Kala M. Mehta

Age Affects Outcomes in Chronic Kidney Disease

Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is common among the elderly. However, little is known about how the clinical implications of CKD vary with age. We examined the age-specific incidence of death, treated end-stage renal disease (ESRD), and change in estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) among 209,622 US veterans with CKD stages 3 to 5 followed for a mean of 3.2 years. Patients aged 75 years or older at baseline comprised 47% of the overall cohort and accounted for 28% of the 9227 cases of ESRD that occurred during follow-up. Among patients of all ages, rates of both death and ESRD were inversely related to eGFR at baseline. However, among those with comparable levels of eGFR, older patients had higher rates of death and lower rates of ESRD than younger patients. Consequently, the level of eGFR below which the risk of ESRD exceeded the risk of death varied by age, ranging from 45 ml/min per 1.73 m(2) for 18 to 44 year old patients to 15 ml/min per 1.73 m(2) for 65 to 84 year old patients. Among those 85 years or older, the risk of death always exceeded the risk of ESRD in this cohort. Among patients with eGFR levels <45 ml/min per 1.73 m(2) at baseline, older patients were less likely than their younger counterparts to experience an annual decline in eGFR of >3 ml/min per 1.73 m(2). In conclusion, age is a major effect modifier among patients with an eGFR of <60 ml/min per 1.73 m(2), challenging us to move beyond a uniform stage-based approach to managing CKD.

Alcohol consumption and risk of dementia: the Rotterdam Study

BACKGROUND Light-to-moderate alcohol consumption reduces the risk of coronary heart disease and stroke. Because vascular disease is associated with cognitive impairment and dementia, we hypothesised that alcohol consumption might also affect the risk of dementia. METHODS We examined the relation between alcohol consumption and risk of dementia in individuals taking part in the Rotterdam Study--a prospective population-based study of 7983 individuals aged 55 years and older. We studied all participants who did not have dementia at baseline (1990-93) and who had complete data on alcohol consumption (n=5395). Through follow-up examinations in 1993-94 and 1997-99 and an extensive monitoring system, we obtained nearly complete follow-up (99.7%) until the end of 1999. We used proportional hazards regression analysis, adjusted for age, sex, systolic blood pressure, education, smoking, and body-mass index, to compare the risk of developing dementia between individuals who regularly consumed alcohol and individuals who did not consume alcohol. FINDINGS The average follow-up was 6.0 years. During this period, 197 individuals developed dementia (146 Alzheimers disease, 29 vascular dementia, 22 other dementia). The median alcohol consumption was 0.29 drinks per day. Light-to-moderate drinking (one to three drinks per day) was significantly associated with a lower risk of any dementia (hazard ratio 0.58 [95% CI 0.38-0.90]) and vascular dementia (hazard ratio 0.29 [0.09-0.93]). We found no evidence that the relation between alcohol and dementia varied by type of alcoholic beverage. INTERPRETATION These findings suggest that light-to-moderate alcohol consumption is associated with a reduced risk of dementia in individuals aged 55 years or older. The effect seems to be unchanged by the source of alcohol.

Limited literacy and mortality in the elderly: the health, aging, and body composition study.

BACKGROUND: While limited literacy is common and its prevalence increases with age, no prospective study has assessed whether limited literacy is associated with mortality in older adults.OBJECTIVE: To assess the association of limited literacy with mortality.DESIGN AND SETTING: Five-year prospective study from 1999 to 2004 of community-dwelling elders from Memphis, TN, and Pittsburgh, PA, who were from the Health, Aging, and Body Composition study. Subjects’ literacy was assessed with the Rapid Estimate of Adult Literacy in Medicine. Scores were categorzied into limited (0 to 8th grade reading level) or adequate literacy (≥9th grade reading level).PARTICIPANTS: Two thousand five hundred and twelve black and white elders without baseline functional difficulties or dementia.MEASUREMENTS: Time to death.RESULTS: Participants’ mean age was 75.6 years, 48% were male, 38% were black, and 24% had limited literacy; the median follow-up time was 4.2 years. Compared with those with adequate literacy, those with limited literacy had a higher risk of death (19.7% vs 10.6%) with a hazard ratio (HR) of 2.03 (95% confidence intervals [CI], 1.62 to 2.55). After adjusting for demographics and socioeconomic status, co-morbid conditions, self-rated health status, health-related behaviors, health care access measures, and psychosocial status, limited literacy remained independently associated with mortality (HR 1.75; 95% CI, 1.27 to 2.41).CONCLUSIONS: Limited literacy is independently associated with a nearly 2-fold increase in mortality in the elderly. Given the growth of the aging population and the prevalence of chronic diseases, the mechanisms by which limited literacy is associated with mortality in the elderly warrant further investigation.

Reduced incidence of AD with NSAID but not H2 receptor antagonists: The Cache County Study

Background Previous analyses from the Cache County (UT) Study showed inverse associations between the prevalence of AD and the use of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAID), aspirin compounds, or histamine H2 receptor antagonists (H2RA). The authors re-examined these associations using data on incident AD. Methods In 1995 to 1996, elderly (aged 65+) county residents were assessed for dementia, with current and former use of NSAID, aspirin, and H2RA as well as three other “control” medication classes also noted. Three years later, interval medication histories were obtained and 104 participants with incident AD were identified among 3,227 living participants. Discrete time survival analyses estimated the risk of incident AD in relation to medication use. ResultsAD incidence was marginally reduced in those reporting NSAID use at any time. Increased duration of use was associated with greater risk reduction, and the estimated hazard ratio was 0.45 with ≥2 years of exposure. Users of NSAID at baseline showed little reduction in AD incidence, regardless of use thereafter. By contrast, former NSAID users showed substantially reduced incidence (estimated hazard ratio = 0.42), with a trend toward greatest risk reduction among those with extended exposure. Similar patterns appeared with aspirin but not with any other medicines examined. Conclusions Long-term NSAID use may reduce the risk of AD, provided such use occurs well before the onset of dementia. More recent exposure seems to offer little protection. Recently initiated randomized trials of NSAID for primary prevention of AD are therefore unlikely to show effects with treatment until participants have been followed for several years.

Limited Literacy in Older People and Disparities in Health and Healthcare Access

OBJECTIVES: To determine the relationship between health literacy, demographics, and access to health care.

Subclinical hyperthyroidism and the risk of dementia. The Rotterdam study

We investigated the prospective relationship between thyroid status and the risk of dementia and Alzheimers disease among a random sample of 1843 participants, aged 55 years and over, from the population‐based prospective Rotterdam Study.

Cognitive Impairment, Depressive Symptoms, and Functional Decline in Older People

OBJECTIVES: Although cognitive impairment and depressive symptoms are associated with functional decline, it is not understood how these risk factors act together to affect the risk of functional decline. The purpose of this study is to determine the relative contributions of cognitive impairment and depressive symptoms on decline in activity of daily living (ADL) function over 2 years in an older cohort.

Head trauma and risk of dementia and Alzheimer’s disease The Rotterdam Study

Objective: To investigate the relation between head trauma and incidence of dementia in a prospective population-based study. Background: Whether head trauma increases the risk of dementia and AD remains controversial. It has been suggested that the risk might be particularly increased for carriers of the APOE-ε4 allele. Methods: The study population included 6645 participants of the prospective population-based Rotterdam Study, aged 55 years or older, who were free of dementia at baseline. Head trauma with loss of consciousness was measured at baseline by a self-report to a physician and detailed the number of head traumas, time since head trauma, and duration of loss of consciousness. The cohort was followed for incident dementia that was diagnosed according to international criteria. Logistic regression was used to calculate the risk of dementia after adjusting for age, gender, and education. Results: No increased risk of dementia or AD was found for persons with a history of head trauma with loss of consciousness (relative risk [RR] for dementia = 1.0, 95% CI, 0.5–2.0; RR for AD = 0.8, 95% CI, 0.4–1.9). Multiple head traumas, time since head trauma, and duration of unconsciousness did not significantly influence the risk of dementia. In addition, the APOE-ε4 allele did not modify the relationship. Conclusions: This study suggests that mild head trauma is not a major risk factor for dementia or AD in the elderly. In addition, this study does not concur with previous cross-sectional studies suggesting an interaction with the APOE genotype.

Trabeculectomy with intraoperative mitomycin C versus 5-Fluorouracil: Prospective randomized clinical trial

OBJECTIVE To evaluate the relative efficacy and safety of 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) and mitomycin C (MMC) when used as adjuncts with primary trabeculectomy in eyes not at high risk for failure. DESIGN Prospective multicenter, randomized clinical trial. PARTICIPANTS One hundred thirteen patients with primary open-angle, pseudoexfoliative, pigmentary, or angle-closure glaucoma undergoing primary trabeculectomy were recruited. METHODS One eye of each patient was randomized to receive either 5-FU (50 mg/ml for 5 minutes) or MMC (0.4 mg/ml for 2 minutes). MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES Intraocular pressure (IOP), visual acuity, complications, and interventions were documented at fixed intervals after surgery. The study also examined progression of visual field loss, long-term complications, and bleb appearance 3 years after surgery. RESULTS Of the 108 patients with complete perioperative information, 54 eyes received 5-FU and 54 received MMC. The proportion of patients reaching different predefined target IOPs after surgery was slightly higher in the MMC group than in the 5-FU group. This difference was less than 25%, which would have been necessary to achieve statistical significance with a power of 0.8 and the sample size used. Likewise, there was no statistically significant difference between the groups with regard to mean preoperative IOP, complications, or interventions. Mean postoperative follow-up was 309 and 330 days in the 5-FU and MMC groups, respectively (P = 0.593). CONCLUSIONS 5-Fluorouracil and MMC were found to be equally safe and effective adjuncts to primary trabeculectomy in the short- and medium-term postoperative periods.

Urinary incontinence and its association with death, nursing home admission, and functional decline

Objectives: To determine whether urinary incontinence (UI) is an independent predictor of death, nursing home admission, decline in activities of daily living (ADLs), or decline in instrumental activities of daily living (IADLs).