Prevalence and incidence of Parkinson's disease and other forms of parkinsonism in a cohort of elderly individuals in Southern Brazil: protocol for a population-based study.

INTRODUCTION: Parkinsonism is one of the most common neurological disorders affecting the elderly. Several population-based studies have determined the epidemiology of parkinsonism, mainly Parkinson's disease (PD), but there is still little evidence in the Brazilian population. This protocol study aims to assess the prevalence and incidence of cases of PD and other parkinsonian syndromes in a 5-year cohort in a population-based study in the southern region of Brazil. METHODS AND ANALYSIS: A prospective population-based longitudinal study, with a cohort of development of cases of parkinsonism, divided into two phases: in phase I, two questionnaires to screen for parkinsonism (Tanner's questionnaire), Rapid Eyes Movement (REM) sleep behaviour disorder (REM Sleep Behavior Disorder Single-Question Screen) and a short interview will be conducted with all elderly residents of Veranópolis (the first longevity Brazilian county located in the Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil) aged 60 or over. The positive screened cases will be examined independently by at least two movement disorder-trained physicians and prevalence will be determined. A comprehensive evaluation of prodromic symptoms, risk factors and clinical characteristics will be carried out. Subjects with subtle parkinsonism and a sample of healthy subjects will be followed for 5 years in a developmental cohort of parkinsonism cases. For crude incidence, all individuals admitted at the beginning of the study will be re-evaluated. ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION: The study was approved by the research ethics committee of the Hospital de Clínicas de Porto Alegre (protocol n° 4.095.609). All participants provide their informed consent before evaluations. Findings from this survey will be disseminated through peer-reviewed publications and will be presented at conferences.

Prevenindo demências / Dementia prevention

A população de idosos vem crescendo a uma taxa de 2,4% ao ano durante a última década. No ano de 2000 havia 580 milhões de pessoas acima de 60 anos (Organização Mundial da Saúde, 1998). O segmento da população acima de 85 anos tem sido o de crescimento mais rápido, aumentando rapidamente as enfermidades relacionadas com envelhecimento e desabilidades. Morbidades psiquiátricas são comuns em idade avançada, 15% dos idosos apresentam desordem de saúde mental clinicamente significativa, com condições neurodegenerativas como as que levam a demências (Regier et al., 1998). Substancial progresso foi feito na descoberta de mecanismos patofisiológicos que levam a demência, aumentando a acurácia do diagnóstico precoce, e no desenvolvimento de tratamentos sintomáticos efetivos. Uma nova era na prevenção e tratamento está surgindo com o uso de drogas produzidas a partir da engenharia genética. Mas o questionamento é se temos como prevenir as demências a partir dos conhecimentos atuais (AU)

The world´s older population has been growing at a rate of 2.4% per year during the past decade, and in the year 2000 there were 580 milion people aged 60 years or older (World Health Organization, 1998). With the 85 years and older group being the fastest growing segment of the population, age-related diseases and disabilities are rapidly increasing. Psychiatric morbidity is common in later life; 15% of older adults have clinically significant mental health disorders, with neurodegenerative conditions such as dementia taking the lead (Regier et al., 1998). Substantial progress has been made in the quest to unravel the pathophysiological mechanisms leading to dementia, improve the accurancy of early diagnosis, and develop dementia treatment-specific compounds. But do we need could this preventive era start now? (AU)

A importância do sexo para o homem que envelhece / The importance of sex to man who is being aged

O processo de envelhecimento é imperceptível durante muito tempo, e é resultado de uma série de modificações lentas do organismo, nas quais as células morrem, sendo substituídas ou não. O aumento da expectativa de vida é um fato novo na história da humanidade, e é pequeno o conhecimento da dinâmica da interação entre a pessoa idosa, o meio ambiente e a sociedade, especialmente nas questões da sexualidade