Sarcopenia is predictive of nosocomial infection in care of the elderly.

Protein-energy malnutrition and nosocomial infection (NI) are frequent in elderly patients, and a causal link between the two has often been suggested. The aim of the present study was to identify the nutritional parameters predictive of NI in elderly patients. We assessed on admission 101 patients (sixty-six women, thirty-five men, aged over 65 years) admitted to an acute care of the elderly department. Sarcopenia was detected by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry, with appendicular skeletal muscle mass expressed with respect to body area. Weight, BMI, albuminaemia, serum transthyretin and C-reactive protein values were also determined on admission, and known risk factors, such as functional dependence and invasive biomedical material, were also evaluated. After up to 3 weeks of hospitalisation, patients were classified according to whether they had developed an NI. After 3 weeks of hospitalisation, we found that twenty-nine patients had suffered an NI, occurring after a mean of 16.1 d. Patients who were sarcopenic on admission had a significantly higher risk of contracting an NI (relative risk 2.1, 95 % CI 1.1, 3.8). None of the other morphometric or biological parameters differed significantly between the two groups of patients on admission. Patients who experienced an NI were also more likely, on admission, to have a medical device (P=0.02 to P=0.001 depending on the device), to have swallowing problems (P=0.002) or to have restricted autonomy (P<0.01). Sarcopenia on admission to an acute care of the elderly unit, as measured by X-ray absorptiometry, was therefore associated with a doubled risk of NI during the first 3 weeks of hospitalisation.

[Medication and memory: interactions among the elderly]. / Médicaments et mémoire: des interactions à connaître chez le sujet âgé.

Several different systems govern human memory, and different drugs may act specifically on one or more of them. The central nervous system in the elderly is particularly sensitive to drugs, and an iatrogenic cause must be sought for all recent and/or sudden alterations in memory functions. In the case of recent alterations in memory, all nonessential drugs, especially psychotropic agents; should be withdrawn or reduced. Elderly persons, especially those with dementia, are at risk because of the frequent and substantial effects of drugs on their memory: the benefit-risk ratio must be evaluated regularly and essential treatments maintained.

Risk factors for deep vein thrombosis in inpatients aged 65 and older: a case-control multicenter study.

OBJECTIVES: To identify independent risk factors of symptomatic deep vein thrombosis (DVT) in geriatric inpatients and to define high-risk patients likely to benefit from preventive treatment. DESIGN: Hospital-based case-control multicenter study with prospective data collection. SETTINGS: Geriatric university hospitals with long-, intermediate-, and short-term care facilities. PARTICIPANTS: All patients aged 65 and older in 19 geriatric departments were submitted to clinical surveillance over a 16-month period. MEASUREMENTS: Twenty-three potential risk factors of phlebitis were screened for. Comparison using logistic regression of 310 consecutive patients with symptomatic DVT versus 310 randomly selected controls was performed. The risk for symptomatic DVT in geriatrics was then scored from the clinical risk factors identified using multivariate analysis. This score is defined by the sum of the odds ratio (OR) of each risk factor present. RESULTS: Six factors were identified as independently related to the development of DVT: restriction of mobility (from OR=1.73, limited mobility without immobilization, to OR=5.64, bedridden during <15 days), aged 75 and older (OR=1.5/10 years), history of DVT or pulmonary embolism (OR=3.38), acute heart failure (OR=2.52), chronic edema of the lower limbs (OR=2.51), and paresis or paralysis of a lower limb (OR=2.06). The defined score of 8 or higher corresponded to an 88.7% probability of having symptomatic DVT. CONCLUSION: Treatments to prevent symptomatic DVT in hospitalized elderly should be evaluated on patients with these factors.

Risk factors for nosocomial pneumonia in a geriatric hospital: a control-case one-center study.

OBJECTIVES: To determine the risk factors (RFs) and the incidence of nosocomial pneumonia (NP). DESIGN: Control/case study conducted from January 1 to April 15, 1999. Prospective enrollment. SETTING: Geriatric university hospital with long-, intermediate-, and short-term care facilities. PARTICIPANTS: Inpatients aged 65 and older with NP. MEASUREMENTS: NP diagnosis relied on at least two clinical signs of respiratory infection and on chest radiography. Each NP case was randomly paired with two controls and followed up for 30 days to determine complication and mortality rates. RFs between cases and controls were compared (chi-square test, odds ratio (OR), 95% confidence interval, significance level P =.05). RFs that were significant in univariate analysis were tested using multivariate analysis and logistic regression. RESULTS: Seventy-five cases of NP were diagnosed in 2,142 patients. The average incidence rate was 3.5% (short-term facilities = 0.5%; intermediate-term facilities = 8.3%; long-term care facilities = 5.3%). The complication rate was 58.1%. The most frequent complications were recurrent NP, heart and respiratory failure, phlebitis, and pressure ulcers. The NP mortality rate was 12.2%. The independent RFs of NP were a history of NP during the previous 6 months (OR = 4.50) and oxygen therapy (OR = 16.15), P <.001. Additional RFs were severe malnutrition, heart failure, prescription of antibiotics during the month preceding the emerging NP, eating dependency, and feeding by nasogastric tube. CONCLUSION: The main RF for NP is a history of pneumonia. NP prevention in geriatrics should rely on early management of respiratory infections and malnutrition, surveillance of oxygen therapy and enteral feeding, rational use of antibiotics, and adaptation to the patient's dependency.

In vitro metabolism of dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) to 7alpha-hydroxy-DHEA and Delta5-androstene-3beta,17beta-diol in specific regions of the aging brain from Alzheimer's and non-demented patients.

The description of dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) as a neuroactive neurosteroid has raised the important question of whether the steroid itself and/or its metabolite(s) are active in the brain. Classical transformations of DHEA in brain and peripheral tissues include its conversion to testosterone and estradiol. In the human brain, the metabolism of DHEA to other metabolites is still poorly understood, particularly in aging people and Alzheimer's patients. The present study describes the in vitro transformation of DHEA into 7alpha-hydroxy-DHEA and Delta5-androstene-3beta,17beta-diol, for the first time in the aging brain of patients with Alzheimer's disease in comparison with non-demented controls. Formal identification of DHEA metabolites is provided by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry, thus indicating the presence of NADPH-dependent 7alpha-hydroxylase and 17beta-hydroxysteroid oxidoreductase activities. Under our experimental conditions, the synthesis of 7alpha-hydroxy-DHEA and Delta5-androstene-3beta,17beta-diol occurs in the frontal cortex, hippocampus, amygdala, cerebellum and striatum of both Alzheimer's patients and non-demented controls. In both groups of patients, the pattern of DHEA metabolism is similar, but significant higher synthesis of 7alpha-hydroxy-DHEA in the frontal cortex and Delta5-androstene-3beta,17beta-diol in the cerebellum and striatum were observed compared with those in other brain regions. In addition, a trend toward a significant negative correlation is found between the density of cortical amyloid deposits and the amount of 7alpha-hydroxy-DHEA formed in the frontal cortex and that of Delta5-androstene-3beta,17beta-diol in the hippocampus. Therefore, the biosynthesis of 7alpha-hydroxy-DHEA and/or Delta5-androstene-3beta,17beta-diol is likely to regulate DHEA cerebral concentrations and may contribute to the control of DHEA activity in the aging brain including in Alzheimer's disease.

Neurosteroid quantification in human brain regions: comparison between Alzheimer's and nondemented patients.

Some neurosteroids have been shown to display beneficial effects on neuroprotection in rodents. To investigate the physiopathological significance of neurosteroids in Alzheimer's disease (AD), we compared the concentrations of pregnenolone, pregnenolone sulfate (PREGS), dehydroepiandrosterone, dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate (DHEAS), progesterone, and allopregnanolone, measured by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry, in individual brain regions of AD patients and aged nondemented controls, including hippocampus, amygdala, frontal cortex, striatum, hypothalamus, and cerebellum. A general trend toward decreased levels of all steroids was observed in all AD patients' brain regions compared with controls: PREGS and DHEAS were significantly lower in the striatum and cerebellum, and DHEAS was also significantly reduced in the hypothalamus. A significant negative correlation was found between the levels of cortical beta-amyloid peptides and those of PREGS in the striatum and cerebellum and between the levels of phosphorylated tau proteins and DHEAS in the hypothalamus. This study provides reference values for steroid concentrations determined by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry in various regions of the aged human brain. High levels of key proteins implicated in the formation of plaques and neurofibrillary tangles were correlated with decreased brain levels of PREGS and DHEAS, suggesting a possible neuroprotective role of these neurosteroids in AD.

Evaluation of a new hands-up ergonomics for chest radiography in geriatric patients.

RATIONALE AND OBJECTIVES: Pneumonia is the leading cause of death after the age of 85 years. Chest radiography (CXR) requires forced inspiration for accurate assessment, but kyphosis, denutrition, muscular weakness, and neurologic disorders limit active inspiration. The aim of this study was to evaluate a new passive expansion technique, by raising the patient's arms above the head, in the radiographic diagnosis of pneumonia. METHODS: During a 10-month period, CXR were performed in 1452 geriatric patients for pulmonary acute disorders in our geriatric university hospital. When fewer than five anterior rib segments were visible on the conventional front view, a second CXR was performed with the patient's arms being raised above the head by a radiologist. The diagnostic questions were: Are more than five anterior rib segments present? Is pneumonia visible? The chest radiographs were independently analyzed (3-step confidence scale) by two radiologists and compared by interobserver kappa-coefficients calculation. RESULTS: One hundred three patients (97 female, 6 male), representing 7% of the examined population, with an average age of 86.5 years (range, 70-104 years) were included. An additional anterior rib segment was visible on the front CXR when the arms were raised above the head (P < 0.001). Pneumonia was diagnosed in 59 patients with high agreement (kappa = 0.84) by the passive expansion technique, whereas the pneumonia infiltrate was visible in only 44 patients with considerably lower agreement (kappa = 0.36) when the arms were positioned along the trunk (P < 0.03). CONCLUSIONS: Raising the arms above the head optimizes the quality of CXR and increases the detection of pneumonia in the geriatric patient. New ergonomics and adequate contention are required.