São Paulo medical journal = Revista paulista de medicina
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CONTEXT AND OBJECTIVE Obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSAS) is one of the leading causes of morbidity and mortality in adults. Early detection of the disorder and discovery of risk factors through standardized questionnaires will lead to reduction of the OSAS burden. The main aim of this study was to estimate the prevalence of OSAS symptoms and examine their association with housing characteristics. ⋯ Regarding housing characteristics, mildew or musty smell and pets in the environment were associated with a high probability of OSAS. CONCLUSION OSAS symptoms were more prevalent than in developing countries. The environment was an important risk factor, but environmental factors are easier to control and manage than other variables like BMI or socioeconomic status.
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CONTEXT AND OBJECTIVES Falls are a serious public health problem and are one of the biggest reasons for hospitalization, morbidity and mortality among elderly people. Moreover, few studies on predictors of falls have been conducted in low and middle income countries. The aim here was to identify elderly outpatient profiles according to sociodemographic, clinical, physical and functional variables and correlate them with occurrences of falls among these subjects. ⋯ RESULTS Cluster analysis identified two distinct groups related to the study variables, and the determinants for this distinction were: gender, marital status, physical performance, handgrip strength and functional independence. These groups were compared according to occurrences of falls over the last year, and significant differences between them were found. CONCLUSIONS The results showed that greater occurrences of falls were associated with a profile of elderly people comprising female gender, single status, lower muscle strength and physical performance regarding balance and gait, and lower independence in motor tasks for activities of daily living.
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Studies have demonstrated that metabolic complications from child obesity, although silent, increase the risk of development of cardiovascular diseases in adulthood. The present paper sought to describe the prevalence of overweight/obesity and analyze the possible relationship between obesity and other cardiovascular risk factors among children and adolescents. ⋯ The high prevalence of overweight/obesity and its relationship with other cardiovascular risk factors demonstrate that it is necessary to develop intervention and prevention strategies from childhood onwards, in order to avoid development of chronic-degenerative diseases in adulthood.