ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: Although it has been recommended that women aged 65 and older consume at least 1,500 mg of calcium daily, no studies are available that define the factors associated with adequate intake. METHODS: We studied 184 elderly women to determine the relationship between foodstuff calcium consumption and anthropomorphic measurements and numerous life-style changes. RESULTS: The mean foodstuff calcium consumption was 563.4 mg/day, with significantly higher intake noted in women who snacked daily, did not skip meals, drank one or more servings of milk daily, and ate yogurt daily. Dietary calcium intake was also dependent on socioeconomic status and personal attitudes toward milk. CONCLUSIONS: All elderly women in this study underachieved the recommended dietary calcium intake of 1,500 mg/day. Widescale public education to promote more positive attitudes among elderly women is crucial. The evidence from this study recommends calcium supplements with vitamin D for virtually all elderly women.
Subject(s)
Calcium, Dietary/administration & dosage , Diet Records , Aged , Aged, 80 and over , Anthropometry , Appalachian Region , Diet Surveys , Educational Status , Female , Humans , Life Style , Social Class , Surveys and QuestionnairesSubject(s)
Anti-Inflammatory Agents, Non-Steroidal/adverse effects , Diuresis/drug effects , Isoenzymes/antagonists & inhibitors , Kidney/drug effects , Sulfonamides/adverse effects , Burns, Chemical/complications , Celecoxib , Cyclooxygenase 2 , Female , Humans , Kidney/physiopathology , Membrane Proteins , Middle Aged , Pain/drug therapy , Pleural Effusion/etiology , Pleural Effusion/therapy , Prostaglandin-Endoperoxide Synthases , Pyrazoles , RecurrenceABSTRACT
Remitting seronegative symmetrical synovitis with pitting edema is a clinical entity distinct from polymyalgia rheumatica arthritis appearing in elderly patients. Distal pitting edema and tenosynovitis of the digitorum tendons are characteristically seen in this disorder. In contrast to polymyalgia rheumatica and rheumatoid arthritis, treatment with low-dose glucocorticoids usually produces a prompt and enduring remission after several months. Follow-up evaluations are necessary not only to assure this diagnosis is posterior, but also to observe for the possible occurrence of associated neoplasms.
Subject(s)
Edema/diagnosis , Tenosynovitis/diagnosis , Aged , Aged, 80 and over , Anti-Inflammatory Agents/therapeutic use , Edema/drug therapy , Female , Humans , Prednisone/therapeutic use , Syndrome , Tenosynovitis/drug therapyABSTRACT
Fracture of the hip is a serious and frequent problem in elderly women, often resulting in a considerable loss of function and an increased mortality long after the initial episode. By reviewing medical records coded for fracture of the proximal femur, we determined the incidence of hip fracture and the in-hospital outcomes for women ages 50 and older in Kanawha County during 1995-96. Additionally, we estimated from existing sources the potentially treatable risk factors for prevention of this malady. Our discharge outcomes showed that ambulation status, discharge to home and the mortality rate were similar to national averages; however, the incidence of hip fracture in our subjects was higher than in the most age-specific groups. Physical inactivity, impaired vision, falls, smoking, alcohol intake and a low bone mineral density were identified in our area as significantly prevalent and potentially treatable risk factors. Although hip-fracture prevention can be approached by the individual health care practitioner, community-based programs would appear to be more practical; however, little evidence currently exists to support this type of large scale intervention.
Subject(s)
Hip Fractures , Activities of Daily Living , Aged , Female , Hip Fractures/epidemiology , Hip Fractures/prevention & control , Humans , Incidence , Middle Aged , Risk Factors , West Virginia/epidemiologySubject(s)
Gout/complications , Paraplegia/etiology , Spinal Cord Compression/etiology , Spinal Diseases/complications , Female , Gout/diagnostic imaging , Humans , Middle Aged , Spinal Cord Compression/diagnostic imaging , Spinal Diseases/diagnostic imaging , Spine/diagnostic imaging , Tomography, X-Ray ComputedABSTRACT
Osteoporosis in the postmenopausal and elderly years is caused by a multitude of factors, which include calcium intake, and is felt largely to be a preventable situation. Low dietary calcium intakes (505 mgs. daily) are common in middle-aged females in southern West Virginia. Further information about the demographic factors in the elderly population from all socioeconomic groups needs to be explored to effect changes in dietary lifestyles.
