Is caregiver sleep quality an important clinical issue?

Sleep quality is directly related to general health and quality of life. Caregivers' sleep disturbances affect not only their own health, but also the optimal care of their patients, with negative consequences such as neglect and medication errors. This study was conducted prospectively in the palliative care unit. The participants were divided into two groups: the caregivers and the control group. The caregiver groups were categorized into two subgroups: family and paid caregivers. The sleep quality of the caregivers was evaluated with the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI). The demographics, body mass index, educational level, the presence of chronic diseases and medications, need for spiritual support, daytime sleepiness, duration of caregiving, nighttime awakening, and tea/coffee consumption were recorded. The study included 250 caregivers (female: 74.8%, mean age: 50.6 ± 12.1) and 103 control group members. Family caregivers significantly had an advanced age, lower educational level, more chronic diseases, and medications, need for spiritual support, and longer duration of caregiving compared to the paid caregivers (p = 0.018, < 0.001, 0.001, 0.005, < 0.001, and 0.003, respectively). The total PSQI scores of caregivers were significantly higher in the FDR, family group, females, those with need of spiritual support, and tea/coffee consumption close to bedtime (p = 0.002 < 0.004. 0.026. < 0.001, and 0.022, respectively). The fact that the sleep quality of family group caregivers is worse than that of paid caregivers may prevent healthy medical service delivery. The provision of care by paid professional caregivers will improve quality of care and quality of life.

Corrigendum to "The relationship between pressure injuries and ultrasonographically measured rectus femoris muscle thickness" [J. Tissue Viability 33 (2024) 60-66].

AIM: Pressure injuries (PI) are an important quality indicator in healthcare, we aimed to evaluate the relationship between PIs and ultrasonographic muscle mass measurements. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This study was conducted prospectively between May 2022 and August 2022. The ultrasonography method was used for muscle mass measurement. The presence of PIs was assessed according to the PI classification system of the EPUAP (European Pressure Ulcer Advisory Panel), (NPIAP) National Pressure Ulcer Advisory Panel & PPPIA (Pan Pacific Pressure Injury Alliance).The demographics, age, sex, history of previous hospitalization, the place where patients are admitted (home/other service/intensive care unit), length of hospitalization, presence of a urinary catheter, diaper usage, and presence of tracheostomy were recorded. RESULTS: Of the included 50 patients (mean age: 77.2 ± 9.7 (48-92), female: 56%), 42% had PIs, mostly staged 2 in the sacrum. The patients with PIs had significantly more urinary catheter and diaper usage, lower albumin levels, and reduced rectus femoris muscle thickness (RF MT) and rectus femoris cross-sectional area (RF CSA) values (p = 0.014, 0.018, 0.016, 0.018, and 0.042, respectively). In multivariate logistic regression analysis, RF MT was found independently associated with the PIs (p = 0.048). CONCLUSION: Pressure injuries are more common in patients cared for in palliative care settings than in the general population and severely affect the quality of life. We found an independent relationship between PIs and RF MT. We consider that ultrasonographic muscle mass assessment may be a useful predictor of PIs.

Comparison of muscle and fat parameters measured by ultrasonography and dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry between older palliative care patients with and without type 2 diabetes mellitus.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: There are limited data on the comparison of body compositions between diabetic and non-diabetic patients. We aimed to compare the muscle mass and fat parameters measured by ultrasonography (USG) and dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry (DXA) between older palliative care patients with and without type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM). METHODS: We conducted a prospective, cross-sectional study. We recorded the demographics, comorbidities, blood pressures, microvascular complications, pressure injuries, ambulation and nutritional status, and laboratory parameters. We measured the handgrip strength with a hand dynamometer and anthropometric parameters. We analyzed the subcutaneous fat thickness, muscle thickness (MT), and cross-sectional area (CSA) of the rectus femoris (RF) and biceps brachii muscles by USG and the total and regional muscle mass and fat parameters by DXA. We performed a regression analysis to examine the independently associated factors of DM. RESULTS: We included 55 patients (mean age: 79.0 ± 8.0 years, 56.4%: female). 43.6% had type 2 DM. The patients with DM had significantly higher glucose and HbA1c levels and lower RFMT and RFCSA values than the patients without DM (p < 0.01, for all). The RFMT was independently associated with DM after adjusting age, sex, and body mass index (Odds ratio = 0.735, 95% confidence interval = 0.565-0.956, p = 0.022). CONCLUSION: Our study demonstrated that the RFMT might be associated with type 2 DM. This was the first study comparing the body compositions measured by USG and DXA between older diabetic and non-diabetic palliative patients with a wide range of laboratory evaluations. Longitudinal, multi-center studies are warranted to understand the underlying mechanisms.

Ultrasonographically Measured Rectus Femoris Cross-sectional Area might Predict Osteosarcopenia.

AIM: We have aimed to investigate the role of ultrasonographic muscle parameters (UMP) in predicting osteosarcopenia in bedridden patients in a palliative care center. BACKGROUND: The role of ultrasound has not been evaluated in predicting osteosarcopenia. OBJECTIVE: Reduced muscle thickness (MT) and cross-sectional area (CSA) have often been observed in individuals with sarcopenia, reflecting muscle loss and atrophy. Meanwhile, the potential role of muscle ultrasound has not been evaluated in predicting osteosarcopenia. METHODS: We have conducted a prospective, observational study between January 2021 and 2022. We have recorded the demographics, comorbidities, and nutritional status by using the mini nutritional assessment-short form. We measured handgrip strength with a hand dynamometer and the muscle mass with dual X-ray absorptiometry. Sarcopenia was defined by the European Working Group on Sarcopenia in Older People 2 criteria. Osteoporosis was diagnosed according to the World Health Organization criteria. We have categorized the body phenotypes into four groups: "non-sarcopenic non-osteoporotic," "sarcopenic alone," "osteoporotic alone," and "sarcopenic osteoporotic." We have measured the subcutaneous fat thickness (SFT), MT, and CSA of the rectus femoris (RF) and biceps brachii (BB) via ultrasonography. A multivariate regression analysis was performed and area under curve (AUC) values were used to evaluate the accuracy of UMPs. RESULTS: We included 31 patients (mean age: 74.6±12.1 years, 54.8%: male). The prevalences of sarcopenia, osteoporosis, and sarcopenic osteoporosis were 71%, 48.4%, and 41.9%, respectively. Only the "sarcopenic osteoporotic" phenotype was negatively correlated with all UMPs. In the regression analysis, only the "sarcopenic osteoporotic" phenotype was independently associated with RFCSA (ß=-0.456, p= 0.024). The AUC for all patients was >0.700. CONCLUSION: RFCSA measurement might be useful in the screening for osteosarcopenia. This has been the first study investigating the relationship between UMPs and body phenotypes. Multi-center and large-scale studies are, however, needed.

Undernutrition in obese older adults by fat percentage.

OBJECTIVE: The prevalence of obesity by fat percentage has seen a steady increase in older adults in recent years, secondary to increases in fat mass in body composition, even in healthy aging. Malnutrition is a common geriatric syndrome with serious clinical outcomes. Increases in fat mass and waist circumference with healthy aging should not prevent the risk of malnutrition from being masked. Malnutrition is often ignored in obese older people due to low BMI cut-off values in many screening tests. The present study seeks to raise awareness of the need to assess the frequency of undernutrition and related factors in obese older adults. METHODS: The data of 2013 community-dwelling patients aged ≥ 60 years who applied to a university geriatrics outpatient clinic between April 2012 and November 2022 were analyzed retrospectively, of which 296 were found to be obese based on fat percentage and were included in the study. Demographic data and the presence of any geriatric syndromes were obtained retrospectively from the patient files, functional status was assessed using the KATZ Activities of Daily Living (ADL) Scale and the LAWTON-BRODY Instrumental Activities of Daily Living Scale (IADL); frailty was screened using FRAIL-scale; and the sample was assessed for malnutrition using the Mini Nutritional Assessment-Short Form (MNA-SF), with undernutrition defined as an MNA-SF score of [Formula: see text] The patients' fat percentage and weight were measured using a bioimpedance analyzer. Fatty obesity was defined using the Zoico methodology (fat percentage [Formula: see text] 27.3% for males, [Formula: see text] 40.7% for females)[Formula: see text] handgrip strength (HGS) was measured using a hand dynamometer, and probable sarcopenia was defined as low HGS based on regional cut-off values (35 kg for males, 20 kg for females). RESULTS: The mean age of the 296 fatty obese older adults (102 males/194 females) was 74.4 + 6.5 years, and the median fat was 42.2% (27.4-59.5). Undernutrition was detected in 19.6% of the patients based on MNA-SF screening. A univariate analysis revealed age, sex, educational status, daily physical activity status, depression, difficulty in swallowing, chewing difficulty, probable sarcopenia, number of chronic diseases, and IADL to be associated with undernutrition, while a multivariate logistic regression analysis revealed depression [OR = 3.662, 95% CI (1.448-9.013), p = 0.005] and daily physical activity status [OR:0.601, 95% CI (0.417-0.867), p = 0.006] to be independently associated with malnutrition in obese older adults based on fat percentage. CONCLUSION:  The present study clarifies the significance of undernutrition in obese older adults also in our country, and recommends undernutrition screening to be carried out, by fat percentage, on obese older adults, especially with depression and low daily physical activity.

The prevalence of excessive daytime sleepiness and associated factors in older diabetic patients.

OBJECTIVES: Sleep disorders are a frequent health problem in older patients with diabetes mellitus (DM). There has been no study investigating the factors associated with excessive daytime sleepiness (EDS) in older diabetic patients. We aimed to investigate the prevalence and associated factors of EDS. METHODS: We performed a retrospective cross-sectional study in older diabetic patients. The Epworth Sleepiness Scale score of ≥ 11 points indicated EDS. All patients underwent comprehensive geriatric assessment including demographic characteristics, blood pressures, comorbid diseases, cognitive and nutritional states, basic and instrumental daily living activity indexes, lower urinary tract symptoms, and laboratory values. RESULTS: Of 227 patients, 73.1% were females, with a mean age of 78.8 ± 6.5. The prevalence of EDS was 19.8%. Patients with EDS were mostly males with dementia and used significantly more medication with more anticholinergic drug burden, falls, urge incontinence, and nocturia (p < 0.05). They had higher SARC-F and lower Barthel index, Lawton-Brodie, Tinetti, MMSE scores, and high-density lipoprotein than the patients without EDS (p < 0.05). After adjusting for age, sex, and dementia, all parameters that were significant in univariate analysis remained associated with EDS, except for falls, and MMSE scores. CONCLUSION: The EDS was found in one in five older diabetic patients. There was a significant relationship between EDS and drug use, anticholinergic drug burden, impaired excretory functions, sarcopenia, decreased functional capacity, falls, gait-balance disorder, and cognitive dysfunction. The recognization of EDS and the implementation of interventions may be helpful in the management of geriatric syndromes.

Frailty and its associates in community-dwelling older adults.

OBJECTIVE: While the literature contains several studies on the frailty assessed during hospitalization and/or outpatient settings and nursing homes, few studies have assessed frailty in community-dwelling older adults. We investigated the prevalence of frailty and associated factors among older adults in a sample of community-dwelling older adults. METHODS: We included community-dwelling older adults >60 years living in the Fatih District of the Istanbul Province. We conducted the study between November 2014 and May 2015. We collected the data such as age, sex, number of diseases and drugs, functional status, frailty, the presence of geriatric syndromes, common diseases, and quality-of-life assessment. Frailty was evaluated by the FRAIL scale. RESULTS: A total of 204 adults (mean age: 75.4±7.3 years) were included, of whom 30.4% were robust, 42.6% were pre-frail, and 27% were frail. In multivariate analyses, associated factors of frailty were the number of drugs [odds ratio (OR)=1.240, p=0.036], the presence of cognitive impairment (OR=0.300, p=0.016), and falls (OR=1.984, p=0.048). CONCLUSION: The present study established the prevalence of frailty in a large district in the largest metropolis in the country through a valid screening method. Our results suggest that clinicians should consider frailty evaluation in patients with multiple drug usage, cognitive impairment, and falls.

Biceps brachii muscle cross-sectional area measured by ultrasonography is independently associated with one-month mortality: A prospective observational study.

PURPOSE: Studies examining mortality in palliative care units are limited. We aimed to investigate the mortality and associated factors including ultrasonographic muscle parameters in hospitalized palliative patients with a subgroup analysis of older patients. METHODS: A prospective-observational study. We recorded the demographics, number of diseases, diagnoses, and the Charlson comorbidity index (CCI), palliative performance scale (PPS), and nutritional risk screening-2002 (NRS-2002) scores. We noted the nutritional parameters and mortality. We measured the subcutaneous fat thickness (SFT), muscle thickness (MT), and cross-sectional area (CSA) of the rectus femoris and biceps brachii using ultrasonography. RESULTS: We enrolled 100 patients (mean age: 73.2 ± 16.4 years, 53%: female). One-month mortality was 42%. The non-survivors had significantly higher malignancy, increased CCI and NRS-2002 scores, lower required energy intake, calorie sufficiency rate, and biceps brachii SFT, MT, and CSA than the survivors. The independent mortality predictors were malignancy and biceps brachii CSA while the PPS score and malignancy were significantly associated with mortality in the older subgroup. CONCLUSION: The malignancy and biceps brachii CSA might have prognostic value in predicting mortality in palliative patients. This was the first study investigating the mortality-associated factors including ultrasonographic muscle measurements of both the lower and upper limbs in a palliative care center.

Prevalence and Determinants of Falls in Community-dwelling Older Adults in Türkiye: A Population-based Cross-sectional Study Conducted between 2014-2015.

PURPOSE: Falls are a common public health problem in older adults regarding increased morbidity, mortality, and healthcare costs. Determining the factors associated with falls is of utmost importance for detecting at risk people. We present here a field study conducted to examine the prevalence of falls and the associated factors among community-dwelling older adults. METHODS: In this population-based cross-sectional study, we included adults aged > 60 years living in the Fatih District of the Istanbul Province between November 2014-May 2015, through a simple random sampling method. We noted age, sex, falls, fear of falling, number of diseases and medications, the presence of diabetes, hypertension, dyslipidemia, urinary and fecal incontinence, and chronic pain. Frailty was assessed with the FRAIL questionnaire. Functional capacity was evaluated by Katz's 6-item ADL and Lawton Brody's 8-item IADL scales. The European quality-5 dimension (EQ-5D) questionnaire was used for the quality of life assessment. The cognitive status screening was conducted with a Mini-cog test. Depressive mood was evaluated with the Geriatric Depression scale short form (GDS-SF). Malnutrition screening was conducted by the mini-nutritional assessment short form. Handgrip strength (HGS) was measured with a hand dynamometer. Body composition was assessed through a bioimpedance analysis. The 4-meter usual gait speed was recorded. The European Working Group on Sarcopenia in Older People2 (EWSGOP2) criteria was used for the sarcopenia definition. The Romberg and the postural instability tests were evaluated for balance and gait. Continuous variables were expressed as mean ± standard deviation or median and interquartile range for descriptive statistics, while categorical variables were expressed as the number and percentages. The differences between groups were determined through an independent sample t-test or Mann-Whitney U test when required, and Chi-square and Fisher's exact tests were applied for categorical variables. A multivariate logistic regression analysis was used to determine the independent factors associated with falls among the factors identified as significant in univariate analyses. RESULTS: The prevalence of falls was 28.5% [mean age: 75.4 ± 7.3 (range: 61-101 years), 53.6% female], and a significant association was identified between falls and the number of diseases and medications, diabetes, chronic pain, frailty, ADL, IADL, and EQ-5D scores, dementia, GDS-SF score and level of ambulation in univariate analyses (p = 0.001, 0.030, 0.030, 0.010, 0.004, 0.040, 0.007, 0.003, 0.030 and 0.007, respectively). In the multivariate analysis, positive dementia (OR = 3.66, 95% CI = 1.40-9.53; p = 0.010) and frailty screenings (OR =1.47, 95% CI = 1.05-2.06; p = 0.020) were identified as associates of falls. CONCLUSION: Falls were independently associated with positive dementia and frailty screening. These results will help develop specific and tailored precautions for at-risk groups to prevent the negative outcomes of falls.

Associations between obesity, self-reported weakness and their combinations with mortality in nursing home residents.

OBJECTIVES: There are studies on associations between obesity and mortality in nursing home (NH) residents, but the presence of concomitant muscle weakness has not been examined. We considered that self-reported weakness might be a low muscle strength proxy marker. We aimed to examine associations of obesity alone, self-reported muscle weakness alone, and their combination with mortality in NH residents. METHODS: This is a retrospective longitudinal follow-up study. We noted age, sex, nutritional status, functionality, number of chronic diseases, and regular medication. Obesity was assessed by the body fat-percentage method estimated by bioimpedance analysis. Weakness was identified by self-reported muscle weakness. Survival was evaluated with a univariate log-rank test and multivariate Cox regression analyses. RESULTS: We included 214 participants. In a median follow-up time of 46 months, mortality occurred in 37.4%. In multivariate analysis adjusted by age, sex, undernutrition, number of chronic diseases, and regular medication, functional scores; 'non-weak non-obese' participants or 'weak alone' participants or 'weak+obese' participants had higher mortality risk when compared with the 'obesity alone' participants [hazard ratio (HR) = 2.6, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 1.2-5.5, p = 0.01; HR = 2.6, 95% CI = 1.2-5.9, p = 0.02; HR = 3.0, 95% CI = 1.2-7.7, p = 0.02]. CONCLUSION: This is the first report showing that obesity was associated with lower mortality risk if the weakness was not present in NH residents. However, obesity with concomitant weakness was associated with mortality risk similar to non-weak non-obese or weak alone participants. Our study suggests a simple consideration of weakness that can easily be integrated into everyday practice.

Frailty and its associates in community-dwelling older adults

SUMMARY OBJECTIVE: While the literature contains several studies on the frailty assessed during hospitalization and/or outpatient settings and nursing homes, few studies have assessed frailty in community-dwelling older adults. We investigated the prevalence of frailty and associated factors among older adults in a sample of community-dwelling older adults. METHODS: We included community-dwelling older adults >60 years living in the Fatih District of the Istanbul Province. We conducted the study between November 2014 and May 2015. We collected the data such as age, sex, number of diseases and drugs, functional status, frailty, the presence of geriatric syndromes, common diseases, and quality-of-life assessment. Frailty was evaluated by the FRAIL scale. RESULTS: A total of 204 adults (mean age: 75.4±7.3 years) were included, of whom 30.4% were robust, 42.6% were pre-frail, and 27% were frail. In multivariate analyses, associated factors of frailty were the number of drugs [odds ratio (OR)=1.240, p=0.036], the presence of cognitive impairment (OR=0.300, p=0.016), and falls (OR=1.984, p=0.048). CONCLUSION: The present study established the prevalence of frailty in a large district in the largest metropolis in the country through a valid screening method. Our results suggest that clinicians should consider frailty evaluation in patients with multiple drug usage, cognitive impairment, and falls.

Sarcopenic obesity versus sarcopenia alone with the use of probable sarcopenia definition for sarcopenia: Associations with frailty and physical performance.

BACKGROUND & AIMS: Ageing brings alterations in body composition, as skeletal muscle gradually declines and accumulation of adipose tissue accompanies it. Although sarcopenia (S) and obesity (O) were separately reported to be associated with frailty and poor physical performance, whether they bring more detrimental or favorable effect when they coexist (i.e. sarcopenic obesity; SO) is an issue needs clarification. We aimed to study the associations of SO and S alone with frailty and poor physical performance, by using probable S definition. METHODS: This was a retrospective, cross-sectional study including community dwelling older adults who were ≥60 years old and admitted to the outpatient clinic of a tertiary hospital between 2012 and 2020. We measured handgrip strength via hand dynamometer and defined decreased muscle strength as probable S. We performed bioimpedance analysis to evaluate body composition and used fat percentile method to define obesity. We assessed nutritional status via Mini-Nutritional Assessment-Short Form, frailty via FRAIL scale, and physical performance via Timed Up and Go (TUG) test. We examined the associations of four body phenotypes, i.e. non-S non-O, SO, S alone and O alone with frailty and impaired TUG in univariate and multivariate analyses (Model 1). We further performed a head to head analysis of SO vs S to see if one of them was associated more with frailty and impaired TUG (Model 2). RESULTS: There were 1366 older adults included in the study (mean age: 74.6 ± 6.9; 68.3% female). The prevalences of non-S non-O, S alone, SO and O alone were 53.5, 7.5, 2.8 and 36.2%, respectively. Multivariate analysis adjusted for age, gender and nutritional status revealed that both SO and S alone were independently associated with frailty and impaired TUG, with SO demonstrating lower odds than S alone (OR = 5.9 and 6.05 for frailty, and 3.9 and 4.4 for TUG, respectively). Head-to-head comparison between SO and S alone in Model 2 showed that two groups did not demonstrate significant difference in terms of the frailty and impaired TUG risk. CONCLUSION: Although SO and S groups demonstrated similar risks, obesity accompanying sarcopenia might show a favorable trend in terms of frailty and poor physical performance, compared to sarcopenia alone. Longitudinal studies are needed to reveal whether an obesity paradox exists for frailty and physical performance in older adults.

Probable sarcopenia: associations with common geriatric syndromes and comorbidities in Turkish geriatric patients from a university hospital.

PURPOSE: EWGSOP2 defines "probable sarcopenia" as the presence of low muscle strength without non-muscle causes. The associations of probable sarcopenia have been studied in few reports to date, and our intention in this study is to identify associations of probable sarcopenia with common geriatric syndromes in a sample of older adults who attended the geriatric outpatient clinic of Istanbul University Hospital. METHODS: The present study was designed as a retrospective cross-sectional study. We performed a comprehensive geriatric assessment to the participants. Univariate analyses were performed to determine relationship of probable sarcopenia with age, sex, common geriatric syndromes, i.e., frailty, falls, polypharmacy, malnutrition, and comorbidities, i.e., diabetes mellitus, hypertension, chronic kidney disease, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), congestive heart failure (CHF), depression, osteoporosis, and the variables found to be significant were included in logistic regression analyses. The results are presented as an odds ratio (OR), with a 95% confidence interval (CI). RESULTS: Included in the study were 456 participants with a mean age of 74.6 ± 6.6 years, of which 71.1% were female. Probable sarcopenia was identified in 12.7% (n = 58) of the sample. A multivariate analysis was carried out, the factors associated with probable sarcopenia were identified as male sex (OR 0.269, 95% CI 0.142-0.510), frailty (OR 4.265, 95% CI 2.200-8.267) and chronic kidney disease (OR 3.084, 95% CI 1.105-8.608). CONCLUSION: Probable sarcopenia was more significantly associated with frailty than with other geriatric syndromes, signifying its importance as a marker for frailty. The study further identified chronic renal failure as a factor significantly associated with probable sarcopenia among the variety of studied diseases that frequently accompany aging.