Psychometric evaluation of a Spanish language version of the Screen for Caregiver Burden (SCB) in caregivers of patients with mixed, vascular and Alzheimer's dementia.

Aims And Objectives: To validate a Spanish language version of the Screen for Caregiver Burden, the full-length or long (25-item) and short (seven-item) versions in Mexican caregivers of patients with mixed, vascular and Alzheimer's dementia.

Background: Patients with dementia display impaired executive function and neuropsychiatric symptoms such as behavioural changes and sleep disturbances. These symptoms can make patients become more dependent.

[Hypoglycemia in the elderly with diabetes mellitus].

Aging is associated with an increasing prevalence of chronic diseases, including type 2 diabetes mellitus and its chronic and acute complications. With changes observed in diabetes mellitus treatment goals and the lower levels of glycosylated hemoglobin recommended, the prevalence of hypoglycemia especially in patients treated with insulin has increased. Aging and changes in the physiologic reserves generate a decreased perception of symptoms associated with hypoglycemia, increasing the risk of unawareness or severe episodes.

[Inflammaging. Aging inflammatory origin].

The association between the increase in life expectancy in humans and age-related changes in the immune system promotes that individuals are exposed longer to endogenous and environment antigens which allows an activation of the innate immune system and the subsequent establishment of a low grade chronic inflammation state with an increased expression of proinflammatory cytokines (tumor necrosis factor alpha, interleukin 6, etc.). This inflammatory state referred as inflammaging is characterized by a inflammatory origin of aging given by the activation of cellular systems responsible of gene promotion and suppression as the nuclear factor kappa B, sirtuins, forkhead box O and KLOTHO, who are directly or indirectly involved in cellular mechanisms of resistance to oxidative stress, apoptosis and nucleic acids transcriptional mistakes repair.

[Special considerations for patients over 60 years with asthma].

The population over 60 years is increasing because of the demographic transition, the aging of the human body and the changes on functional reserve make that the clinical manifestations are different and the tools used for diagnosis may not have the same sensitivity as in younger people. Asthma remains a prevalent disease in the elderly and compromises their functionality and independence. Aging produces that tools such as spirometry and challenge test with bronchodilator provide results than can't be evaluated with those parameters developed in younger people complicating the diagnosis of asthma in this population.