Co-Occurrence of Geriatric Syndromes and Diseases in the General Population: Assessment of the Dimensions of Aging

Background. In the Russian Federation, the prevalence of falls and fractures in older people in the general population is unknown. Single studies have been carried out on small samples (hospitalized patients, patients with diabetes mellitus etc.). Objective. To investigate history of low-energy fractures, frequency of falls in the past year and their associations with other geriatric syndromes (GS) in subjects aged ≥65 years.Materials and methods. We examined 4308 subjects (30% of men) aged 65 to 107 years (mean age 78 ± 8 years) in 11 regions of the Russian Federation, who were divided into 3 age groups (65-74, 75-84 and ≥85 years old). All participants underwent comprehensive geriatric assessment, which consisted of two stages: 1) survey on a specially designed questionnaire; 2) physical examination.Results. The frequency of falls over the past year was 30%, including 25,7% — in subjects aged 65-74 yrs, 29,8% — 75-84 yrs, 37,3% — ≥85 yrs (p for trend <0,001). Of these, 62% of participants fell 1 time, 38% — 2 times or more. With the same frequency, the subjects fell at home (41%) and on the street (42%), 17% of subjects fell both at home and on the street. A history of low-energy fractures was found in 17% of the participants, among which the most frequent (63%) were fractures of the radius. Univariate regression analysis with sex and age (as a discret variable) adjustment, where the falls in the past year were considered as the dependent variable, and GS as independent one, demonstrated that all GS were associated with falls in the past year with odds ratios (ORs) ranging from 1,25 to 3,13. Multivariate regression analysis with age and sex adjustment showed that independent predictors of falls were female gender (ORs 1,51; 95% confidence interval 1,26-1,82; р<0,001) and 6 GS (malnutrition, depression, urinary and fecal incontinence, chronic pain and dependence in instrumental activities in daily life) with a 1,3-2,4 times increase of falls risk.Conclusion. In EVKALIPT study we firstly obtained the domestic data on the prevalence of falls and low-energy fractures history in subjects aged >65 years in the general population and studied associations between falls in the past year and other geriatric syndromes.

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609 B-type natriuretic peptide testing for structural heart disease screening: a general population-based study

European Journal of Heart Failure Supplements ◽

10.1016/s1567-4215(05)80381-9 ◽

2005 ◽

Vol 4 (1) ◽

pp. 138-139

Keyword(s):

Heart Disease ◽

General Population ◽

Natriuretic Peptide ◽

Structural Heart Disease ◽

Population Based ◽

Disease Screening ◽

Population Based Study

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Arterial stiffness is a potential mechanism and promising indicator of orthostatic hypotension in the general population

VASA ◽

10.1024/0301-1526/a000389 ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 43 (6) ◽

pp. 423-432 ◽

Cited By ~ 11

Author(s):

Qingtao Meng ◽

Si Wang ◽

Yong Wang ◽

Shixi Wan ◽

Kai Liu ◽

...

Keyword(s):

General Population ◽

Arterial Stiffness ◽

Orthostatic Hypotension ◽

Operating Characteristic ◽

Pulse Wave ◽

Augmentation Index ◽

Multiple Logistic Regression Analysis ◽

The Elderly ◽

Baroreceptor Sensitivity ◽

Roc Curve Analysis

Background: Orthostatic hypotension (OH) is a disease prevalent among middle-aged men and the elderly. The association between arterial stiffness and OH is unclear. This study evaluates whether arterial stiffness is correlated with OH and tests the usefulness of brachial-ankle pulse wave velocity (baPWV), an arterial stiffness marker, with regard to identifying OH. Patients and methods: A sample of 1,010 participants was recruited from the general population (64.8 ± 7.7 years; 426 men) who attended health check-ups. BaPWV and the radial augmentation index (rAI) were both assessed as the arterial stiffness markers, and OH was determined using blood pressure (BP) measured in the supine position, as well as 30 seconds and 2 minutes after standing. Results: The prevalence of OH in this population was 4.9 %. Compared with the non-OH group, both baPWV (20.5 ± 4.5 vs 17.3 ± 3.7, p < 0.001) and rAI (88.1 ± 10.8 vs 84.2 ± 10.7, p < 0.05) were significantly higher in the OH group. In the multiple logistic regression analysis, baPWV (OR, 1.3; 95 % CI, 1.106–1.528; p < 0.05) remained associated with OH. Moreover, the degree of orthostatic BP reduction was related to arterial stiffness. In addition, increases in arterial stiffness predicted decreases in the degree of heart rate (HR) elevation. Finally, a receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis showed that baPWV was useful in discriminating OH (AUC, 0.721; p < 0.001), with the cut-off value of 18.58 m/s (sensitivity, 0.714; specificity, 0.686). Conclusions: Arterial stiffness determined via baPWV, rather than rAI, was significantly correlated with the attenuation of the orthostatic hemodynamic response and the resultant OH. The impaired baroreceptor sensitivity might be the mechanism. In addition, baPWV appears to be a relatively sensitive and reliable indicator of OH in routine clinical practice.

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Prevalence of Suicidal Ideation in Sri Lanka

Crisis ◽

10.1027/0227-5910/a000010 ◽

2010 ◽

Vol 31 (1) ◽

pp. 30-35 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Sudath Samaraweera ◽

Athula Sumathipala ◽

Sisira Siribaddana ◽

S. Sivayogan ◽

Dinesh Bhugra

Keyword(s):

Suicidal Ideation ◽

Sri Lanka ◽

General Population ◽

Suicide Attempts ◽

National Average ◽

The West ◽

Suicide Methods ◽

Suicide Rates ◽

Completed Suicide ◽

The World

Background: Suicidal ideation can often lead to suicide attempts and completed suicide. Studies have shown that Sri Lanka has one of the highest rates of suicide in the world but so far no studies have looked at prevalence of suicidal ideation in a general population in Sri Lanka. Aims: We wanted to determine the prevalence of suicidal ideation by randomly selecting six Divisional Secretariats (Dss) out of 17 in one district. This district is known to have higher than national average rates of suicide. Methods: 808 participants were interviewed using Sinhala versions of GHQ-30 and Beck’s Scale for Suicidal Ideation. Of these, 387 (48%) were males, and 421 (52%) were female. Results: On Beck’s Scale for Suicidal Ideation, 29 individuals (4%) had active suicidal ideation and 23 (3%) had passive suicidal ideation. The active suicidal ideators were young, physically ill and had higher levels of helplessness and hopelessness. Conclusions: The prevalence of suicidal ideation in Sri Lanka is lower than reported from the West and yet suicide rates are higher. Further work must explore cultural and religious factors.

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Psychometric Properties of the Social Phobia and Anxiety Inventory for Children (SPAI-C)

European Journal of Psychological Assessment ◽

10.1027/1015-5759/a000090 ◽

2012 ◽

Vol 28 (1) ◽

pp. 51-59 ◽

Cited By ~ 9

Author(s):

Anna Ogliari ◽

Simona Scaini ◽

Michael J. Kofler ◽

Valentina Lampis ◽

Annalisa Zanoni ◽

...

Keyword(s):

General Population ◽

Social Phobia ◽

Psychometric Properties ◽

Emotional Disorders ◽

Child Anxiety ◽

Self Report ◽

Public Performance ◽

Confirmatory Factor Analyses ◽

The Social ◽

General Populations

Reliable and valid self-report questionnaires could be useful as initial screening instruments for social phobia in both clinical settings and general populations. The present study investigates the factor structure and psychometric properties of the Social Phobia and Anxiety Inventory for Children (SPAI-C) in a sample of 228 children from the Italian general population aged 8 to 11. The children were asked to complete the Italian version of the SPAI-C and the Screen for Child Anxiety Related Emotional Disorders (SCARED) questionnaire. Confirmatory factor analyses revealed that social phobia can be conceptualized as a unitary construct consisting of five distinct but interrelated symptom clusters named Assertiveness, General Conversation, Physical/Cognitive Symptoms, Avoidance, and Public Performance. Internal consistency of the SPAI-C total scores and two subscales was good; correlations between SPAI-C total scores and SCARED total scores/subscales ranged from moderate to high (Generalized Anxiety Disorder, for social phobia), with the SCARED Social Phobia subscale as the best predictor of SPAI-C total scores. The results indicate that the SPAI-C is a reliable and sensitive instrument suitable for identifying Social Phobia in the young Italian general population.

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Personality of Clown Doctors

Journal of Individual Differences ◽

10.1027/1614-0001/a000187 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 37 (1) ◽

pp. 49-55 ◽

Cited By ~ 5

Author(s):

Alberto Dionigi

Keyword(s):

General Population ◽

Personality Traits ◽

Big Five ◽

Normal Population ◽

Big Five Personality Traits ◽

Published Data ◽

Big Five Personality

Abstract. In recent years, both professional and volunteer clowns have become familiar in health settings. The clown represents a peculiar humorist’s character, strictly associated with the performer’s own personality. In this study, the Big Five personality traits (BFI) of 155 Italian clown doctors (130 volunteers and 25 professionals) were compared to published data for the normal population. This study highlighted specific differences between clown doctors and the general population: Clown doctors showed higher agreeableness, conscientiousness, openness, and extraversion, as well as lower neuroticism compared to other people. Moreover, specific differences emerged comparing volunteers and professionals: Professional clowns showed significantly lower in agreeableness compared to their unpaid colleagues. The results are also discussed with reference to previous studies conducted on groups of humorists. Clowns’ personalities showed some peculiarities that can help to explain the facility for their performances in the health setting and that are different than those of other groups of humorists.

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Factor Structure and Measurement Invariance of the Obsessive-Compulsive Inventory – Child Version (OCI-CV) in General Population

European Journal of Psychological Assessment ◽

10.1027/1015-5759/a000276 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 33 (2) ◽

pp. 97-103 ◽

Cited By ~ 10

Author(s):

Tíscar Rodríguez-Jiménez ◽

Antonio Godoy ◽

José A. Piqueras ◽

Aurora Gavino ◽

Agustín E. Martínez-González ◽

...

Keyword(s):

General Population ◽

Children And Adolescents ◽

Factor Structure ◽

Self Report ◽

Obsessive Compulsive ◽

Compulsive Disorder ◽

Good Consistency ◽

Order Factor ◽

General Populations ◽

Report Measure

Abstract. Evidence-based assessment is necessary as a first step for developing psychopathological studies and assessing the effectiveness of empirically validated treatments. There are several measures of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) and/or symptomatology in children and adolescents, but all of them present some limitations. The Obsessive-Compulsive Inventory-Revised (OCI-R) by Foa and her colleagues has showed to be a good self-report measure to capture the dimensionality of OCD in adults and adolescents. The child version of the OCI (OCI-CV) was validated for clinical children and adolescents in 2010, showing excellent psychometric properties. The objective of this study was to examine the factor structure and invariance of the OCI-CV in the general population. Results showed a six-factor structure with one second-order factor, good consistency values, and invariance across region, age, and sex. The OCI-CV is an excellent inventory for assessing the dimensions of OCD symptomatology in general populations of children and adolescents. The invariance across sex and age warrants its utilization for research purposes.

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