Association between malnutrition and depression in elderly people in Razavi Khorasan: a population based-study in Iran

To determine the prevalence of malnutrition and depression in free-living elderly people and their relationships [If any] in Razavi Khorasan, Iran 2007. To evaluate nutritional status, we used Mini Nutritional Assessment [MNA] method in free-living elderly people [n=1565 using cluster sampling, 720 males and 845 females, aged>/= 60 yr] and their relationship to Socio Economic Conditions [SECs]. Based on the final scores, our patients were classified into three groups: score 17-23.5 [at risk for malnutrition], score less than 17 [with malnutrition], and score 24-30 [well nourished]. To determine the mood status [here depression], we used Geriatric Depression Score [GDS]. According to this score our participants turned out to be in two distinct groups: depressed [score >/=8] and non-depressed [score< 8]. From the total subjects entered the study [1495], 22.07% were depressed and 11.5% and 44% were malnourished or at risk of malnutrition respectively. In depressed group, the prevalence of malnutrition was 14.5% [48 out of 330] and the prevalence of "at risk of malnutrition" was 45.8%, whereas the prevalence of malnutrition and at risk of malnutrition in non-depressed population were 10.6% and 43.3% respectively. From the aforementioned information we have concluded that there is a significant statistical difference between the prevalence of malnutrition in depressed and non-depressed individuals [P= 0.047]. With respect to the high rate of vegetative symptoms in elderly depressed individuals, malnutrition would have a higher prevalence in the depressed people

Neuropsychiatric manifestations in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus

Systemic Lupus Erythematosus [SLE] is an autoimmune disease with unknown etiology. It can cause diverse clinical manifestations. Neuropsychiatric [NP] features may appear as the main signs and symptoms of the disease while they can be extremely severe in nature. Since the NP conditions are almost always very important, early diagnosis and aggressive treatment is mandatory. This study was aimed to evaluate the NP manifestations of SLE. This was a descriptive prospective study conducted from 2002 to 2004 at Ghaeni Hospital, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences. Patients, involved in SLE according to American College of Rheumatology [ACR] criteria, entered the study. A neurologist examined all the patients clinically while paraclinical assessments were carried out in parallel when required. All the data were gathered in prepared questionnaires and analyzed statistically. From 88 examined SLE patients, 27 had NP-SLE [30.6%]. The mean age in this group was 25 years. The mean time between the beginning of the disease and the occurrence of the NP manifestations was 2.1 years. Central Nervous System [CNS] and Peripheral Nervous System [PNS] involvements were seen in 88.9% and 29.6% respectively. Cognitive dysfunction [55.5%], among all other NP features, was the most prevalent, and seizure with 37% was the second common manifestation. NP involvement of SLE patients usually occurs in young individuals. CNS involvement [most frequently seizure and psychosis] was more common than the PNS involvement. In our study, cognitive disorders were the most widespread features, which is compatible to the results of other similar studies. The vast variety of neuropsychiatric manifestations and their effects on the prognosis of the underlying disease, necessitate routine complete neurologic examinations as soon as the diagnosis is confirmed