Age and ageing
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We present a case of chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy occurring subsequent to influenza vaccination in a 74-year-old gentleman with no previous neurological history.
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Comparative Study
Changes in the prevalence of chronic disease and the association with disability in the older Dutch population between 1987 and 2001.
most studies of older populations in developed countries show a decrease in the prevalence of disabilities, and an increase in chronic diseases over the past decades. Data in the Netherlands, however, mostly show an increase in the prevalence of chronic diseases and mixed results with regard to the prevalence of disability. This study aims at comparing changes in the prevalence, as well as the association between chronic diseases and disability between 1987 and 2001 in the older Dutch population using data representative of the general population. Most studies, so far, have only dealt with self-reported diseases, but in this study, we will use both self-reported and GP-registered diseases. ⋯ in general, there were reductions in GP-registered chronic diseases as well as in self-reported diseases and disability. Results suggest that the disabling impact of fatal diseases decreased, while the impact of non-fatal diseases increased.
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identification of frailty is recommended in geriatric practice. However, there is a lack of frailty scores combining easy-to-collect predictors from multiple domains. ⋯ nine easy-to-collect predictors may identify aged people at increased risk of adverse health outcomes associated with frailty.
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Randomized Controlled Trial
Educating nursing home staff on fracture prevention: a cluster randomised trial.
to assess whether specialist osteoporosis nurses delivering training to care home staff can reduce fractures and improve the prescription of treatments to reduce fractures versus usual care. ⋯ the intervention significantly increased the prescription of bisphosphonates and calcium/vitamin D, but was not associated with a significant effect on the rate of falls or fractures.
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the impact of anaemia on the outcome after a hip fracture surgery is controversial, but anaemia can potentially decrease the physical performance and thereby impede post-operative rehabilitation. We therefore conducted a prospective study to establish whether anaemia affected functional mobility in the early post-operative phase after a hip fracture surgery. ⋯ anaemia impedes functional mobility in the early post-operative phase after a hip fracture surgery and is an independent risk factor for patients not being able to walk post-operatively. The potential for a liberal transfusion policy to improve the rehabilitation potential in hip fracture patients with anaemia should be investigated.