The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of balance disorders; the effects of sociodemographic, medical, and social conditions on postural balance; and the relationship between balance and falls in elderly individuals. The study design was cross-sectional. A total of 607 community-dwelling elderly individuals with a mean age of 73.99 ± 6.6 years were enrolled after being selected by stratified random sampling. The study was performed as a face-to-face survey in the homes of elderly individuals. Sociodemographic and medical data were obtained from elderly individuals using the Elderly Identification Form. Balance disorders were determined using the Berg Balance Scale (BBS). In this study, the prevalence of balance disorders was found to be 34.3% in the community-dwelling elderly. Older age, physical disability, having four or more chronic illnesses, the presence of incontinence, having a history of falls, not walking regularly, absence of free time activity, and obesity were found to be associated with an increased prevalence of balance disorders. Balance disorders are commonly seen in the elderly and may be triggered by a variety of biological and social factors. It is crucial to develop and implement national health and social policies to eliminate the causes of this problem, as well as to prioritize preventive health services in the ever-increasing elderly population.

No abstract

Aim: Sarcopenia as a geriatric syndrome decreases quality of life and increases functional dependency, hospitalization and mortality. The aim of this study is to investigate the prevalence of sarcopenia among community-dwelling people aged 65 years and older in Muş province and to examine its effects on quality of life. Materials and Methods: In this study we have interviewed 371 community-dwelling older adults. A total of 186 older adults from the rural area and 185 older adults from Muş city center were enrolled in the study. Data was collected through face-to-face interviews conducted in the participants' homes by trained researchers. The presence of sarcopenia, socio-demographic characteristics (place of residence, gender, age), presence of chronic diseases, polypharmacy, body mass index, and quality of life with Short Form-36 were determined. Muscle mass, handgrip strength and gait speed were determined for defining sarcopenia. Results: The mean age of participants was 72.3 ± 6.8 years (65-100) and 46.1% of them were females. The prevalence of sarcopenia was 11.8% among older people residing in the rural area whereas the prevalence was 21.6% among older individuals living in the city center (p = 0.012). Sarcopenic patients were older, more underweight, hypertensive, and had lower calf circumference, gait speed, and grip strength in males than non-sarcopenic patients (p <0.0001, p <0.0001, p = 0.005, p <0.0001, p = 0.001, p <0.0001, respectively). There were important distinction between sarcopenic individuals and non-sarcopenic individuals in terms of physical function, physical role weakness and emotional role weakness (p = 0.021, p = 0.006 and p = 0.009, respectively). Conclusion: Sarcopenia is very common among older adults, especially in the city center, and the presence of sarcopenia has detrimental effects on the quality of life.

Denosumab is a relatively new medicine that has become the second option in the treatment of biphosphonate-resistant or intolerant osteoporosis. Subcutaneous injection with 6-month intervals, approval of its usage in stage 3-4 CKD and not having gastrointestinal side effects are advantages of denosumab. However, it has some disadvantages like requiring monitoring serum levels of calcium and vitamin D before each injection.

Yaşla birlikte epigastrik şikâyetler daha yaygın görülmekte ve bu nedenle proton pompası inhibitörlerine (PPİ) yaşlılarda daha sık başvurulmaktadır. PPİ tedavisi, zararsız olduğu yönündeki algı nedeniyle uygunsuz doz ve sürede kullanılmaktadır. Uzun süre PPI kullanımına bağlı ortaya çıkan sık yan etkiler; enfeksiyonlar (Clostridium difficile enteriti, mikroskobik kolit, toplum kaynaklı pnömoni), sindirim ve emilim bozuklukları (vitamin B12, demir, kalsiyum eksiklikleri, hipofosfatemi, hipomagnezemi), kemik kırıkları, akut interstisyel nefrit, demans, kronik böbrek yetmezliğidir. Bu olguda kronik PPİ kullanımının nadir görülen yan etkilerinden biri olan nöroendokrin tümör sunularak uygunsuz ilaç kullanımının sonuçlarına dikkat çekilmek istenmiştir.