Journal of the American Geriatrics Society
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To compare the efficacy and safety of alogliptin, a dipeptidyl peptidase-4 (DPP-4) enzyme inhibitor, in elderly (> or =65) and younger (<65) patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus. ⋯ Alogliptin was effective and well tolerated in the elderly patients enrolled in these studies. Improvements in HbA1c were similar to those seen in younger patients, and no increase in the risk of hypoglycemia, weight gain, or other adverse events was apparent in elderly patients.
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Comment Letter
Data are needed on target blood pressure for elderly people.
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The proportion of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-infected patients aged 50 and older has greatly increased since the beginning of the epidemic, particularly since 1996, when combination antiretroviral therapy became available. By 2015, 50% of HIV-infected individuals in the United States are likely to be aged 50 and older. The rate of progression of untreated HIV disease, response to therapy, and complicating effects of comorbidities differ in older and younger patients. ⋯ Consequently, when diagnosed, older patients have more-advanced disease than do younger patients and, upon presentation with AIDS-defining conditions, are less likely to receive timely appropriate therapy. The treatment of older HIV-infected patients is complicated by preexisting comorbid conditions, including cardiovascular, hepatic, and metabolic complications, which in turn may be exacerbated by the effects of HIV infection per se, modest immunodeficiency (i.e., at CD4(+) counts >350 cells/microL), and the metabolic and other adverse effects of combination antiretroviral therapy. Nevertheless, older patients derive substantial benefit from combination antiretroviral therapy despite having less of an immunological response than expected given their adherence to therapy and excellent virological responses.
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To assess the association between use of clinical pathways for hip fracture and changes in the rates of five inpatient complications and short-term mortality. ⋯ An association was observed between clinical pathway use and lower odds of four common complications of hospitalization after hip fracture; only a small, statistically insignificant association was observed between pathway use and changes in short-term mortality, suggesting that assessments of hospital quality based on short-term mortality may not reflect important improvements in patient outcomes that hospitals may achieve using clinical pathways.
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To examine correlations between blood pressure (BP) and dementia-related pathological brain changes in a community-based autopsy sample. ⋯ The association between high SBP and cerebrovascular damage in untreated older adults (65-80) suggests that adequate hypertension treatment may reduce dementia risk by minimizing microvascular injury to cerebrum.