Frailty, dependency and mortality predictors in a cohort of Cuban older adults, 2003-2011.

INTRODUCTION: Population aging translates into more people with chronic non-communicable diseases, disability, frailty and dependency. The study of frailty--a clinical syndrome associated with an increased risk of falls, disability, hospitalization, institutionalization and death--is important to improve clinical practice and population health indicators. OBJECTIVES: In a cohort of older adults in Havana and Matanzas provinces, Cuba, estimate prevalence of frailty and its risk factors; determine incidence of dependency; estimate mortality risk and identify mortality predictors. METHODS: A prospective longitudinal study was conducted door to door, from June 2003 through July 2011, in a cohort of 2813 adults aged ≥65 years living in selected municipalities of Havana and Matanzas provinces; mean followup time was 4.1 years. Independent variables included demographics, behavioral risk factors and socioeconomic indicators, chronic non-communicable diseases (hypertension, stroke, dementia, depression, diabetes, anemia), number of comorbidities, and APOE ε4 genotype. Dependent variables were frailty, dependency and mortality. Criteria for frailty were slow walking speed, exhaustion, weight loss, low physical activity and cognitive decline. Prevalence and frailty risk were estimated by Poisson regression, while dependency and mortality risks and their predictors were determined using Cox regression. RESULTS: Frailty syndrome prevalence was 21.6% (CI 17.9%-23.8%) at baseline; it was positively associated with advanced age, anemia and presence of comorbidities (stroke, dementia, depression, three or more physically debilitating diseases). Male sex, higher educational level, married or partnered status, and more household amenities were inversely associated with frailty prevalence. In followup, dependency incidence was 33.1 per 1000 person-years (CI 29.1-37.6) and mortality was 55.1 per 1000 person-years. Advanced age, male sex, lower occupational status during productive years, dependency, frailty, dementia, depression, cerebrovascular disease and diabetes were all associated with higher risk of death. CONCLUSIONS: Given the challenge for developing countries presented by demographic and epidemiologic transition; the high prevalence in older adults of frailty syndrome, dependency and chronic non-communicable diseases; and the association of all these with higher mortality, attention should be targeted to older adults as a risk group. This should include greater social protection, age-appropriate health services, and modification and control of cardiovascular risk factors.

Dementia and other chronic diseases in older adults in Havana and Matanzas: the 10/66 study in Cuba.

INTRODUCTION: Chronic non-communicable diseases are the leading cause of death worldwide, except in Sub-Saharan Africa. Nonetheless, one of these conditions, dementia, is the major contributor to disability-adjusted life years in people aged ≥60 years. Few epidemiological studies exist of the prevalence and impact of dementia and selected chronic diseases in older adults in Latin America. OBJECTIVE: Describe prevalence of dementia, other chronic vascular diseases and cardiovascular risk factors, as well as resulting disabilities and care needs generated in adults aged ≥65 years in Havana City and Matanzas provinces, Cuba. METHODS: The 10/66 study is a prospective longitudinal study involving a cohort of 3015 adults aged ≥65 years in municipalities of Havana City and Matanzas provinces, divided into two phases: a cross-sectional door-to-door study conducted in 2003-2006, and a follow-up and assessment phase in 2007-2010. This article reports findings from the first phase. Hypertension diagnosis was based on criteria from the International Society for Hypertension; diabetes mellitus on American Diabetes Association criteria; stroke according to WHO definitions; and dementia according to criteria of the American Psychiatric Society's Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders DSM-IV and the 10/66 International Dementia Research Group. Ischemic heart disease was defined by self-report of previous physician diagnosis. Study variables included age, sex, educational level, substance use (alcohol, tobacco) and dietary habits. A structured physical and neurological exam, including blood pressure measurement, was performed on all participants. Laboratory tests included complete blood count, fasting blood glucose, total cholesterol and lipoprotein fractions, triglycerides and apolipoprotein E genotype. Prevalence and standardized morbidity ratios (crude and adjusted) were calculated for chronic diseases studied with 95% confidence intervals, using a Poisson regression model and indirect standardization. RESULTS: The study assessed 2944 older adults (response rate 97.6%) and found high prevalence of vascular risk factors and of chronic non-communicable diseases: hypertension 73.0% (95% CI 71.4-74.7), diabetes mellitus 24.8% (95% CI 22.9-26.5), ischemic heart disease 14.1% (95% CI 12.9-15.4), dementia 10.8% (95% CI 9.7-12.0) and stroke 7.8% (95% CI 6.9-8.8). The majority of participants (85%) had more than one cardiovascular risk factor. The main cause of disability and dependency in the study population was dementia. CONCLUSION: The high prevalence of chronic diseases observed in the elderly--with the consequent morbidity, disability and dependency--highlights the need for prevention, early diagnosis and risk factor control, particularly given the demographic and epidemiologic transition faced by Cuba and other developing countries.

Prevalence of Dementia and Alzheimer's Disease in a Havana Municipality: A Community-Based Study among Elderly Residents.

Introduction Approximately 24.2 million persons throughout the world suffer dementia with 4.6 million new cases reported annually. Only 10% of dementia and Alzheimer's disease studies are conducted in developing countries where 66% of sufferers live. Cuba, a developing country, exhibits health indicators similar to those of developed nations. Its population of 11.6 million is aging rapidly: by the year 2020 it is estimated that persons aged ≥65 years will comprise 25% of the population, making Cuban society the "oldest" in Latin America. Objectives Ascertain and characterize behavior of dementia, its etiologies and risk factors in persons aged ≥65 years in the Havana City municipality of Playa. Methods A two-phase, cross-sectional, door-to-door study was conducted in the municipality targeting all persons aged ≥65 years, achieving a 96.4% response rate (n=18,351). Folstein Mini Mental State Examination (MMSE), Hughes Clinical Dementia Rating (CDR) and a structured interview on risk factors were applied. DSM-IV, NINCDS-ADRDA and NINDS-AIREN criteria were used to determine dementia diagnosis, as well as other criteria for diagnosing Alzheimer's and other specific forms of dementia. Results Dementia prevalence was 8.2% of adults aged ≥65 years, with a slight predominance in males. The most frequent cause of dementia was Alzheimer's disease, followed by mixed dementias. Dementia-associated risk factors were: history of stroke, hypertension, depression, skull-brain trauma, family history of dementia, low educational level and advanced age. Conclusions This study corroborates that dementia and Alzheimer's disease constitute an important and growing health problem for our country due to the accelerated aging of the Cuban population. It also underlines the importance of early diagnosis and proper treatment of hypertension and other vascular risk factors, as well as the need for a national public health program for the prevention and early diagnosis of dementia and Alzheimer's disease, targeting elderly and at-risk populations.