whether LVH was associated with subsequent cognitive decline or dementia in hypertensive participants aged ≥80 years in the randomized, placebo-controlled Hypertension in the Very Elderly Trial. LVH was assessed using 12-lead electrocardiography (ECG) based on the Cornell Product (CP-LVH), Sokolow-Lyon (SL-LVH), and Cornell Voltage (CV-LVH) criteria. The Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) was used to assess cognitive function at baseline and annually. A fall in MMSE to 3 points were defined as cognitive decline and triggered dementia screening (Diagnostic Statistical Manual IV). Death was defined as a competing event. Fine-Gray regression models were used to examine the relationship between baseline LVH and cognitive outcomes. There were 2645 in the analytical sample, including 201 (7.6%) with CP-LVH, 225 (8.5%) SL-LVH and 251 (9.5%) CV-LVH. CP-LVH was associated with increased risk of cognitive decline, subdistribution hazard ratio (sHR)1.3 (95% confidence interval (CI) 1.01–1.67) in multivariate analyses. SL-LVH and CV-LVH were not associated with cognitive decline (sHR1.06 (95% CI 0.82–1.37) and sHR1.13 (95% CI 0.89–1.43), respectively). LVH was not associated with dementia. LVH may be related to subsequent cognitive decline, but evidence was inconsistent depending on ECG criterion and there were no associations with incident dementia. Additional work is needed to understand the relationships between blood pressure, LVH assessment and cognition

Hipertensión arterial inducida por el tratamiento con antiangiogénicos en el paciente oncológico

Introduction: high blood pressure is a multifactorial disease; there is a wide range of stimuli that can trigger it, including drugs.Objective: to describe the pathophysiological mechanisms involved in the development of hypertension induced by treatment with antiangiogenic drugs in oncological patients.Methods: a search for information was carried out in the PubMed/MEDLINE, SciELO and Scopus databases. Twenty-four bibliographic references were chosen.Development: the mechanisms of blood pressure elevation in patients treated with antiangiogenic agents are multifactorial. The mechanisms involved are not seen in isolation, but some are cause and/or effect of others. This interrelationship is shown during inhibition of vascular endothelial growth factor A, which is associated with a decrease in serum levels of nitric oxide metabolites, which triggers sodium retention and increased local and systemic blood pressure, showing changes in renal dynamics. Monitoring is necessary to allow early diagnosis and adequate treatment. This suggests that the use of appropriate antihypertensive drugs may be necessary for maintenance therapy to avoid dose interruption/discontinuation. Conclusions: there are several pathophysiological mechanisms related to the development of hypertension during treatment with antiangiogenic drugs such as induction of vascular endothelial growth factor A, variations in nitric oxide production, increased expression of pre-hypertensive agents such as endothelin-1, microvascular rare- fraction, activation of the renin-angiotensin system and oxidative stress.Introducción: la hipertensión arterial una enfermedad multifactorial; existe una alta gama de estímulos que pueden desencadenarla, entre ellos, los medicamentos.Objetivo: describir los mecanismos fisiopatológicos que intervienen en el desarrollo de hipertensión arterial inducida por el tratamiento con antiangiogénicos en pacientes oncológicos.Métodos: se realizó una búsqueda de información en las bases de datos PubMed/MEDLINE, SciELO y Scopus. Se seleccionaron 24 referencias bibliográficas.Desarrollo: los mecanismos de elevación de la presión arterial en pacientes tratados con antiangiogénicos son multifactoriales. Los mecanismos implicados no se ven de forma aislada, sino que unos son causa y/o efecto de otros. Esta interrelación se muestra durante la inhibición del factor A del crecimiento endotelial vascular, que se asocia con una disminución de los niveles séricos de los metabolitos del óxido nítrico, el cual desencadena la retención de sodio y aumento de la presión arterial local y sistémica, mostrando cambios en la dinámica renal. Es necesaria una monitorización que permita un diagnóstico temprano y tratamiento adecuado. Esto sugiere que el uso de medicamentos antihipertensivos apropiados puede ser necesario para la terapia de mantenimiento, a fin de evitar la interrupción/discontinuación de la dosis.Conclusiones: existen varios mecanismos fisiopatológicos relacionados al desarrollo de hipertensión arterial durante el tratamiento con antiangiogénicos como la inducción del factor A de crecimiento endotelial vascular, las variaciones de la producción de óxido nítrico, aumento de la expresión de agentes prehipertensivos como la endotelina-1, la rarefracción microvascular, la activación del sistema renina-angiotensina y el estrés oxidativo

Effects of the search technique on the measurement of the change in quality of randomized controlled trials over time in the field of brain injury

BACKGROUND: To determine if the search technique that is used to sample randomized controlled trial (RCT) manuscripts from a field of medical science can influence the measurement of the change in quality over time in that field. METHODS: RCT manuscripts in the field of brain injury were identified using two readily-available search techniques: (1) a PubMed MEDLINE search, and (2) the Cochrane Injuries Group (CIG) trials registry. Seven criteria of quality were assessed in each manuscript and related to the year-of-publication of the RCT manuscripts by regression analysis. RESULTS: No change in the frequency of reporting of any individual quality criterion was found in the sample of RCT manuscripts identified by the PubMed MEDLINE search. In the RCT manuscripts of the CIG trials registry, three of the seven criteria showed significant or near-significant increases over time. CONCLUSIONS: We demonstrated that measuring the change in quality over time of a sample of RCT manuscripts from the field of brain injury can be greatly affected by the search technique. This poorly recognized factor may make measurements of the change in RCT quality over time within a given field of medical science unreliable

The Rise and Fall of Hypertension: Lessons Learned from Eastern Europe

Hypertension is a progressive cardiovascular syndrome that arises from many differing, but interrelated, etiologies. Hypertension is the most prevalent cardiovascular disorder, affecting 20% to 50% of the adult population in developed countries. Arterial hypertension is a major risk factor for cardiovascular diseases and death. Epidemiologic data have shown that control of hypertension is achieved in only a small percentage of hypertensive patients. Findings from the World Health Organization project Monitoring Trends and Determinants in Cardiovascular Diseases (MONICA) showed a remarkably high prevalence (about 65%) of hypertension in Eastern Europeans. There is virtually no difference however, between the success rate in controlling hypertension when comparing Eastern and Western European populations. Diagnosing hypertension depends on both population awareness of the dangers of hypertension and medical interventions aimed at the detecting elevated blood pressure, even in asymptomatic patients. Medical compliance with guidelines for the treatment of hypertension is variable throughout Eastern Europe. Prevalence of hypertension increases with age, and the management of hypertension in elderly is a significant problem. The treatment of hypertension demands a comprehensive approach to the patient with regard to cardiovascular risk and individualization of hypertensive therapy