Tania Tello

Effects of an adapted mattress in musculoskeletal pain and sleep quality in institutionalized elders

We aimed to evaluate the impact in sleep quality and musculoskeletal pain of a Medium-Firm Mattress (MFM), and their relationship with objective sleep parameters in a group of institutionalized elders. The sample size included forty older adults with musculoskeletal pain. We did a clinical assessment at baseline and weekly trough the study period of four weeks. We employed the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) and Pain Visual Analog Scale (P-VAS). Additionally a sub-group of good sleepers, selected from PSQI baseline evaluation, were studied with actigraphy and randomized to MFM or High Firm Mattress (HFM), in two consecutive nights. We found a significant reduction of cervical, dorsal and lumbar pain. PSQI results did not change. The actigraphy evaluation found a significant shorter sleep onset latency with MFM, and a slightly better, but not statistically significant, sleep efficiency. The medium firmness mattress improved musculoskeletal pain and modified the sleep latency.

Effect of multimorbidity on gait speed in well-functioning older people: A population-based study in Peru

To determine the association between multimorbidity and gait speed in a population‐based sample of older people without functional dependency.

Commentary to the article: Nutritional status, physical performance, and disability in the elderly of the Peruvian Andes

1. Tramontano A, Veronese N, GiantinV et al. (2016) Nutritional status, physical performance and disability in the elderly of the Peruvian Andes. Aging Clin Exp Res 28:1195–1201. doi:10.1007/s40520-016-0591-9 2. Vafaei Z, Mokhtari H, Sadooghi Z et al (2013) Malnutrition is associated with depression in rural elderly population. J Res Med Sci 18:S15–S19 3. Dalle Carbonare L, Maggi S, Noale M et al (2009) Physical disability and depressive symptomatology in an elderly population: a complex relationship. The Italian Longitudinal Study on Aging (ILSA). Am J Geriatr Psychiatry 17:144–154. doi:10.1097/ JGP.0b013e31818af817 To the Editor,

Herpes zoster encephalitis: a rare complication in a nonagenarian

A 93-year-old bedbound woman with cognitive impairment was admitted with a 1-day history of herpes zoster (HZ) infection in the right S1/2 dermatomes, followed by fever and drowsiness. Physical examination revealed no neck stiffness, meningism or focal signs. Blood tests showed hypoalbuminaemia and lymphopenia. Conventional brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) revealed hippocampal atrophy and diffusion weighted imaging showed no acute infarctions. A polymerase chain reaction DNA microassay test of the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) was positive for varicella zoster virus. The patient received acyclovir intravenously, with a favourable clinical course. HZ encephalitis is uncommon in elderly patients [1]. Clinical manifestations include rash, fever and altered mental status that can arise before, during or up to 6 months after the onset of skin lesions [2]. Patients with encephalitis should undergo CSF analysis and nucleic acid amplification tests to identify certain aetiologic agents. MRI is more sensitive and specific than computed tomography but may be normal. Electroencephalography helps to identify nonconvulsive seizure activity in confused, obtunded or comatose patients [3].