RESUMO
Background: fear of falling is common among elderly faller and it has been associated with impaired mobility and decreased functional status. As a result, older adults who have fallen are at greater risk of becoming institutionalized regardless of whether they have experienced an injurious fall
Objectives: the aim of the study is to assess the prevalence of fear of falls in elderly in geriatric home and in community dwelling elderly
Subjects and Methods:Design: A comparative study
Participants: 100 resident in nursing homes in Cairo and another 100 in community
Measurements: comprehensive geriatric assessment [CGA] including Minimental status examination [MMSE-30], Geriatric Depression scale [GDS-15], Mininutritional assessment [MNA], time up and go test [TUGT], activity of daily living [ADL], instrumental activity of daily living [IADl], Single item question ''are you afraid of falling?''
Results: the study showed that the prevalence of fear of falls in elderly living in nursing homes in Cairo is higher than others living in community, also showed that a higher percentage of environmental factors of falling among elderly in nursing homes compared to community, higher percentage of elderly with risk of fall living in nursing homes
Conclusion: prevalence of fear of falls is higher in elderly living in nursing homes in Cairo than others living in community
RESUMO
BACKGROUND: Low circulating prolactin hormone was associated with increased risk for type 2 diabetes mellitus. An inverse association of serum prolactin with cardiac remodeling was also previously suggested. Thus, the first question arises whether low serum prolactin is associated with adverse cardiac remodeling in subjects with prediabetes and if so what the impact of gender is? Second, could serum prolactin be considered a predictor of cardiac morbidity in those subjects? This study was conducted to assess prolactin level variations in relation to echocardiographic indices of cardiac remodeling among adult men and women with prediabetes. METHODS: This cross sectional study enrolled 80 subjects with prediabetic; 40 men and 40 women. Anthropometric measurements, plasma glucose, lipid profile, homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance, white blood cells count, prolactin and echocardiography were assessed. RESULTS: Prolactin was significantly lower in men than in women with prediabetes. Left ventricular mass (LVM) was significantly higher in men than in women with prediabetes. The proportion of left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH) in men with prediabetes was 45% compared with 22.5% in women (P=0.03). We also found inverse independent associations of serum prolactin with LVM and LVH in men, but not in women. CONCLUSION: In prediabetes, physiologically low serum prolactin is an independent predictor of increased LVM and LVH in adult men, but not in women. Prolactin may be a potential diagnostic biomarker for cardiac remodeling in adult men with prediabetes.