The journals of gerontology. Series A, Biological sciences and medical sciences
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J. Gerontol. A Biol. Sci. Med. Sci. · Jan 1999
Serum anticholinergic activity changes with acute illness in elderly medical patients.
Elevated serum anticholinergic activity levels have been associated with delirium in cross-sectional studies of ill older persons. This study used serial measures of serum anticholinergic activity levels to determine whether these levels change following illness resolution, and if such changes are specific to those with delirium. ⋯ In older nursing home residents with a fever, serum anticholinergic activity appears to be elevated during illness, and declines following recovery from illness. This effect does not seem to be specific to those residents with delirium, nor does it seem related to medication changes.
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J. Gerontol. A Biol. Sci. Med. Sci. · Jan 1999
Effects of age and gender on cardiovascular responses to phenylephrine.
The age-associated impairment in left ventricular (LV) systolic function appears to be mostly detectable during exercise or sympathetic stimulation. We hypothesized that the decline in cardiac function could be unmasked by an acute increase in afterload induced by phenylephrine. We further sought to examine whether the deterioration in cardiac function is influenced by gender. ⋯ This study's findings suggest that age can significantly influence the cardiovascular responses to alpha-adrenergic stimulation and that phenylephrine, by acutely increasing afterload, is effective in unmasking the age-associated deterioration in left ventricular systolic function. Further, it appears that the increase in systolic blood pressure in response to an alpha-adrenergic challenge is significantly influenced not only by age but also by gender.