[Characteristics of pain and pain management in the elderly].

A COMMON SYMPTOM: Pain is a common and underestimated problem in older people who are likely to suffer from many acute and chronic conditions. DIFFICULT ASSESSMENT: Clinical assessment of pain often depends on the patient's ability to communicate his or her experience. If self-assessment of pain is not possible, behavioral hetero-evaluation instruments have been built for easy pain assessment by caregivers.

[Palliative care of the aged].

Palliative care is no longer limited to patients with terminal cancer but now includes other diseases at terminal stage such as advanced Alzheimer disease. Accompanying the elderly at the end of life involves medical, psychological and social approaches. The expression of symptoms, and especially that of pain, can be atypical.

Serum dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate levels as an individual marker.

To assess the significance of the serum dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate (DHEAS) concentration as a parameter of the individual hormonal milieu, two different groups of subjects were studied: DHEAS levels were determined 3 times at 6-month intervals in 47 elderly hospitalized women, aged 71-94 yr (group 1), and 6 times over 2 consecutive weeks in 10 healthy male volunteers, aged 24-30 yr (group 2). For reference, serum cortisol (F) levels were determined concomitantly. In each group and on each sampling occasion, the subjects were ranked according to their DHEAS or F values.

Dermatoglyphic patterns in dementia of the Alzheimer type: a case-control study.

Study Objective: The aim was to compare digital and palmar dermatoglyphics in subjects with dementia of Alzheimer type and in mentally healthy elderly controls.

Design: This design was a case-control study.

Setting: The study was carried out in geriatric units and retirement communities in the Paris area.

Effect of vitamin D3 administration on serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D3, 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3 and osteocalcin in vitamin D-deficient elderly people.

In elderly institutionalized people, confined to bedroom and receiving no vitamin D supplementation, the frequency of vitamin D deficiency is found very high. Systematic administration of vitamin D has, therefore, been proposed to correct vitamin D deficiency. Within this context, we studied 40 elderly institutionalized subjects (mean age 80.

[Resection of the prostate after 75 years].

The authors report a series of 100 endoscopic resections performed in patients over the age of 75 years. In patients with no risk factors, there was no mortality and the morbidity was 5%. In patients with one risk factor, mortality was 5% and morbidity was 10%.