Impact of type 2 diabetes mellitus and physical activity on medication costs in older adults.

INTRODUCTION: The high prevalence of diabetes mellitus leads to high costs of medication for treatment and the practice of physical activity, as well as reducing the risks of diabetes mellitus is able to substantially mitigate costs. To investigate the impact of diabetes mellitus on costs of medication and identify whether physical activity can influence the relationship between diabetes mellitus and costs of medication. METHODS: The sample consisted of adults enrolled in five basic healthcare units. The presence of diabetes mellitus and habitual physical activity were assessed by a questionnaire, the quantity of medication used was evaluated according to the medical records, and medication costs, through receipts. FINDINGS: Individuals with diabetes mellitus from baseline presented higher body weight (P value = .001) and lower levels of physical activity (P value = .014). The presence of diabetes mellitus was positively related to costs of medication for diseases of the circulatory system (ß = 4.89), endocrine, nutritional, and metabolic diseases (ß = 109.72), and total costs of medication (ß = 113.41). The impact of diabetes mellitus was attenuated by physical activity. CONCLUSION: It was identified that diabetes mellitus has a significant impact on public costs with medication, and physical activity was effective in reducing health costs independently of diabetes mellitus by less than 1%.

PARKINSON'S DISEASE PATIENTS WITH DOMINANT HEMIBODY AFFECTED BY THE DISEASE RELY MORE ON VISION TO MAINTAIN UPRIGHT POSTURAL CONTROL.

This study assesses the association between disease onset side (dominant or non-dominant) and vision on postural control of Parkinson's disease patients. Patient volunteers composed two groups, according to the onset side affected: Dominant group (n=9; M age=66.1 yr., SD=7.2; 6 women, 3 men) and Non-dominant group (n=9; M age=67.4 yr., SD=6.4; 6 women, 3 men). The groups' postural control was assessed by posturography during quiet upright stance in two conditions, Eyes open and Eyes closed. Two-way analyses of variance (ANOVAs; group×condition) with repeated measures for the second factor assessed the differences associated with affected hemibody and vision on postural control. Analyses indicated that patients with the dominant side affected also presented significantly greater variation in center of pressure than those with the non-dominant side affected, mainly in the Eyes closed condition. The results demonstrate a higher reliance on vision in the dominant side, possibly to compensate somatosensory system impairments. These results also highlight the importance of analyzing the hemibody affected by the disease when postural control is assessed in this population.