Association between instrumental activities of daily living frequency and clinical outcomes in older patients with cardiovascular disease.

AIMS: Impairment in activities of daily living (ADL) is an independent predictor of poor prognosis in older patients. Nevertheless, the effects of instrumental ADL (IADL) frequency on prognosis in older patients with cardiovascular disease (CVD) are unclear. We investigate the associations between IADL frequency and all-cause mortality and hospital readmission due to cardiovascular events in older patients with CVD. METHODS AND RESULTS: A total of 638 consecutive outpatients ≥65 years old with CVD were enrolled. A questionnaire, including Frenchay Activities Index (FAI) parameters, was used to determine IADL frequency at the start of the study as the baseline observation. The primary endpoint was all-cause mortality, and the secondary endpoint was readmission for cardiovascular events. We examined the relationship between IADL frequency and each endpoint. Among the 632 patients evaluated {median age 74.0 [interquartile range (IQR) 70.0-78.0] years; 439 males}, there were 39 deaths and 105 cardiovascular events during the median follow-up period of 4.0 (IQR, 2.3-4.0) years. After adjusting for clinical confounding factors, the hazard ratios for all-cause mortality and cardiovascular events in the FAI points were 0.957 [95% confidence interval (CI), 0.920-0.996] and 0.973 (95% CI, 0.950-0.997), respectively. CONCLUSION: A higher IADL frequency was independently associated with better outcomes in older patients with CVD, suggesting that the preservation of instrumental activities should be focused on as the components of cardiovascular rehabilitation.

Association between instrumental activities of daily living with the change in left ventricular function in older patients with cardiovascular disease.

Left ventricular dysfunction is a pathophysiologic characteristic of heart failure. Impaired instrumental activities of daily living are associated with an elevated risk of mortality and heart failure in older adults. Nevertheless, the relationship between these activities and left ventricular function changes remains unclear. We determined whether instrumental activities of daily living are associated with subsequent left ventricular function changes in older cardiovascular disease patients. This retrospective cohort study included 383 outpatients with cardiovascular disease (74.5 ± 5.3 years, 273 males). Patients were divided according to the Frenchay activities index tertile and followed for six months after cardiovascular disease diagnosis. The left ventricular ejection fraction and annular early diastolic velocity (e') were measured for left ventricular systolic and diastolic function, respectively, at baseline and after one year. After adjusting for confounders, changes in the left ventricular ejection fraction were not significantly different. However, changes in the e' in the highest tertile group were significantly greater than in other groups. In the general linear model with multiple regression analysis, Frenchay activities index independently predicted the absolute change in the e'. In older cardiovascular disease patients, higher instrumental activities of daily living were associated with preserved left ventricular relaxation.

Effect of cardiac rehabilitation on cognitive function in elderly patients with cardiovascular diseases.

BACKGROUND: Cognitive function is an important factor for secondary prevention in elderly patients with cardiovascular diseases. The objective of this study was to evaluate the impact of cardiac rehabilitation (CR) on the improvement of cognitive function. METHODS: A total of 66 consecutive elderly patients (≥70 years old) with cardiovascular diseases were prospectively enrolled. The change in cognitive function during 6 months was compared between the patients with monthly CR (at least once per month; n = 27) and those without monthly CR (n = 39). Cognitive function was evaluated using the Mini-mental State Examination (MMSE) and Frontal Assessment Battery (FAB). RESULTS: There was no significant difference in baseline characteristics between the 2 groups. The change in the MMSE score was significantly greater in patients with monthly CR than in those without monthly CR (2.3 ± 0.4 vs. -0.1 ± 0.3 points; p <0.001). Among the MMSE items, the change in temporal orientation and attention and calculation was significantly greater in the monthly CR group than in the non-monthly CR group (0.8 ± 0.7 vs. -0.1 ± 0.8 points [p <0.001] and 1.0 ± 1.5 vs. -0.1 ± 0.1 points [p <0.001], respectively). The general linear model revealed that monthly CR (effect estimate, 1.455; 95% confidence interval, 0.747-2.163; p <0.001) was independently associated with the change in the MMSE score. CONCLUSIONS: Cognitive function may improve with regular CR. These results might partly explain the efficacy of CR for secondary prevention.

Acute Effects of Whole-Body Vibration Training on Endothelial Function and Cardiovascular Response in Elderly Patients with Cardiovascular Disease.

The aim of this single-arm pilot study was to determine the effects of whole-body vibration training (WBVT) on endothelial function in elderly patients with cardiovascular diseases, as well as its safety. A total of 20 elderly patients with stable cardiovascular diseases underwent WBVT, which consisted of five static resistance training exercises (squats, wide stance squats, toe-stands, squats + band, and front lunges). The parameters of WBVT included vertical vibrations, 30 Hz frequency, and a 3-mm peak-to-peak amplitude. Each vibration session lasted 30 seconds, with 120 seconds of rest between sessions. Before and after WBVT, the reactive hyperemia peripheral arterial tonometry index (RH-PAT index) and transcutaneous oxygen pressure (tcPO2) were recorded as a measure of endothelial function and peripheral blood circulation. Systolic blood pressure, diastolic blood pressure, heart rate, and arterial oxygen saturation of pulse oximetry (SpO2) were measured at each rest interval as well as before and after WBVT. All patients completed our WBVT protocol without adverse events. The RH-PAT index significantly increased following WBVT (1.42 to 2.06, P < 0.001). There were no significant changes in heart rate (P = 0.777), systolic blood pressure (P = 0.183), diastolic blood pressure (P = 0.925), or SpO2 (P = 0.248) during WBVT. In conclusion, we demonstrated the acute effects of WBVT on endothelial function, with no reports of adverse events. These findings support the need for further randomized controlled studies to investigate the long-term effects of WBVT.

Endothelial Dysfunction Is Associated with Cognitive Impairment of Elderly Cardiovascular Disease Patients.

Cognitive impairment is frequently represented in elderly patients with cardiovascular disease (CVD); yet, the mechanism is uncertain. Recent studies have suggested the association between the vascular endothelial dysfunction and cognitive impairment. The aim of this study was to clarify the association between endothelial dysfunction and cognitive impairment in elderly patients with CVD.A total of 80 elderly patients (> 70 years old) with CVD were included. Patients who had already pharmacologically intervened for cognitive impairment were excluded. The endothelial dysfunction was assessed by the reactive hyperemia-peripheral arterial tonometry (RH-PAT). Cognitive impairment was diagnosed by the Mini-mental state examination.The RH-PAT index was significantly lower in cognitive impairment (median 1.60 [interquartile range (IQR) 1.34 to 1.89], n = 51) as compared with non-cognitive impairment (median 1.75 [IQR 1.55 to 2.30], n = 29, P = 0.005). By a multivariate analysis, the RH-PAT index was independently associated with cognitive impairment (odds ratio: 0.89; 95% confidence interval: 0.81 to 0.97; per 0.1, P = 0.044). In the receiver-operating characteristic analysis, the best cut-off of the RH-PAT index to identify cognitive impairment was 1.65 (area under the curve 0.67; P = 0.011) with limited the sensitivity (63%) and specificity (66%).A lower RH-PAT index was significantly associated with the presence of cognitive impairment in elderly CVD patients. Further studies are required to clarify the mechanism and the causal relationship between the endothelial dysfunction and cognitive impairment in patients with CVD.

Quality of life, knee function, and physical activity in Japanese elderly women with early-stage knee osteoarthritis.

PURPOSE: To compare quality of life, knee function, and physical activity in 33 elderly women with or without early-stage knee osteoarthritis (OA). METHODS: 33 Japanese elderly women (mean age, 66 years) with (n=18) or without (n=15) early-stage knee OA symptoms (knee pain and decreased range of motion [ROM]) were recruited. The height, weight, and body mass index, disease severity, quality of life (according to the Japanese Knee Osteoarthritis Measure [JKOM]), knee function (knee extension strength, ROM, 10-m gait time), and the amount of physical activity (net energy expenditure and step count) of the 2 groups were compared. RESULTS: The 2 patient groups did not differ significantly with respect to mean patient age, height, and body mass index, except for weight. Regarding knee function, mean knee extension strength, ROM (extension but not flexion), and 10-m gait speed (comfortable and maximum) were significantly inferior in patients with knee OA than in controls. Regarding the mean amount of physical activity undertaken, patients with knee OA did not differ significantly from controls with respect to net energy expenditure (179 vs. 212 Kcal/day) and step count (8016 vs. 9729 steps/day). Net energy expenditure (r= -0.65, p=0.04) and step count (r= -0.62, p=0.02) correlated negatively with JKOM scores in patients with knee OA but not in the controls. CONCLUSION: In Japanese elderly women with knee OA, quality of life (JKOM scores) correlated negatively with physical activity (net energy expenditure and step count). The 2 groups undertook similar amounts of physical activity, although those with knee OA exhibited less knee extension strength. Decreased knee extension strength coupled with high levels of physical activity may exacerbate the development of knee OA.