Association between Knee Osteoarthritis and Metabolic Syndrome in Non-Institutionalized Elderly Patients.

 This study aimed to analyze the association between knee osteoarthritis (OA) and metabolic syndrome (MS) in non-institutionalized elderly patients.  A cross-sectional, randomized study, drawn from a probabilistic cluster study conducted with 416 elderly people from a Family Health Unit (USF, in the Portuguese acronym) of our municipality. Metabolic syndrome was defined according to the National Cholesterol Education Program Adult Treatment Panel III (NCEP-ATP III), and OA according to the Kellgren-Lawrence (KL) scale (≥ 2).

Body composition as a frailty marker for the elderly community.

Background: Body composition (BC) in the elderly has been associated with diseases and mortality; however, there is a shortage of data on frailty in the elderly.

Objective: To investigate the association between BC and frailty, and identify BC profiles in nonfrail, prefrail, and frail elderly people.

Methods: A cross-sectional study comprising 235 elderly (142 females and 93 males) aged ≥65 years, from the city of Amparo, State of São Paulo, Brazil, was undertaken.

Mortality in Brazilian community-dwelling older adults: 7 years of follow up in primary care.

Aim: To describe the main causes and factors associated with mortality in community-dwelling older adults in a county where the public health system covers most of the population.

Methods: We analyzed data from an existing cross-sectional study of 2209 participants (age ≥60 years) in a city in southeast Brazil where 92% of the population is served by a public system of primary care. Over a period of 7 years, 386 participants died and were included in the sample.

Impact of rheumatic diseases and chronic joint symptoms on quality of life in the elderly.

Musculoskeletal disorders are the major causes of the pain in the elderly population. Rheumatic conditions restrict participation in activities and mobility, as well as cause difficulties in the execution of self-care tasks. The assessment of health related quality of life (HRQOL) is an important indicator of the impact of rheumatic diseases on the physical, mental and social aspects.