Nocturia is an important risk factor for falls in ambulatory elderly persons. Preventive measures should be taken to decrease nocturia events and to decrease the risk of falling during these nocturia events.

Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) scores were studied in an ambulatory elderly population to identify correlates with self-reported signs, symptoms, diseases, drugs and laboratory values. A total of 1,264 subjects were studied including 844 women and 420 men. In this study, 5.0% of men and 5.3% of women scored less than 24 on the MMSE. A linear-regression model revealed eleven factors of significance in predicting scores on the MMSE. The most important predictors were age (p < 0.0001), self-reported memory loss (p < 0.0001), complaints of swollen feet or ankles (p < 0.0010), the total number of diseases reported (0.0006) and the serum lactate dehydrogenase concentration (p < 0.0098). Results suggest that cognitive function in the elderly is not related to the general level of health or consistently affected by specific disease states.

No abstract

SYNOPSIS Information on the prevalence of headache in an ambulatory elderly population was collected from 1,284 participants in a health screening program in Dunedin, Florida. Association between headache and possible risk factors including age, sex, reported symptoms and diseases, drug use, physical characteristics, and sleep patterns were studied. Eleven percent of women and 5 percent of men reported frequent headaches. There was no relationship between age and reported headache in this elderly population. The most commonly reported positions for headache were frontal (35.2 percent) and all over (29.7 percent). In women there was a significant correlation between headache and the total number of other diseases and symptoms reported (p<0.0001). However, in men, there was no such correlation. Numerous specific symptoms were found to be associated with headache in women including: temporary loss of vision, expressive aphasia, and feeling that others do not care. In men, headache was significantly correlated only with paroxysmal nocturnal dyspnea, feeling lonely, and feeling depressed, Subjects who slept less than seven hours a day reported a greater prevalence of headache (13.5 percent) than those who slept more than seven hours (8.1 percent) (p<0.01). There was no correlation of headache with systolic or diastolic blood pressure, coffee, alcohol or tobacco use, or the amount of time spent watching television. Elderly headache sufferers, in summary, often have other conditions coexisting with and/or contributing to the headaches. Some of these conditions may respond to psychological or medical intervention.

Supplemental zinc intake by an ambulatory elderly population was examined. Health questionnaire, electrocardiogram, laboratory, and medication use data from a geriatric health screening program were compared for 69 participants who were taking zinc supplements and 1,832 participants who were not taking zinc supplements during 1985. A major purpose of this study was to evaluate whether ingestion of zinc supplements by elderly persons is a risk factor for development of cardiovascular disease. No association between zinc supplementation and increased risk of developing cardiovascular disease was found for the indices examined. More information is needed to resolve the question of whether or not zinc supplementation is a risk factor for the development of cardiovascular disease. It is important that elderly persons be provided information to evaluate the possible risk versus benefit of taking zinc supplements.