Renzo Rozzini

Sensory impairment and quality of life in a community elderly population

Objective: To determine the association between quality of life measures and sensory impairment in aged individuals living at home.

Physical Performance Test and Activities of Daily Living Scales in the Assessment of Health Status in Elderly People

Objective: To compare the ability of Basic Activities of Daily Living (BADL), Instrumental Activities of Daily Living (IADL), and the Physical Performance Test (PPT) to detect health status impairments.

Nutritional Intake, Socioeconomic Conditions, and Health Status in a Large Elderly Population

The nutritional intake of a large population of noninstitutionalized older people living in an urban area was studied in relation to socioeconomic conditions (living environment, income, and education) and health status (affective, functional, and physical health) to identify the subgroups at risk for malnutrition. Twenty‐four‐hour dietary recall was used to determine the percentage of older subjects with dietary intake of specific nutrients below two thirds of the 1980 Recommended Dietary Allowances. Ninety percent of the older people examined showed inadequate intake of thiamine and vitamin B6, and 30% to 40% demonstrated deficiencies of vitamin A, vitamin C, niacin, vitamin B12, calcium, and iron; only 10% of subjects had inadequate intake of protein. Poor nutritional intake was correlated more strongly with socioeconomic conditions, functional level, and affective status than with physical health status.

Protective Effect of Chronic NSAID Use on Cognitive Decline in Older Persons

To verify whether chronic use of nonsteroidal anti‐inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) has a protective effect against cognitive decline in older persons.

Atrial fibrillation and cognitive disorders in older people

OBJECTIVES: To find a correlation between chronic non‐rheumatic atrial fibrillation (CNRAF) and cognitive impairment in a group of older, nondemented patients.

LEIPAD, an Internationally Applicable Instrument to Assess Quality of Life in the Elderly

A questionnaire to assess quality of life in the elderly was developed under the auspices of the European office of the World Health Organization. Stages in construction of the instrument, which was designed for international application, particularly at the primary level, are described. The latest version of the questionnaire is composed of 49 self-assessment item, 31 of which can be grouped into 7 subscales: Physical Function, Self-Care, Depression and Anxiety, Cognitive Functioning, Sexual Functioning, and Life Satisfaction. The remaining 18 items serve as moderators for assessing the influence of social desirability factors and personality characteristics on the individual scores for the 7 core instrument subscales. The questionnaire has been administered to 586 individuals aged 65 years and over recruited in communities in Italy (Padua and Brescia), the Netherlands (Leiden), and Finland (Helsinki). The main psychometric characteristics of the instrument, together with its concurrent validity with the Rotterdam Questionnaire, are illustrated.

Good Nutritional Oral Intake Is Associated with Equal Survival in Demented and Nondemented Very Old Patients

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the association of oral food intake with survival in very old demented nursing home patients.

Is Frontotemporal Lobar Degeneration a Rare Disorder? Evidence from a Preliminary Study in Brescia County, Italy

Frontotemporal Lobar Degeneration (FTLD) has always been considered a rare disorder, but only a few epidemiologic studies are available. The aim of the present work was to ascertain all FTLD patients in a Northern Italy area from January 2001 to December 2008, and to estimate the disease prevalence. On the census day, 213 FTD patients were still alive, resulting in an overall prevalence of 17.6 per 100,000 inhabitants. The prevalence of FTLD in patients aged 45-65 years was 22 per 100,000 inhabitants (95% CI=17-27). The prevalence of FTLD was the highest in patients aged 66-75 (78 per 100,000 inhabitants, 95% CI=56-100), and it was still high over 75 years (54 per 100,000 inhabitants, 95% CI=36-69). FTLD is a more common form of dementia than previously recognized. Our results claimed that FTLD is not only an early-onset disorder, but it is frequent in advanced age as well.

Hyperglycemia as a Predictor of In-Hospital Mortality in Elderly Patients without Diabetes Mellitus Admitted to a Sub-Intensive Care Unit

OBJECTIVES: To investigate the association between hyperglycemia and in‐hospital and 45‐day mortality in acutely ill elderly patients.

Dementia is a major predictor of death among the Italian elderly

To the Editor: We read with interest the article by Baldereschi et al. on the effect of dementia in predicting death among Italian elderly.1 We have pertinent data on 24 and 60 months’ mortality rate obtained in a multidimensional study conducted in Italy in 1992 on a community-dwelling population 70 years of age and older.2 All institutionalized subjects were excluded. At baseline (1992), valid questionnaires assessing demographics, mental status, chronic conditions, and functional and social status were available for 549 persons (89.6% of the eligible population). Vital status and time of death 2 (1994) and 5 years (1997) after the baseline evaluation was ascertained by telephoning patients and caregivers. The mean age of the 549 persons (179 men and 370 women) was 76.9 ± 5.4 years. They had 4.6 ± 2.0 years of education; they were affected by 3.5 …