Age and Ageing articles from July 1998

Age and Ageing archives from July 1998

Investigation and treatment of cancer in old age.
July 1, 1998... Introduction The incidence of most tumours rises steeply with age, but this does not correlate with the number of older people receiving therapy. Indeed, despite a 23% decrease in the cancer death rate of those aged 65 years or younger,...

Care of the older HOng Kong Chinese population.
July 1, 1998... Introduction The Chinese population of Hong Kong is relatively young in terms of the proportion older than 65 years (9% in Hong Kong [1] compared with 18% in Sweden, 16% in the UK, 13% in the USA and 11.2% in Australia). However, at 76...

Characteristics of Helicobacter pylori-negative and -positive peptic ulcer disease.
July 1, 1998... Introduction The prevalence of chronic gastritis increases with age and becomes so common that it has even been considered as a normal ageing phenomenon [1]. Chronic gastritis is predominantly caused by Helicobacter pylori, which is...

Helicobacter pylori serology in elderly people: a 21-year cohort comparison in 70-year-olds and a 20-year longitudinal population study in 70-90-year-olds.
July 1, 1998... Introduction Since the first successful culture of spiral bacteria from the human stomach in 1982 [1], Helicobacter pylori has been increasingly recognized to be one of the most common bacterial infections in man, a causative agent of...

Pyogenic liver abscesses: a comparison of older and younger patients.
July 1, 1998... Introduction The epidemiology and management of pyogenic liver abscess (PLA) have undergone important changes over the last 60 years. In their classic report, Ochsner et al. noted that PLA was predominantly a disease of young males [1]....

Relationship between age-associated endocrine deficiencies and muscle function in elderly women: a cross-sectional study.
July 1, 1998... Introduction Both cross-sectional [1-7] and longitudinal [8, 9] studies have consistently documented an age-related decline in muscle function, affecting static (isometric) as well as dynamic (isokinetic), and proximal as well as distal...

Nutritional status of elderly Chinese vegetarians.
July 1, 1998... Introduction The study of nutritional status of elderly people is of particular importance, as they are at greater risk of malnutrition [1] and at the same time have an increased prevalence of many chronic diseases which may be...

Ownership and use of assistive devices amongst older people in the community.
July 1, 1998... Introduction The number of people aged 65 years and over in the UK is expected to rise from 8.4 million in 1985 to 9 million by the year 2001 [1]. The greatest growth is to be found amongst the `oldest old' (i.e. those aged 85 years and...

The effects of resistance training on well-being and memory in elderly volunteers.
July 1, 1998... Introduction Physical exercise and resistance training may improve, or at least maintain health, physical and psychological well-being and cognitive functioning in elderly people. Although the benefits of physical exercise have been...

Occupation type as a predictor of cognitive decline and dementia in old age.
July 1, 1998... Introduction Two recent cross-sectional studies have shown that cognitive impairment in old age, as measured by the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) [1], varies across occupational groups. A French study classified principal...

Folate status, vascular disease and cognition in elderly Canadians.
July 1, 1998... Introduction The finding that folate deficiency at a cellular level can occur even with `normal' serum folate values [1-3] implies that many people are potentially affected by this deficiency. The association between low serum folate...

Medication use patterns among demented, cognitively impaired and cognitively intact community-dwelling elderly people.
July 1, 1998... Introduction Investigation of medication use patterns in a population (or pharmaco-epidemiology) is useful for describing variations in medication use and potentially detecting overuse or underuse of medications [1]....

Suicidal ideation and the 'wish to die' in dementia patients: the role of depression.
July 1, 1998... Introduction Suicidal behaviour in dementia patients has received little research attention. Most studies of attempted [1, 2] and completed suicide in elderly people [3, 4] have reported few cases associated with dementia. However, in...

Does age influence screening for colorectal cancer?
July 1, 1998... Introduction Colorectal cancer causes appreciable morbidity. It is the second most common cause of cancer death from malignancy in the USA [1, 2]. Intervention in those with localized disease results in better survival than intervention...

Rectus sheath haematoma in elderly patients: a diagnostic challenge.
July 1, 1998... Introduction Rectus sheath haematoma is an unusual but well-described clinical entity. `Spontaneous' haematoma is more commonly seen in elderly women, particularly if they arc taking anti-coagulants or have a chronic cough or...

Retrospective study of radiotherapy for lung cancer i patients aged 75 years and over.
July 1, 1998... Introduction Some 35 000 new cases of lung cancer occur each year in the UK [1]. The mean age at presentation is rising [2] and by the year 2000 more than 40% of all new cases will present in those over 75 [3]. Despite advances in...

A better way to measure disability in older people.
July 1, 1998... Introduction Most disability measurement instruments use rudimentary scoring systems [1]. Scores have been used to compare overall levels of disability between groups (for example to measure patient case-mix) or to measure change in...

Elderly people at home disabled by chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.
July 1, 1998... Introduction Current practice emphasizes community-based care of elderly disabled people [1], with a comprehensive approach to optimize functional ability and improve quality of life [2, 3]. Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease...

Undereating and undernutrition in old age: integrating bio-psychosocial aspects.
July 1, 1998... Keywords: aged care, eating disorder, nutrition Introduction Much emphasis is placed on the importance of good diet, usually in the context of concern about the health hazards of obesity [1]. Paradoxically, many elderly people are...

Coeliac disease in old age: 'a catch in the rye'.
July 1, 1998... Keywords: coeliac disease, gluten-sensitive enteropathy, old age Introduction Coeliac disease has been viewed as a disease of children and young adults, presenting with weight loss, steatorrhoea, anaemia and evidence of folate, iron...

Heart failure: a diagnostic and therapeutic dilemma in elderly patients.
July 1, 1998... Introduction Congestive heart failure (CHF) affects 3-5% of the population over the age of 65 years [1]. A 34-year follow-up of the Framingham study data has shown that the incidence and prevalence of CHF increases with advancing age,...