Ana Claudia Morais Godoy Figueiredo

Prevalence of Frailty in Latin America and the Caribbean: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Background Countries in Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) have experienced a rapid increase in their proportion of older people. This region is marked by a high prevalence of chronic diseases and disabilities among aging adults. Frailty appears in the context of LAC negatively affecting quality of life among many older people. Aim To investigate the prevalence of frailty among community-dwelling older people in LAC through a systematic review and meta-analysis. Methods A literature search was performed in indexed databases and in the grey literature. Studies investigating the prevalence of frailty with representative samples of community-dwelling older people in Latin America and the Caribbean were retrieved. Independent investigators carried out the study selection process and the data extraction. A meta-analysis and meta-regression were performed using STATA 11 software. The systematic review was registered at the International Prospective Register of Systematic Reviews under the number CRD42014015203. Results A total of 29 studies and 43,083 individuals were included in the systematic review. The prevalence of frailty was 19.6% (95% CI: 15.4–24.3%) in the investigated region, with a range of 7.7% to 42.6% in the studies reviewed. The year of data collection influenced the heterogeneity between the studies. Conclusion Frailty is very common among older people in LAC. As a result, countries in the region need to adapt their health and social care systems to demands of an older population.

Effect of maternal periodontitis and low birth weight--a case control study.

Abstract Introduction. Since the 1990s, evidence has been raised that there is an association between maternal periodontal disease and undesirable gestational events, for example low birth weight; this issue is controversial. Objective. To evaluate whether there is an association between maternal periodontitis and low birth weight (LBW). Methods. A case-control study was carried out on 951 mothers that had been cared for by the Brazilian Unified Health System in Petrolina-PE and Juazeiro-BA, Brazil. The case group (n = 269) consisted of mothers of newborns with birth weight <2500 g and a control group (n = 682) of mothers of newborns with birth weight ≥2500 g. An interview was realized, using a questionnaire as well as a full mouth examination to diagnose the periodontal condition. Women who had at least four teeth with probing depth ≥4 mm and clinical attachment loss ≥3 mm, with bleeding on probing at the same site, were diagnosed with periodontitis. The birth weight was obtained through the hospital book record. The main association was evaluated using the multivariate regression model, considering confounders. Results. The frequency of periodontitis was 16.4% (case group) and 17.4% (control group). Periodontitis did not show an association with LBW (ORcrude = 0.92; 95% CI = 0.63–1.35), even after adjustment for the following confounders: maternal age, pre-gestational body mass index, number of pre-natal consultations, number of pregnancies, maternal schooling level, smoking habit during pregnancy and hypertension (ORadjusted = 1.00; 95% CI = 0.61–1.68). Conclusion. The findings of this study showed no association between maternal periodontal disease and low birth weight, even after appropriate adjustments for confounding factors.

Satisfação dos usuários adultos com a atenção em saúde bucal na estratégia de saúde da família

The objective of this study was to evaluate the levels of satisfaction of the adult users of the municipality of Lauro de Freitas, state of Bahia, Brazil in relation to the oral-health services offered by the Family Health Strategy - ESF. This quantitative, descriptive study applied two validation instruments, the User-Satisfaction-Evaluation Questionnaire in conjunction with the Public Oral-Health Service and one part of the questionnaire from theSB Brasil2010Project. The sample size was 418 individuals, with a sampling-error rate of 5%. The quantitative variables and measurement of central tendencies and dispersion were distributed using the SPSS statistics program. The results demonstrated that most of those interviewed were women (78.2%), African descent (47.0%), and single (46.1%). In terms of the aforementioned oral morbidity, the majority reported the need for odontological treatment (91.4%). 52.5% reported toothache in the previous six months. A high degree of satisfaction was observed in relation to the dimensions of the physical environment, acceptability, efficiency, equality, human relations, and the technical-scientific quality of the equipment. In conclusion, despite the many challenges that persist to improving the quality of the oral-health services of the ESF, the level of satisfaction of adult users was high.

Mediterranean Diet and Musculoskeletal-Functional Outcomes in Community-Dwelling Older People: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

BackgroundPopulation aging is increasing and this process together with its characteristics influence the prevalence and incidence of chronic conditions and musculoskeletal-functional outcomes such as frailty, functional disability and sarcopenia. Nutritional strategies focused on dietary patterns, such as a Mediterranean diet, can be protective from these outcomes.PurposeTo investigate the association between adherence to a Mediterranean diet and frailty, functional disability and sarcopenia in community-dwelling older people.MethodsWe systematically reviewed electronic databases (MEDLINE, EMBASE, and others) and grey literature for articles investigating the relationship between adherence to a Mediterranean diet and frailty, functional disability and sarcopenia in community-dwelling people aged 60 and over. Study selection, quality of study assessment and data extraction were conducted independently by two authors. Random effects meta-analyses were performed, and pooled Odds Ratios (OR) were obtained.ResultsAfter the literature search, screening and eligibility investigation, we included 12studies, with a total of 20,518 subjects. A higher adherence to a Mediterranean diet was found to be inversely associated with frailty (OR 0.42, 95% CI: 0.28-0.65, I2=24.9%, p=0.262) and functional disability (OR 0.75, 95% CI: 0.61-0.93, I2=0.0%, p=0.78). Highly different study characteristics prevented us from performing a meta-analysis for sarcopenia. Cohort data indicated no association between adherence to a Mediterranean diet and sarcopenia; however, cross-sectional results showed a positive relationship.ConclusionA Mediterranean diet is protective of frailty and functional disability, but not of sarcopenia. More longitudinal studies are needed to understand the relationship between a Mediterranean diet and sarcopenia.

Factors Associated with Malignancy in Hysteroscopically Resected Endometrial Polyps: a Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

In this study, we aimed to estimate the frequency of premalignant and malignant lesions in endometrial polyps, and to evaluate associated clinical and demographic factors. A literature search was performed in major databases and the gray literature using the terms polyps OR endometrial polyp AND endometrial neoplasms OR endometrial cancer OR endometrial hyperplasia OR malignan*. Studies describing the frequency of premalignant and malignant lesions in endometrial polyps and any clinical or demographic factors associated with malignant lesions extracted using hysteroscopy were considered eligible. Independent investigators selected the studies and extracted the data. A meta-analysis was performed using a random-effects model and meta-regression. We identified 37 studies (comprising 21,057 patients) of endometrial polyps. The prevalence of premalignant and malignant lesions was 3.4% (95% confidence interval [CI], 2.8-4.1; I2, 80.5%). Abnormal uterine bleeding (prevalence ratio [PR], 1.47; 95% CI, 1.27-1.69; I2, 82.4%), menopausal status (PR, 1.67; 95% CI, 1.48-1.89; I2, 78.4%), age >60 years (PR, 2.41; 95% CI, 1.84-3.16; I2, 81.5%), diabetes mellitus (PR, 1.76; 95% CI, 1.43-2.16; I2, 0.0%), systemic arterial hypertension (PR, 1.50; 95% CI, 1.20-1.88; I2, 75.9%), obesity (PR, 1.41; 95% CI:1.13-1.76; I2, 41.2%), and tamoxifen use (PR, 1.53; 95% CI, 1.06-2.21; I2, 0.0%) were associated with endometrial polyp malignancy. However, breast cancer (PR, 0.83; 95% CI, 0.44-1.57; I2, 0.0%), hormonal therapy (PR, 0.93; 95% CI, 0.67-1.30; I2, 31.7%), parity (PR, 0.87; 95% CI, 0.39-1.96; I2, 78.1%), and endometrial polyp size (PR, 1.05; 95% CI, 0.70-1.57; I2, 44.7%) were not associated with malignancy of endometrial polyps. Three of every 100 women with clinically recognized polyps, a condition associated with specific clinical and demographic factors, will harbor premalignant or malignant lesions.

Factors associated with dental caries, periodontitis and intra-oral lesions in individuals with HIV / AIDS*

ABSTRACT This study aimed to investigate the factors associated with oral diseases in individuals with HIV/AIDS. A cross sectional study was carried out which included 312 individuals registered in the Specialized Care Services for HIV/AIDS in three municipalities of the State of Bahia: Feira de Santana, Santo Antonio de Jesus and Juazeiro, Brazil. Socioeconomic-demographic characteristics related to life style and to dental caries, periodontitis and intra-oral mucosal lesions were investigated in patients with HIV/AIDS infection. Prevalence Ratio with 95% Confidence Interval and significance level of 5% were employed for the statistical analysis. The majority of the individuals evaluated were male with a mean age (± standard deviation) of 41.5 ± 11.3 years, and a mean time of HIV infection diagnosis (± standard deviation) of 5.2 ± 4.4 years. The presence of dental caries was observed in 78.7% of the sample, periodontitis in 25.4% and 36.2% showed intra-oral lesions. Oral health status showed a statistically significant association with the following variables: gender, age, schooling level, current occupation, family income, past and current smoking, antiretroviral use time, latest viral burden dosage, latest CD4-positive T lymphocyte count, use of complete/partial dental prosthesis, need for dental prosthesis, and use of dental floss. With the exception of those factors directly related to HIV/AIDS i.e., antiretroviral use time, latest viral burden dosage and latest CD4-positive T lymphocyte count, the factors associated with oral diseases in this population were the same as those associated with oral diseases in the non-HIV/AIDS population.

MATERNAL HYPERTENSION AS A RISK FACTOR ASSOCIATED WITH LOW BIRTH WEIGHT

Objective: to investigate the association between maternal hypertension and low birth weight, in a public hospital in Petrolina, Pernambuco, Brazil. Methods: A case-control study was conducted on 317 individuals, such that the case group was composed of 87 mothers of children born with a weight of less than 2500 g and/or gestational age less than 37 weeks, and the control group was composed of 230 mothers of newborns of weight greater than or equal to 2500 g and gestational age greater than or equal to 37 weeks. Descriptive analysis and logistic regression were applied to the data gathered. Results: The results showed a statistically significant difference in maternal age between the study groups. The use of medications and number of prenatal consultations were also shown to be associated with low birth weight. After appropriate adjustments, the association between maternal hypertension and low birth weight was demonstrated to be strong and statistically significant (OR = 3.84; 95% CI: 1.92 – 7.68). Conclusions: The findings indicate that maternal hypertension is a possible risk factor for low birth weight.