The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) outbreak in Wuhan, China has spread rapidly, with confirmed cases currently appearing in multiple countries. Although many details, such as the source of the virus and its ability to spread between individuals, remain unknown, an increasing number of cases have been confirmed to have been caused by human-to-human transmission. 1,2 The primary symptoms of COVID-19 include fever, dry cough, and fatigue. 2 However, some physicians in affected areas have found that some patients diagnosed with COVID-19 have not shown typical respiratory symptoms, such as fever and coughing, at the time of diagnosis; rather, some infected patients have exhibited only neurological symptoms as the initial symptoms, such as the following: (1) headache, languidness, unstable walking, and malaise, which may be due to non-specific manifestations caused by COVID-19 (the proportion of non-specific manifestations as the first symptoms needs to be further explored); (2) cerebral hemorrhage; (3) cerebral infarction; and (4) other neurological diseases. In a recent study of 214 patients with COVID-19, 78 (36.4%) patients had neurological manifestations, such as headache, dizziness, acute cerebrovascular diseases, and impaired consciousness. 3 Of these 214 patients, 40 (18.7%) patients required intensive care unit (ICU) interventions for their severe neurological involvement. 3 Currently, although there have been many cases of patients with COVID-19 complicated by cerebral hemorrhages, relevant studies on this association are lacking. Hence, the physiological relationship between COVID-19 and the incidence of cerebral hemorrhage remains unclear. Based on several lines of evidence, we hypothesize that COVID-19 may involve cranial hemorrhage. First, recent studies have shown that this novel severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) coronavirus, SARS-CoV-2, invades human respiratory

Objective To investigate the prevalence and associated factors of poor sleep quality among community-dwelling elderly population in a rural area of Northern China. Methods We conducted a cross-sectional survey in August-December 2014 and recruited 2195 participants who were aged 65 years or older and living in Yanlou Town of Yanggu County in western Shandong Province, China. Data on demographics, health-related behaviors, and clinical conditions were collected through structured interviews. The Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) was used to assess the sleep quality and patterns. Poor sleep quality was defined as a PSQI score > 7. We employed multiple logistic models to relate poor sleep quality to various factors. Results The overall prevalence rates of poor sleep quality were 33.8% in the total sample, 39.2% in women and 26.3% in men (P < 0.01). The most common abnormal sleep domains were prolonged sleep latency (39.7%), decreased sleep duration (31.0%), and reduced habitual sleep efficiency (28.8%). Multiple logistic regression analyses revealed that poor sleep quality was significantly associated with female sex (OR = 1.76, 95% CI 1.46-2.12) and clinical comorbidities such as hypertension (OR = 1.28, 95% CI 1.06-1.54), coronary heart disease (OR = 1.60, 95% CI 1.27-2.00), and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (OR = 1.82, 95% CI 1.34-2.49). Conclusions The sleep disorders were highly prevalent among the elderly in rural China. Modifiable risk factors such as cardiometabolic risk factors and disorders were associated with poor sleep quality, which might be potential targets for interventions to improve sleep quality in elderly population.

BackgroundThe burden of chronic diseases in China is substantial now. Data on patterns of chronic diseases and multimorbidity among older adults, especially among those living in rural areas, are sparse.ObjectiveWe aim to investigate the prevalence and patterns of chronic disease pairs and multimorbidity in elderly people living in rural China.MethodsThis population-based study included 1480 adults aged 60 years and over (mean age 68.5 years, 59.4% women) living in a rural community. Data were derived from the Confucius Hometown Aging Project in Shandong, China (June 2010-July 2011). Chronic diseases were diagnosed through face-to-face interviews, clinical examinations, and laboratory tests. Patterns of chronic disease pairs and multimorbidity were explored using logistic regression and exploratory factor analyses.ResultsThe prevalence of individual chronic diseases ranged from 3.0% for tumor to 76.4% for hypertension, and each disease was often accompanied with three or more other chronic diseases. The observed prevalence of pairs of chronic conditions exceeded the expected prevalence for several conditions, such as cardiovascular diseases and metabolic disorders, as well as pulmonary diseases and degenerative disorders. Chronic multimorbidity (≥2 chronic diseases) affected more than 90% of subjects, and two patterns of chronic multimorbidity were identified: cardiopulmonary-mental-degenerative disorder pattern (overall prevalence, 58.2%), and cerebrovascular-metabolic disorder pattern (62.6%). Prevalence of the cardiopulmonary-mental-degenerative disorder pattern increased with age, and was higher in men than women; whereas prevalence of the cerebrovascular-metabolic disorder pattern was higher in women than in men but did not vary by age.ConclusionChronic multimorbidity was highly prevalent among older Chinese adults living in rural areas, and there were specific patterns of the co-occurrence of chronic diseases. Effort is needed to identify possible preventative strategies based on the potential clustering of chronic diseases.

ObjectivesEpidemiological data concerning atherosclerotic disease among older people in rural China are sparse. We seek to determine prevalence and cardiovascular risk factor profiles for peripheral artery disease (PAD) and carotid atherosclerosis (CAS) among Chinese older people living in a rural community.MethodsThis cross-sectional study included 1499 participants (age ≥60 years, 59.0% women) of the Confucius Hometown Aging Project in Shandong, China. From June 2010–July 2011, data were collected through interviews, clinical examinations, and laboratory tests. PAD was defined as an ankle-brachial index ≤0.9. Carotid intima-media thickness (cIMT) and carotid artery stenosis were assessed by ultrasonography. We defined moderate stenosis as carotid stenosis ≥50%, and severe stenosis as carotid stenosis ≥70%. cIMT≥1.81 mm was considered as an increased cIMT (a measure of CAS). Data were analyzed with multiple logistic models.ResultsThe prevalence was 5.7% for PAD, 8.9% for moderate stenosis, 1.8% for severe stenosis, and 11.2% for increased cIMT. After controlling for multiple potential confounders, diabetes, an increased low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C)/high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) ratio, and hypertension were significantly or marginally associated with PAD. Ever smoking, hypertension, and an increased LDL-C/HDL-C ratio were significantly associated with an increased likelihood of increased cIMT. An increasing number of those cardiovascular risk factors were significantly associated with an increasing odds ratio of PAD and increased cIMT, respectively (p for linear trend <0.001).ConclusionAmong Chinese older people living in a rural community, PAD, carotid artery stenosis, and an increased cIMT are relatively uncommon. Cardiovascular risk factor profiles for PAD and CAS are slightly different, with hypertension and an increased LDL-C/HDL-C ratio being associated with an increased likelihood of both PAD and increased cIMT.

Daily tea consumption is associated with a lower likelihood of depressive symptoms in Chinese older people living in a rural community. The association appears to be independent of cerebrovascular disease and atherosclerosis.