Sarcopenia and decline in appendicular skeletal muscle mass are associated with hypoperfusion in key hubs of central autonomic network on 3DSRT in older adults with progression of normal cognition to Alzheimer's disease.

AIM: Although sarcopenia is common in patients with Alzheimer's disease (AD), the neural substrates involved remain unclear. We investigated the relationship between sarcopenia, as well as its definition components, and regional cerebral blood flow (rCBF) in older adults with progression of normal cognition to AD. METHODS: 99m Tc-ethyl-cysteinate-dimer single-photon emission computed tomography was carried out in 95 older adults with progression of normal cognition to AD (40 men and 55 women, mean ± SD age 80.9 ± 6.8 years). The associations of rCBF determined by 3-D stereotactic region of interest template software, with sarcopenia and its definition components, slower gait speed, weaker grip strength, and decline in appendicular skeletal muscle mass index (ASMI) were analyzed. RESULTS: Logistic regression analysis adjusted by age, sex, mini-mental state examination score and education showed that sarcopenia as well as ASMI less than the cut-off (men 7.0 kg/m2 , women 5.7 kg/m2 ) were associated with significantly reduced rCBF in the key hub of the central autonomic network, including the insula, anterior cingulate cortex, subcallosal area, rectal gyrus, hypothalamus, amygdala and caudate head. Sarcopenia and ASMI decline were associated with hypoperfusion in the aforementioned cortical hubs of the central autonomic network in men, but with hypoperfusion of the hypothalamus in women. Linear regression analysis showed significant correlations of ASMI/cut-off with rCBF in the bilateral medial frontal cortex, as well as rCBF in the aforementioned key hubs. CONCLUSIONS: Hypoperfusion in key hubs of central autonomic network is implicated in the emergence of sarcopenia, probably through ASMI decline in vulnerable older adults. Geriatr Gerontol Int 2023; 23: 16-24.

Examination of Endoscopic Ultrasonographic Diagnosis for the Depth of Early Gastric Cancer.

BACKGROUND: Endoscopic ultrasonography (EUS) is one of the helpful tools to diagnose depth of early gastric cancer (EGC). In this study, we examined efficiencies of EUS for EGC such as overall accuracy, risk factors of over/under-staging, and accuracies of each invasive distance. METHODS: A total of 403 EGC lesions that could be investigated by EUS during pre-operation and histological diagnosis after endoscopic submucosal dissection (ESD) or surgery were enrolled in this study. For the 403 cases, we analyzed the accuracies of depth by conventional endoscopy (CE) and EUS retrospectively. We evaluated the clinical survey items of CE and EUS which will be described later to compare the differences between "accuracy group" and "over-staging group", and between "accuracy group" and "under-staging group", retrospectively. Additionally, 78 EGC lesions which were confined to the submucosa and for which it was possible to measure accurate invasive distance from the muscularis mucosae were examined for the relationship between preoperative diagnosis of depth by CE and EUS and invasive distance retrospectively. RESULTS: The overall accuracies of both CE and EUS in predicting EGC invasion depth were 87.3%. For CE staging, histological classification was the factor which influenced over-staging. Gastric regions and tumor area were the factors which influenced under-staging of CE. For EUS staging, tumor area was the factor which influenced over-staging, and gastric regions were the factors which influenced under-staging. Both CE and EUS were not sufficient for predicting the lesions confined to < 500 µm from the muscularis mucosae because the accuracies of both in predicting depth were less than 50%. However, EUS has a higher accuracy than CE for the lesions confined to 500 - 2,000 µm. CONCLUSIONS: The overall accuracies of both CE and EUS in predicting EGC invasion depth were equal, but the contributing factors for over/under-staging were different. Both CE and EUS are not sufficient at present to predict the lesions confined to < 500 µm from the muscularis mucosae. However, the accuracy of EUS in predicting them may increase if high-performance EUS systems are developed in the future.

A Case of Refractory Esophageal Ulcer Caused by Radiotherapy for Hepatocellular Carcinoma.

A 77-year-old man who underwent radiotherapy for hepatocellular carcinoma 6 months prior consulted for esophageal obstruction. Esophagogastroduodenoscopy revealed an esophageal ulcer caused by radiotherapy for hepatocellular carcinoma. He was treated with dietary counseling and vonoprazan. After 9 months, the ulcer improved but a moderate stenosis remained. Several factors such as high fraction size, history of chemotherapy, and stress associated with food intake might involve in the development of a radiation-associated ulcer. Opportunities to choose radiotherapy for hepatocellular carcinoma may increase, so we hypothesize that esophageal ulcers might be a complication that should be noted associated with this therapy.

Correction to: Relationship Between Blood Pressure Levels on Admission and the Onset of Acute Pneumonia in Elderly Patients With Cerebral Hemorrhage.

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.14740/jocmr4330.].

Olfactory-cognitive index distinguishes involvement of frontal lobe shrinkage, as in sarcopenia from shrinkage of medial temporal areas, and global brain, as in Kihon Checklist frailty/dependence, in older adults with progression of normal cognition to Alzheimer's disease.

AIM: Olfactory impairment as a prodromal symptom, as well as sarcopenia, frailty and dependence as geriatric syndromes, is often associated with cognitive decline in older adults with progression of Alzheimer's disease. The present study aimed to evaluate the associations of olfactory and cognitive decline with these geriatric syndromes, and with structural changes of the brain in older adults. METHODS: The participants were 135 older adults (47 men and 88 women, mean age 79.5 years), consisting of 64 with normal cognition, 23 with mild cognitive impairment and 48 with Alzheimer's disease. Olfactory function was evaluated by the Open Essence odor identification test. Shrinkage of the regional brain was determined by magnetic resonance imaging. RESULTS: Logistic regression analysis with Open Essence, Mini-Mental State Examination, age and sex as covariates showed higher olfactory-cognitive index (|coefficient for Open Essence (a) / coefficient for Mini-Mental State Examination (b)|) in participants with sarcopenia (Asia Working Group for Sarcopenia), and lower values of (|a/b|) in participants with Barthel Index dependence, Kihon Checklist frailty, Lawton Index dependence and support/care-need certification as objective variables. Logistic regression analysis adjusted by age and sex also showed significant shrinkage of the frontal lobe in participants with AWGS sarcopenia, especially in women, and shrinkage of the medial temporal areas and global brain in participants with Kihon Checklist frailty/dependence. CONCLUSIONS: Olfactory-cognitive index (|a/b|) might be a useful tool to distinguish involvement of frontal lobe shrinkage, as in sarcopenia from shrinkage of the medial temporal areas, and global brain, as in frailty/dependence, in older adults with progression of normal cognition to Alzheimer's disease. Geriatr Gerontol Int 2021; ••: ••-••.

Relationship Between Blood Pressure Levels on Admission and the Onset of Acute Pneumonia in Elderly Patients With Cerebral Hemorrhage.

BACKGROUND: We have reported that hypertension on admission in elderly patients with acute cerebral infarction is an independent predictor for the development of acute pneumonia. However, the relationship between blood pressure on admission owing to cerebral hemorrhage and the development of pneumonia has not been fully investigated. In this study, we evaluated the relationship between blood pressure levels on admission and the development of pneumonia in elderly patients with cerebral hemorrhage who were in the acute phase. METHODS: Subjects consisted of 117 elderly patients with cerebral hemorrhage who were in the acute phase and were emergently admitted to the Department of Geriatric Medicine, Kanazawa Medical University between 2005 and 2015 (59 males and 58 females, the mean age ± standard deviation (SD) of 80 ± 8 years, and the range of 65 - 98 years). Blood pressure levels on admission were classified into the following four groups: normal blood pressure/mild hypertension group (systolic blood pressure of < 160 mm Hg and diastolic blood pressure of < 100 mm Hg), moderate hypertension group (systolic hypertension of 160 - 179 mm Hg or diastolic blood pressure of 100 - 109 mm Hg), severe hypertension group (systolic hypertension of 180 - 199 mm Hg or diastolic blood pressure of 110 - 119 mmHg), and serious hypertension group (systolic blood pressure of ≥ 200 mm Hg or diastolic blood pressure of ≥ 120 mm Hg). Between the two groups (group of patients with acute pneumonia and group of those with absence of pneumonia), age, sex, body mass index (BMI), history of stroke, history of heart disease, chronic kidney disease, diabetes, dyslipidemia, prehypertension, blood pressure on admission, Japan Coma Scale (JCS) on admission, white blood cell count, C-reactive protein (CRP), albumin, bleeding sites, bleeding amount, and the presence or absence of centerline shift on brain computed tomography (CT) images were retrospectively evaluated. Furthermore, factors related to cerebral hemorrhage in the development of acute pneumonia in patients with cerebral hemorrhage were verified. RESULTS: Of the 117 patients, 30 (25.6%) had acute pneumonia. Age, sex, bleeding amount, midline shift, blood pressure classification on admission, JCS, white blood cell count, CRP, albumin, diabetes were adopted as confounding factors in the development of acute pneumonia. Results of multiple logistic regression analysis showed significant differences between these two groups in the following four items: CRP, white blood cell count, JCS, and blood pressure classification on admission. After adjustment of these confounding factors, the incidence of acute pneumonia in the blood pressure groups other than serious hypertension group was set as 1, and the odds ratio of pneumonia onset in serious hypertension group was revealed to be 5.54, with the 95% confidence interval of 1.49 - 20.6. CONCLUSIONS: We found that serious hypertension on admission is a risk factor for the development of acute pneumonia in elderly patients with cerebral hemorrhage who are in the acute phase.

Relationship Between Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease and Endoscopic Finding "Iodine-Unstained Streak".

BACKGROUND: Esophagogastroduodenoscopy (EGD) with iodine stain is a useful and diffused method for diagnosing esophageal cancer. We can perform the procedure easily with endoscopic system which does not comprise image-enhanced endoscopy. Several studies advocated that iodine-unstained streaks are a characteristic finding of gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD). However, there are only a few reports about the subject. In this study, we investigated the usefulness of iodine chromoendoscopy for GERD consultation. METHODS: The study was conducted with 154 GERD cases in which EGD with iodine stain to the esophagus was performed. For the 154 cases, we analyzed the existence of reflux esophagitis finding and iodine-unstained streaks. In 47 GERD cases (proton pump inhibitor (PPI): 45 cases, histamine H2-receptor antagonist (H2-RA): two cases) where medication was started after EGD, we examined predictive factors of the symptom improvement such as sex, age, weight, reflux esophagitis finding, and iodine-unstained streak. RESULTS: An iodine-unstained streak was observed in 50/154 cases (32.5%). For 50 cases with iodine-unstained streak, there were only 24/50 cases (48.0%) that had both reflux esophagitis findings (≥ Los Angeles classification: grade M) and an iodine-unstained streak. For 47 cases in which medication was started, 34 cases showed improvement in their symptoms, and 13 cases did not show improvement. An iodine-unstained streak was observed more often in "Improved" group rather than in "Not improved" group (P < 0.01). When we supposed an iodine-unstained streak to be the predictive factor of the medication effect for GERD, sensitivity was 61.8% and specificity was 84.6%. CONCLUSIONS: No erosion was often found in the GERD cases without reflux esophagitis, and iodine-unstained streak was observed more often in "Improved" group rather than in "Not improved" group. We think that iodine-unstained streak can be useful for diagnosing of GERD and predictive factor of the medication effect.

Clusters of COVID-19 in long-term care hospitals and facilities in Japan from 16 January to 9 May 2020.

AIM: To clarify the association of cluster number and size of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in long-term care (LTC) hospitals/facilities, general medical/welfare facilities and non-medical/welfare facilities with morbidity and mortality in 47 prefectures during 16 January to 9 May 2020 in Japan. METHODS: Information on COVID-19 clusters (n ≥2), and morbidity and mortality of COVID-19 was collected. RESULTS: A total of 381 clusters with 3786 infected cases were collected, accounting for 23.9% of 15 852 cumulated cases on 9 May 2020. Although the cluster number (/107 subjects) in LTC hospitals/facilities was significantly smaller compared with those in the other two groups, the cluster size in LTC hospitals/facilities was significantly larger than that in non-medical/welfare facilities. Cluster numbers in general medical/welfare facilities and in non-medical/welfare facilities were significantly positively correlated with morbidity (/105 ), indicating relatively early identification of clusters in these facilities. Unlike in these facilities, cluster size in LTC hospitals/facilities was significantly positively correlated with morbidity, indicating that clusters in LTC hospitals/facilities were finally identified after already having grown to a large size in areas where infection was prevalent. Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that both cluster number and cluster size only in LTC hospitals/facilities were independently associated with higher mortality (≥median 0.64/105 subjects) after adjustment. CONCLUSIONS: Preventive efforts against COVID-19 outbreaks even at the early phase of the epidemic are critically important in LTC hospitals/facilities, as both the larger number and size of clusters only in LTC hospitals/facilities were independently linked to higher mortality in prefectures in Japan. Geriatr Gerontol Int 2020; 20: 715-719.

Non-participation in health checkup and Kihon Checklist predicts loss of certification-free survival in community-dwelling older adults.

AIM: Despite efforts toward health promotion and preventive care for older adults, including health checkups and postal Kihon Checklist survey, one fifth of community-dwelling older adults do not participate in them. The aim of the present study was to examine the relationship between this non-participation and the end of certification-free survival in older adults. METHODS: In a cohort of 4120 older adults with no prior history of Long-Term Care Insurance certification, the associations of non-participation with risk of later death without certification and support/care-need certification for 72 months were evaluated using Cox proportional hazards analysis. RESULTS: Of them, 4022 (mean age 72.7 years, 54.7% women) were followed up (97.6%). At baseline, 1072 received health checkups, 2085 replied to the Kihon Checklist alone and 865 did not participate. During 72 months, 310 deaths without certification and 701 certifications occurred. After adjustment, non-participating individuals had significantly higher hazard ratios for death up to 72 months and for certification up to 36 months, compared with the other two groups. The Kruskal-Wallis test showed associations of increasing incidence of certification due to stroke in pre-old (aged 65-74 years) men for 72 months, and due to arthralgia/fracture and dementia in old (aged ≥75 years) women for 24 months, with non-participation in health promotions. Certified non-participating individuals incurred higher estimated Long-Term Care Insurance expenditure per person for 72 months, especially in pre-old men and old women. CONCLUSIONS: Health promotion by health checkup and even Kihon Checklist survey increases certification-free survival in older residents, and decreases Long-Term Care Insurance expenditure. Geriatr Gerontol Int 2019; 19: 1206-1214.

Association of olfactory impairment with indexes of sarcopenia and frailty in community-dwelling older adults.

AIM: Individuals with olfactory or gustatory impairment often have associated difficulties with food-related activities. As both functions decline in older adults, we investigated the association of these impairments with sarcopenia/frailty indexes in community-dwelling older adults. METHODS: A total of 141 participants (69 men and 72 women, mean age 73.0 years) were enrolled. Odor identification was examined using the Open Essence test. Salty and sweet tastes were assessed using a whole-mouth gustatory test. Participants underwent evaluation of the appendicular skeletal muscle mass index (ASMI) by InBody720 and grip strength, and determination of the Study of Osteoporotic Fractures frailty index. RESULTS: Participants with olfactory impairment (Open Essence ≤7), but not with gustatory impairment, showed a significantly higher prevalence of ASMI and grip strength less than the cut-off values recommended by the Asian Working Group for Sarcopenia, and Study of Osteoporotic Fractures frailty and/or pre-frailty status, compared with those without impairment. Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed a significant association of olfactory impairment with ASMI less than the cut-off value, grip strength less than the cut-off value, Asian Working Group for Sarcopenia sarcopenia and pre-frailty/frailty in the Study of Osteoporotic Fractures index in the whole population, and with ASMI less than the cut-off value and Asian Working Group for Sarcopenia sarcopenia in women, after adjustment. Three (Japanese cypress, wood and roasted garlic) and four (Japanese orange, India ink, menthol and curry) Open Essence odorants were elucidated as the "sarcopenia subset" and "frailty subset," respectively, and showed higher ability to identify sarcopenia and frailty status, compared with the remaining five odorants. CONCLUSIONS: These findings suggest that olfactory impairment is closely associated with sarcopenia and/or frailty in community-dwelling older adults. Geriatr Gerontol Int 2019; 19: 384-391.

Range in systolic blood pressure and care-needs certification in long-term care insurance in community-dwelling older patients with chronic kidney disease.

Objective Low systolic blood pressure (SBP) is associated with an increased risk for cardiovascular morbidity/mortality in older patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD). The present study evaluated the association between range in blood pressure and first care-needs certification in the Long-term Care Insurance (LTCI) system or death in community-dwelling older subjects with or without CKD. Methods CKD was defined as an estimated glomerular filtration rate <60 ml/min/1.73 m2 or dipstick proteinuria of + or greater. Our study was conducted in 1078 older subjects aged 65-94 years. Associations were estimated using the Cox proportional hazards model. Results During 5 years of follow-up, 135 first certifications and 53 deaths occurred. Among patients with CKD, moderate SBP (130-159 mmHg) was associated with a significantly lower adjusted risk of subsequent total certification (hazard ratio [HR] = 0.44) and subsequent certification owing to dementia (HR = 0.17) compared with SBP < 130 mmHg. These relationships were not observed in non-CKD subjects. Conclusion Lower SBP of <130 mmHg may predict a higher risk for subsequent first care-needs certification in LTCI, especially for dementia, in community-dwelling patients with CKD.

Comorbidity of chronic kidney disease, diabetes and lower glycated hemoglobin predicts support/care-need certification in community-dwelling older adults.

AIM: Chronic kidney disease (CKD), diabetes and lower glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c ) range in diabetes patients are associated with higher mortality. We investigated whether these conditions were associated with the risk of loss of independence in community-dwelling older adults. METHODS: We analyzed 1078 older adults with no history of support/care-need certification in Long-Term Care Insurance aged 65-94 years. Associations of baseline CKD, diabetes, and lower HbA1c range of <6.0% in the diabetes patients, at baseline health checkup with risk of later certification and/or death for 5 years were estimated using the Cox proportional hazards regression model. RESULTS: The prevalence of both CKD and diabetes in the total population increased with age, due to a net increase in the coexistence of CKD and diabetes. The prevalence of the lower HbA1c range also increased with age in participants with the coexistence. During 5 years, 135 certifications and 53 deaths occurred. After adjustment, patients with comorbidity of the triad of CKD, diabetes and the lower HbA1c range had significantly higher hazard ratios (HR) for certification (HR 3.52, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.91-6.48, P < 0.001) and for death (HR 3.79, 95% CI 1.46-9.85, P = 0.006) compared with those without CKD and diabetes. The harmful impact of the lower HbA1c range on later certification compared with higher HbA1c range of ≥6.0% was maintained in diabetes patients with use of antidiabetic agents and CKD (HR 2.40, 95% CI 1.06-6.45, P = 0.036). CONCLUSIONS: Excessive HbA1c reduction might cause discontinuance of disability-free survival in community-dwelling older diabetes patients with CKD. Geriatr Gerontol Int 2018; 18: 521-529.

Major electrocardiographic abnormality predicts support/care-need certification and/or death in community-dwelling older adults with no history of cardiovascular disease.

AIM: Not only cardiovascular disease (CVD) itself, but also subclinical major electrocardiographic (ECG) abnormalities are related to frailty in older adults. We investigated whether major ECG abnormality was associated with first support/care-need certification in Long-Term Care Insurance or death in community-dwelling older adults. METHODS: We analyzed 1078 community-dwelling older adults with no history of certification aged 65-94 years. Relationships between baseline major ECG abnormality and risk of first certification or death were estimated using the Cox proportional hazards model. RESULTS: During 5 years, 135 first certifications and 53 deaths occurred. Among participants with no prior history of CVD (n = 875), those with major ECG abnormality (n = 282) showed significantly higher adjusted hazard ratios (HR) for certification (HR 2.42, 95% CI 1.58-3.69, P < 0.001) and for death (HR 2.44, 95% CI 1.27-4.69, P = 0.008) compared with control participants without major ECG abnormality (n = 593). The impact of major ECG abnormality on certification in this group was more evident in older adults with age ≥75 years, female sex or hyperuricemia. Participants with either arrhythmia or ST/T abnormality on ECG examination tended to have higher HR for certification as a result of dementia. In participants with a prior history of CVD (n = 203), the impact of major ECG abnormality (n = 126) on certification was not significant. CONCLUSIONS: These observations show that subclinical major ECG abnormality predicts higher risk for later support/care-need certification in community-dwelling older adults with no prior history of CVD. Geriatr Gerontol Int 2017; 17: 1967-1976.

Glycemic control and disability-free survival in hypoglycemic agent-treated community-dwelling older patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus.

AIM: Although lower glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c ) has been believed to be an important marker of improvement of glycemic control in order to maintain better quality of life for patients with diabetes mellitus, a too low HbA1c might be harmful in older adults. We investigated whether this was the case with respect to risk of support/care-need certification in community-dwelling older patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus. METHODS: We analyzed 184 diabetes patients aged 65-94 years receiving glucose-lowering medication/insulin. The end-points were first support/care-need certification and/or death. The relationships between four classes of HbA1c and risk of support/care-need certification and/or death were determined using the Cox proportional hazards regression model. RESULTS: During 5 years, 42 first support/care-need certifications and 13 deaths occurred. The association of HbA1c with risk of support/care-need certification after adjustment for age, sex and confounding variables was J-shaped, with the nadir at an HbA1c level of 6.5 to <7.0%, and with an increased risk of support/care-need certification (HR 3.45, 95% CI 1.02-11.6, P = 0.046) at an HbA1c level of <6.0% compared with the nadir. When compared with patients with HbA1c ≥6.0%, those with HbA1c <6.0% showed a higher risk of support/care-need certification as a result of dementia (HR 12.5, 95% CI 3.00-52.2, P = 0.001), but not as a result of arthralgia/fracture, stroke or other disorders. CONCLUSIONS: These observations show that a too low HbA1c might be associated with a later risk of incident disability as a result of dementia in community-dwelling older diabetes patients. Geriatr Gerontol Int 2017; 17: 1858-1865.

Blood pressure and disability-free survival among community-dwelling diabetic and non-diabetic elderly patients receiving antihypertensive treatment.

OBJECTIVE: Although many large-scale trials showed efficacies of antihypertensive treatment in patients with diabetes mellitus and hypertension for reduction of cardiovascular (CV) morbidity/mortality, blood pressure (BP) targets in older hypertensive patients with diabetes still represent the object of debate. We investigated adequate BP targets with respect to the risk of incident disability or mortality in community-dwelling elderly hypertensive patients with and without diabetes. METHODS: We analyzed 139 diabetic and 431 non-diabetic patients receiving antihypertensive treatment aged 65 years or older. The end-point was the composite outcome of first certification for support/care need or mortality. Relationships among each of four classes of systolic BP (SBP) or diastolic BP (DBP) and the risk of events were estimated using Cox hazards analysis. RESULTS: Over 4 years, diabetic patients showed significantly higher rates of all events including first certification for support/care need or mortality compared with the non-diabetic subjects (29 [20.8%] and 48 [11.1%] cases, unadjusted hazard ratio [HR] 1.99, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.26-3.16, P = 0.003). After adjustment for confounding variables, the risk of events was significantly higher in non-diabetic subjects with SBP <120 mmHg (HR 3.90, 95% CI 1.32-11.5, P = 0.014) and SBP ≥160 mmHg (HR 3.42, 95% CI 1.22-9.57, P = 0.019), but only those with SBP ≥160 mmHg (HR 22.8, 95% CI 4.83-118, P < 0.001) in diabetic patients, compared with non-diabetic control subjects with baseline SBP of 140-159 mmHg. CONCLUSION: These observations showed the critical importance of intensive control of SBP to <160 mmHg for disability-free survival in elderly hypertensive patients with diabetes mellitus.

Association between blood pressure and disability-free survival among community-dwelling elderly patients receiving antihypertensive treatment.

A reduction of elevated blood pressure (BP) is an important treatment goal in elderly hypertensive patients. However, excessive reduction of systolic BP (SBP) and/or diastolic BP (DBP) might be harmful in such patients. We investigated whether this was the case with regard to risk of incident disability or death in community-dwelling elderly subjects. We analyzed 570 patients receiving antihypertensive treatment aged 65-94 years. The endpoint was the composite outcome of incident disability, defined as first certification of a support/care need or death. Relationships among each of the four classes of SBP or DBP and the risk of incident disability or death were estimated using the Cox proportional hazards model. Over four years, 77 (13.5%) incident disabilities or deaths occurred. After adjustment for age, sex and variables selected according to their univariate analysis P-value <0.20, the risk of events was significantly higher in subjects with baseline SBP<120 mm Hg (hazard ratio (HR)=2.81, P=0.023) and ⩾160 mm Hg (HR=4.32, P<0.001), compared with subjects with baseline SBP of 140-159 mm Hg, who showed the lowest incidence of events. This J-curve relationship was observed in very elderly patients (⩾75 years) but not in younger patients. Patients with SBP<120 mm Hg tended to have a higher risk of incident disability caused by cerebral events, and those with SBP⩾160 mm Hg had a higher risk of incident disability caused by falls/bone fractures. These observations indicate that excessive BP reduction could cause discontinuance of disability-free survival in community-dwelling elderly patients.