Archives of gerontology and geriatrics
-
Arch Gerontol Geriatr · Nov 2014
Gender differences in the clinical characteristics of traumatic spinal fractures among the elderly.
In order to illustrate the epidemiology of traumatic spinal fractures among the elderly, with an emphasis on exploring gender differences in clinical characteristics, we retrospectively reviewed hospital records on all elderly patients with traumatic spinal fractures who were 60 years of age or older at two university-affiliated hospitals between January 2001 and December 2010. A total of 642 elderly patients with traumatic spinal fractures were identified, of whom 249 were male and 393 were female. Accidental falls from low heights were the most common cause of traumatic spinal fractures among the elderly (50.8%). ⋯ Frequencies of cervical spinal fractures, spinal cord injuries, associated non-spinal injuries (ASOIs) and mean injury severity scores (ISSs) were significantly higher in males than in females (P<0.05). Frequencies of thoracic and thoracolumbar spinal fractures in females were significantly higher than in males (P<0.05). Clinicians should make their diagnoses and direct their injury prevention strategies according to gender differences in the clinical characteristics of traumatic spinal fractures among the elderly.
-
Arch Gerontol Geriatr · Nov 2014
Inflammatory mediators, muscle and functional performance of community-dwelling elderly women.
The purpose of this study was to investigate the correlation and association between inflammatory mediators and muscle and functional performance in elderly women. We conducted a cross-sectional study. Plasma concentrations of interleukin-6 (IL-6) and soluble receptor for tumor necrosis factor alpha (sTNFR1) were determined by enzyme-linked immune sorbent assay. ⋯ For the average power of knee flexors, the final model showed that the factors IL-6 and level of physical activity explained 4.1% (R(2)=0.041, p<0.01). There was no negative correlation between inflammatory mediators and muscle or physical performance in elderly women. These results may be explained by the fact that the cytokine levels did not reach the threshold needed to influence the muscle tissue and functionality of the participants.