Ceramides and Phosphatidylcholines Associate with Cardiovascular Diseases in the Elderly.

Background: The ceramide- and phospholipid-based cardiovascular risk score (CERT2) has been found to predict the risk for cardiovascular disease (CVD) events, especially cardiovascular mortality. In the present study, our aim was to estimate the predictive ability of CERT2 for mortality of CVD, coronary artery disease (CAD), and stroke in the elderly and to compare these results with those of conventional lipids.

Methods: We conducted a prospective study with an 18-year follow-up period that included a total of 1260 participants ages ≥64 years.

Associations of sex hormone concentrations with health and life satisfaction in elderly men.

Objective: To analyze associations between sex hormone concentrations and self-rated health and life satisfaction, neuropsychiatric symptoms, or diagnosed depression or dementia in elderly men.

Methods: The study subjects were men from the community-based Lieto Study (N = 517). Subjects were excluded from the study if they were taking exogenous sex hormones or medication for prostate cancer or for benign prostatic hyperplasia or if data for calculating body mass index (BMI) were missing.

Associations of thyroid-stimulating hormone and free thyroxine concentrations with health and life satisfaction in elderly adults.

Objective: To analyze associations between thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) and free thyroxine (FT4 concentrations and life satisfaction, symptoms, self-rated health, and common neuropsychiatric diseases (depression or dementia) in a community-dwelling elderly population to provide evidence whether to decrease the upper reference limit for TSH or the optimal TSH target in levothyroxine treatment in older adults.

Methods: In this cross-sectional study, we determined TSH and FT4 concentrations in a thyroid disease-free population of 502 men (median age, 71 years) and 584 women (median age, 73 years) and in a patient group of 49 women (median age, 75 years) with primary hypothyroidism who were stable users of thyroxine treatment. Life satisfaction, self-rated health, depression, and dementia were assessed with specific questions and with tools such as the Self-report Depression Scale and the Mini-Mental State Examination.

Actual practice vs guidelines in laboratory monitoring of older patients with primary hypothyroidism in primary care.

Background And Aims: Clinical guidelines are produced in order to achieve an acceptable standard of care, especially for patients with common diseases in primary care. The treatment of primary hypothyroidism serves as an example of the content of clinical guidelines and actual practice. The aim of this study was to compare the follow-up of primary hypothyroidism by thyroid function tests, serum TSH and serum-free T4, in older patients managed in primary care, with recommendations in treatment guidelines and textbooks.

Sedative drug use in the home-dwelling elderly.

Background: The elderly use more sedatives than other populations. Reports on the sedative load of drugs and their associations with health items are scarce.

Objective: To investigate the prevalence of sedatives and drugs with sedative properties and the associations between those drugs and demographic or health items in the home-dwelling elderly in a cross-sectional community survey.

Undiagnosed diseases in patients with dementia--a potential target group for intervention.

Objective: To study undiagnosed diseases in older people with and without dementia.

Design: Cross-sectional population-based study in Lieto, southwestern Finland.

Participants: All the inhabitants aged 64 and more in Lieto.