Maturitas
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Low back pain is a common symptom in the older person. Whilst the majority of cases are thought to be mechanical or idiopathic and benign in nature, its multiple potential causes and concerns regarding missed diagnosis of less common but more serious underlying pathological diagnoses mean many physicians find the assessment, investigation and treatment of chronic low back pain in older adults challenging. This narrative review describes the classification of low back pain in older adults, discusses both mechanical and sinister causes of pain, highlights the appropriate use of medical imaging and provides an overview of surgical and non-surgical management of these patients.
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Little is known about frailty in institutionalized older adults, and there are few longitudinal studies on this topic. ⋯ In a cohort of institutionalized older adults, frailty was associated with mortality or incident disability in BADL.
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To evaluate the prevalence of 25-hydroxyvitamin D insufficiency (25OHD<20 ng/mL) and to develop a predictive model for this status. ⋯ Our results suggest that vitamin D insufficiency is common among Brazilian community-dwelling elderly. Female gender, diabetes and the season (winter/spring) were the important parameters that predicted this status. The clinical use of these parameters can be help to design and target appropriate public health interventions. The IRVDI is a convenient tool for the selection of older people at risk for vitamin D insufficiency.