Vitamin D deficiency is a common health problem worldwide, in particular among older people. Vitamin D regulates and modulates the physiology and function of multiple human systems, including the skeletal muscle. The effect of vitamin D on the muscle has been widely investigated, suggesting that this hormone can stimulate the proliferation and differentiation of skeletal muscle fibers, maintaining and improving muscle strength and physical performance. Older persons have a higher prevalence of low Vitamin D levels as a consequence of low dietary intake and reduced ultraviolet irradiation of the skin. Therefore, older people with vitamin D deficiency might be at risk of sarcopenia, a geriatric syndrome characterized by the progressive loss of skeletal muscle mass and strength often complicated by adverse events, such as falls, disability hospitalization and death. Several randomized clinical trials have been conducted to investigate the effect of oral vitamin D supplementation in older patients to prevent or treat sarcopenia, but results are still controversial. In this narrative review we summarize the biological, clinical and epidemiological evidence supporting the hypothesis of a causal association between Vitamin D deficiency and an increased risk of sarcopenia in older people.

Background QuickSOFA, a prognostic score proposed for patients with infection, has shown a poor predictive value in the geriatric population, probably because of the inappropriateness of the Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) in assessing acute alteration of mental status in older patients. Indeed, the GCS might result chronically low in older patient with pre-existing cognitive disorders. The aim of this study was to develop an alternative quickSOFA (geriatric-quickSOFA), using the presence of delirium, assessed according to DSM-5 criteria, instead of GCS assessment, to predict mortality in hospitalized older patients with sepsis. Methods Retrospective observational study in Acute Geriatrics Unit of St. Anna Hospital of Ferrara (Italy). The study enrolled 165 patients hospitalized between 2017 and 2018 with diagnosis of sepsis or septic shock. Demographic, clinical data and 30-day survival were collected for each patient. Based on arterial blood pressure, respiratory rate, and the presence of delirium, geriatric-quickSOFA was calculated at admission. Primary outcome was 30-day mortality. Results One hundred sixty-five patients were enrolled with a median age of 88 years; 60.6% were men. High quickSOFA score was not significantly correlated neither with in-hospital nor 30-day mortality. High geriatric-qSOFA score was significantly related to both in-hospital (13.3%vs 51.5%, p = 0.0003) and 30-day mortality (30.0%vs 84.3%, p < 0.00001). Conclusion Geriatric-quickSOFA is significantly associate with short-term mortality risk in older patients with sepsis. Geriatric quickSOFA seems to represent a more suitable and useful predictive tool than the traditional quickSOFA in the geriatric population.

Key summary points Aim To comparatively assess the clinical profiles of older patients treated with trazodone or other antidepressants in a large dataset from the GeroCovid Observational multiscope and multisetting study. Findings 10.8% out of 3396 persons included used trazodone and the 8.5% other antidepressants; the use of trazodone was highly prevalent in functionally dependent and comorbid older adults admitted to long-term care facilities or living at home. Conditions associated with trazodone use included depression, dementia and behavioral and psychological symptoms of dementia. Message The present data suggest an off-label use of trazodone as a possible therapeutic option in the challenging field of behavioral and psychological disturbances in older adults with dementia.

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